New Australian Drinking Guidelines

[boingk]

The draft Guidelines can be viewed here.

Its a lengthy document, but pretty concise. Evidently we're significantly damaging our health by having in excess of 2 standard drinks a day. Thats one schooner, come on! I know the medical evidence is kinda irrefutable, but I'd rather live to 80 instead of 90 and live sound by the fact that I'd enjoyed my life.

Thought you might be interested in the document, anyways.

Cheers - boingk

 

[Swinging Beef]

Good Lord!
News like that would drive a man to drink!

 

[caleb]

It's all political propaganda from the ministry of puritanism and no-fun... the same ministry that has already brought you such classics as "the war on some drugs" and close-up pictures of zombie movie extras on tobacco products.

And 2 standard drinks = 2 middies, or 1 pint (of regular ~5% abv beer)

These are the same people who classified 3 standard drinks as a "binge"...

So remember kids, one martini equals a "binge".

God, I hate politicians!

 

[SJW]

Thanks :angry:
I know for me that brewing and drinking reduces my stress levels and ultimately provides me a better quality of life. So I would doubt that even with the associated health risks of drinking over and above safe guidelines, that my health is in any more danger now than if I drank within the guidelines and was not able to enjoy the same quality of life. Saying that, if there was evidence that my consumption of beer was excessive, by way of Liver Function Test or similar I would cut down for sure. But like most of us on this site, we love our beer and no one will stop us drinking. :super:

Steve

 

[Mantis]

I am not even to bother reading it. What hipocryts these polys are, raking in billions on alcohol excise the then telling us to cut down to one beer a day, pffffft

I bet not many of them could stick to that.

 

[winkle]

What a waste of public money, nobody will pay any attention to this document when it contains such stupid statements as that on binge drinking. There is probably some really good information in there but I lost interest after the 3 standard drinks bit.
Bandwagon politicians .

 

[raven19]

Bandwagon politicians .

+1

Yep a waste of our good tax paying dollars.... but thats another whole thread! hehe!

 

[jonocarroll]

Importantly, Guideline 1 does not represent a 'safe' or 'no-risk' drinking level; neither is it a
proscriptive level of drinking that must be followed in all situations. Rather, it is an advisory
drinking level that will enable healthy adults to maintain a low risk of alcohol-related
accidents, injuries, diseases and death. Drinking at levels higher than this recommended level
of alcohol intake is associated with a significantly increasing risk of these complications and
the risk of death from alcohol-related disease escalates much more rapidly for women than
for men.

Death, in most cases, is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a very long timescale. Put another way, the single greatest cause of death, is life.

This draft appears to be dated October 2007 - not particularly recent. That's interesting, as there was recently an article in New Scientist that found light drinking when pregnant won't necessarily harm the baby, in contradiction to the 'a single drink will harm' mantra. That's not to say that abstaining from alcohol all-together isn't the wisest choice - it's certainly less risk. Risk is a funny thing. Doesn't mean it will happen, just that it could.

 

[Swinging Beef]

I was always under the impression the real reason you dont drink or smoke during pregnancy is so the poor little tyke doesnt have to go cold turkey from the moment you cut that cord.
Imagine drinking and smoking for your whole life (9 months from conception) and then being cut off cold turkey!

 

[brettprevans]

its 4 for blokes now. recomended is 2. otherwise its binge drinking.

hmm i wonder what they thought me dowing 12 beers the other night with me old man (over a 5hr period). thats 18 standard worth. Now i know whats wrong with society...me apparently.

anyway warnings are just that. re QB comment about risk. He's right. Doc tell pregnant women not to do and eat a heapp of things. but thats b/c theres a risk. they dont say that you cant, just that theres a risk and you shouldnt. doesnt mean it will happen. Just like there's a risk that i'll give up drinking. doesnt mean its going to happen!

 

[Katherine]

hmm i wonder what they thought me dowing 12 beers the other night with me old man (over a 5hr period). thats 18 standard worth. Now i know whats wrong with society...me apparently.

Ill say your'e soft City now lift you game!

 

[MarkBastard]

thanks government that tries to be my parents

 

[raven19]

Death, in most cases, is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a very long timescale. Put another way, the single greatest cause of death, is life.

As they say... dont take life too seriouly, you'll never get out alive!

 

[brettprevans]

Ill say your'e soft City now lift you game!

ahh Katie a women that wouldnt drive her man to drink....cause she's already brewed her own and tell him to sit down shut up and enjoy.

I didnt think my 12 stub effort was at all unreasonable. I drank good microbrew beer (no preservatives), didnt drive home, wasnt falling all over the joint etc. whats wrong that Mr Govt/Mr Health experts?

 

[rich_lamb]

Haha CM - I do love the irony, just looking at your icon and hearing "stick that in your pipe and smoke it you nanny politicians".

Yeah, they love to use the RISK word; difficult to quantify but enough to put the frighteners on. I choose to ignore the message at my own peril :beerbang:

ANd SB; you don't have to cut the kiddies off at birth. A little vodka in the bottle; or get mum to have some before breastfeeding.

 

[schooey]

I hope none of them tag along on this years Sydney pub crawl.... :unsure:

 

[buttersd70]

And 2 standard drinks = 2 middies, or 1 pint (of regular ~5% abv beer)

1 standard drink is one that contains 10g (approx 12.5mL) of alcohol....this is usually generalised as "one 285mL glass of 'normal' beer".

Just have a look at the back of any beer bottle lable that has standard drinks listed, and convert it backwards....hoegaarden, at 4.9%ABV is 1.3 standards in a 33cl bottle.....1.3*285/330=1.1227, so approx 1.1 standard drinks per 285ml of 4.9% beer.

edit:spejlink

 

[Pollux]

Does this mean that drinking one pint of a high alc% belgian makes me a binge drinker???

 

[boingk]

And heres another tid-bit I pulled off my bar fridge (a dilapidated thing on its third coat of paint, with a 'Crack a Big Woody' bourbon sticker and other choice items slapped on it):

'Low Risk Drinking, National Guidelines for Adults'

Men: up to 4 on average per day, up to an occaisional maximum of 6*.
Women: up to 2 on average per day, up to an occaisional maximum of 4*.

*on any one day, no more than 3 days per week.

Have 1~2 alcohol-free days per week.

Now isn't that a bit more fun? That came from a magnet on my fridge thats been there for 3 or so years, along with a lot of other interesting junk. Rather than have something that absolutely no-one will stick to why not have something that is, by and far, reasonable for most people? Doesn't that make more sense? Can I ask any more rhetorical questions?

Cheers - boingk

 

[boingk]

Does this mean that drinking one pint of a high alc% belgian makes me a binge drinker???

Yes. Most definitely.

You are likely, in that enibriated state, to cause violence, crimes of a sexual nature, destructive acts against property, and other heinous crimes.



Drink on, man, drink on!