tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115935.post923335748988667199..comments2023-12-01T11:40:00.045+11:00Comments on Dikkii's Diatribe: Denial. Or why people actually drink.Dikkiihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897381809885423712noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115935.post-5146208625844299202008-07-09T11:34:00.000+10:002008-07-09T11:34:00.000+10:00BD, everyone I know who is a teetotaller (admitted...BD, everyone I know who is a teetotaller (admittedly, not many) is usually that way because they either never liked the taste of alcoholic beverages, or never found being out of it that much fun. And while I support drinking in moderation, I admit to being aware of the fun that a night on the piss can bring to those who enjoy it.<BR/><BR/>That said, like most people, I don’t enjoy hangovers very much.<BR/><BR/>I don’t know anyone who is a teetotaller for wowser/religious/health/rehab reasonsDikkiihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07897381809885423712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115935.post-2918411370474212972008-07-09T02:37:00.000+10:002008-07-09T02:37:00.000+10:00I can see how it'd be easy for someone to miss som...I can see how it'd be easy for someone to miss something so obvious, but I'm a teetotaler primarily because I don't see the fun in it. Got no problem with people who can drink responsibly.Bronze Doghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10938257296504189967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115935.post-15209108609535302312008-06-17T00:55:00.000+10:002008-06-17T00:55:00.000+10:00And people wonder why actual binge drinking exists...And people wonder why actual binge drinking exists. This just proves my point: Who's going to take this message seriously?<BR/><BR/>More to the point, people simply aren't going to listen to a bunch of wowsers. They're going to think: OK if alcohol is such a problem, why isn't it illegal?<BR/><BR/>Talk about mixed messages.Dikkiihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07897381809885423712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115935.post-51435224135084086532008-06-16T19:26:00.000+10:002008-06-16T19:26:00.000+10:00Sadly, such blatant silliness just makes it a whol...Sadly, such blatant silliness just makes it a whole lot easier for people to entirely disregard unwelcome yet genuine health messages.<BR/><BR/>Interesting quote from <B>Professor Haber</B>: <BR/><BR/><I>"I think that several members on that committee, as individual people, don't see the value in drinking, and don't see the social value in drinking for other people."</I><BR/><BR/>Taking a bigger picture, maybe it's a Good Thing for society at large to appreciate that our governments and the medical lobby are a poor source of credible information.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07749796777534219331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115935.post-35374988258679384252008-06-16T19:11:00.000+10:002008-06-16T19:11:00.000+10:00No Greg, I think we have a problem. This qualifie...No Greg, I think we have a problem. This qualifies as the silliest anti-alcohol message ever.Dikkiihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07897381809885423712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115935.post-58639689262486256142008-06-16T14:21:00.000+10:002008-06-16T14:21:00.000+10:00Now that three glasses of wine "officially" const...Now that <A HREF="http://www.theage.com.au/national/three-drinks-and-youre-out-20080614-2qng.html?page=-1" REL="nofollow">three glasses of wine "officially" constitutes a binge drinking session</A>, can Government credibility on this question ever be restored?Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07749796777534219331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115935.post-3378813954306642202008-06-10T22:05:00.000+10:002008-06-10T22:05:00.000+10:00G'day Dunc. Yes, "why" is a good question. I sus...G'day Dunc. <BR/><BR/>Yes, "why" is a good question. I suspect that this is one of those "inconvenient truths" that the population hates to hear.<BR/><BR/><I>Even though many people know, deep down, that they're not the root of the problem, the maintenance of social cohesion is regarded (by the political classes) as more important than piffling little matters like truth or justice.</I><BR/><BR/>My thoughts exactly.Dikkiihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07897381809885423712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115935.post-14474503893187725412008-06-10T20:43:00.000+10:002008-06-10T20:43:00.000+10:00Ding ding ding! We have a winner!Yes, this is exac...Ding ding ding! We have a winner!<BR/><BR/>Yes, this is exactly the reason why the current approach to drink / drugs education is a horrible failure. If you can't admit the most obvious and fundamental fact about the issue, namely that people get muntered because it's fun, then no-one is going to listen to a word you say.<BR/><BR/>Now, <I>why</I> no-one will admit that is a trickier question. I think it's just become one of those unquestioned political assumptions that you're supposed to give lip-service to in order to get taken seriously - like all the "tough on crime" bollocks. Drug-users are the modern scapegoats (in the original sense of the term). Even though many people know, deep down, that they're not the root of the problem, the maintenance of social cohesion is regarded (by the political classes) as more important than piffling little matters like truth or justice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115935.post-41228675597420771122008-06-10T12:44:00.000+10:002008-06-10T12:44:00.000+10:00I'd go one step further Greg.Teenagers aren't stup...I'd go one step further Greg.<BR/><BR/>Teenagers aren't stupid. They hear the current message of "Drinking heavily is not fun" and think, "That's a filthy rotten lie."<BR/><BR/>So, of course, you put any other negative message in front of them, and they're going to have their doubts, not matter how accurate these other messages are.Dikkiihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07897381809885423712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115935.post-35772285552031635672008-06-10T12:27:00.000+10:002008-06-10T12:27:00.000+10:00It's an interesting question: why is the mainstrea...It's an interesting question: why is the mainstream media forbidden from discussing the (putative) reason for drug use (including alcohol)?<BR/><BR/>You never see a shot of drunken teens out the front of a suburban nightclub presaged with a voice-over "These young people are really enjoying themselves and having lots of fun." In fact, in the present environment, that would be as close to a public blasphemy as you could imagine.<BR/><BR/>Sure, a <B>Bill Hicks</B> or an <B>Irvine Welsh</B> can speak frankly on the topic, but we won't be seeing that sort of honesty in any Government messages. <BR/><BR/>I attributed this mealy-mouthed sanctimonious failure to the fact that the Howard Government asked the Salvation Army to run its drugs policy. Now, with a slightly-less conservative Christian politician in charge, we may see a shift.<BR/><BR/>As long as the portrayal of drug (and alcohol) use is disconnected from young people's experiences, any messages of temperance will be lost.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07749796777534219331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115935.post-33614394442409381632008-06-10T12:01:00.000+10:002008-06-10T12:01:00.000+10:00Thank you Indefensible.Sadly, I'm going to have to...Thank you Indefensible.<BR/><BR/>Sadly, I'm going to have to leave my public office ambitions at "lobbyist" level - I suspect that I have too many skeletons in my warehouse to make such an exercise worthwhile.Dikkiihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07897381809885423712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115935.post-39957315666106604212008-06-10T11:25:00.000+10:002008-06-10T11:25:00.000+10:00Very well said, Dikkii. I also like the Obama-esqu...Very well said, Dikkii. I also like the Obama-esque way you alluded to past drug use, yet defused it as an issue. Nicely played. I will be voting for you when you run for public office some day.Indefensiblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10144656260410917679noreply@blogger.com