Weed is cheaper.

Earlier this year, the outgoing U.S. surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, recommended a label on bottles of beer, wine and liquor that would clearly outline the link between alcohol consumption and cancer.

“Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States — greater than the 13,500 alcohol-associated traffic crash fatalities per year in the U.S. — yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk,” Murthy said in a statement in January.

The federal government’s current dietary guidelines recommend Americans not drink or, if they do consume alcohol, men should limit themselves to two drinks a day or fewer while women should stick to one or fewer.

I’m 42 and I barely drink, even when I was in my crazy 20’s I would drink a little but I never got crazy with it. I believe personally it’s because I grew up with an alcoholic parent and most of my family were heavy drinkers and smokers. And seeing them destroy their lives was a reality check for me at a young age. Idk if that’s a factor with the younger generations now but just like politics I feel like the younger generation has learned what not to do. At least I hope so.

It’s nice to see some good news once in a while.

I just hope we don’t slide into another Prohibition, honestly. Between people who don’t drink because health, and the social conservatives who want a fundamentalist theocracy, we are squeezed.

For me, it’s money - I finally have a good job AND a husband with a good job, and over time have accumulated a collection of booze to use for cocktails. And if we want to go out for a drink it won’t bankrupt us. I practice moderation, one drink 3-4 times a week but never more than one, plus two months off each year, and really like that much drinking, feel good physically.

I keep a bottle of grapefruit vodka in the house. It doesn’t go bad (easily), it tastes like grapefruit with very little alcohol taste when added to anything vaguely sweet, and if I do want to experience a buzz, I just add more.

That being said, I drink rarely in private and simply would rather not buy it at some insane mark up from a bar. A single beer should not cost the same as an entire 6-pack of the same brand from any store that sells it.

With the increase loneliness crisis 📈 and the decrease drinking at the local pub 📉

I think this headline is not a positive

Drinking is expensive and overrated. I was sober for the majority of my life. Went on a 1 year drinking binge due to problems at home. It was fun but I paid a hefty price for it. Not worth it honestly. 2/10 wouldn’t do it again.

Here is a link to the Gallup poll, which I couldn’t seem to find in the article above: https://news.gallup.com/poll/693362/drinking-rate-new-low-alcohol-concerns-surge.aspx

I quit.

Work stress, financial stress, time stress, family stress… I didn’t used to drink much, but it sneaks up on you when it helps quiet the noise in your head about all the stresses. You find yourself looking forward to drinking even if technically you’re not an alcoholic.

Yeah, you know intellectually what the dangers are, but so much social life revolves around alcohol and media really doesn’t help by pushing the idea. Out and drinking, bbq at home and drinking, watching sports and drinking…etc.

I quit for a bit, tried to ease into light social drinking and hated looking over my shoulder all the time to see if an extra drink or three was going to sneak up on me. Hated that. Stopped being fun.

You see, to do things that cost money you need money to spend.

To get money you can get a job, maybe in a bar or restaurant.

Places that hire people need people to spend money at them to then pay people.

No one can afford the high prices in bars and restaurants on a regular enough basis.

Not enough people go to bars and restaurants to have them hire you, and with less people going there is less reason to go.

Its cheaper to buy booze and drink at home.

Government and everyone wants more money, so the price of everything goes up (booze included).

You don’t get paid enough for non essential purchases.

You go into debt, just to have a little joy.

The debts are not paid and the debt companies struggle (klama etc). They stop lending.

You have to cut spending, by not drinking (even the cheap swill at home) you save money and feel like ass less often.

You (and many others) stop drinking altogether. <---- We are here

At some point the K type recession becomes so clear and you understand that you are not on the good part of the K.

Only? Still seems like a lot.

This must be the 54% of those who put Trump in office.

Seems about right. My partner doesn’t drink alcohol, and I very seldomly drink alcohol. I petty much buy it if I’m going from cook with it, but beyond that, it’s money I’d rather spend (or need to spend) elsewhere.

If I’d had to guess, I’d say it’s a combo factor of people being poor, health consequences of partaking being more widely known, and adults choosing to socialize more online instead of going to bars.

Only drink on the weekends. 2-4 drinks spread across the second half of the day.