you'll find that most things average young people do in their spare time are for the purposes of being cool..

drinking
smoking
modifying cars
talking shit
txting
buying the same clothes as their friends
etc...

//I guess drinking to seem cool is probably better than drinking because you are miserable?

yeah i think so.... like any drug its better to take it in a good frame of mind than a bad one

Probably a valid arguement.

I've been thinking of giving up the ol alchohol recently ... specially after last night I had 3 cans and felt sick as (dunno why that was). But anyway, I'm starting to think it's a waste of money when coke tastes just as nice and doesn't make you do crazy things ...

//coke tastes just as nice and doesn't make you do crazy things

For the record, Coke is disgusting and repulsive, and that stuff wouldn't get past my lips if you paid me a squillion dollars to drink it. It rots your teeth and your insides, gives you numerous health problems and is one of the leading causes of rampant obesity (as well as Adult Onset Diabetes) in the US.

Also for the record, I was raised as a moderate drinker. My parents never attached a stigma to it, therefore I've always been responsible with my drink. And it's never made me do crazy things. If I should happen to do anything crazy, I take responsibility for that myself and don't blame the drink, or the devil, or society...

Velocity:
//For the record, Coke is disgusting and repulsive, and that stuff wouldn't get past my lips if you paid me a squillion dollars to drink it. It rots your teeth and your insides, gives you numerous health problems and is one of the leading causes of rampant obesity (as well as Adult Onset Diabetes) in the US.

and u believe the lies of a corrupt and Vile Imperialist-dominated US Media??? have you heard of Diet Coke, Diet Sprite etc etc????

Jamesgould: 3 cans, 3 cans of what?? if its beer, what is the strength of the beer?? and what time of the day did you drink it??? How big was the can itself??? I Know that alcohol affects people differently but for me Three 330ml cans of Tui (4%) would probably calculate my BAC at 0.05 - Below the legal limit in NZ but just on the AU Limit, plus 3 tuis i dont feel at all pissed, But as ive said alcohol effects people differently ie. after 4 cans one person doesnt feel at all pissed but another can feel completely smashed, also consideration must be taken on the amount of food in the stomach.

Also on a seperate note, i notice that i get a better buzz out of alcohol if i consumed 4 beers between 4.30pm-6pm, than i do between 8.30pm-10pm, Food in the stomach can answer the latter, but even with food in the stomach at 4.30pm i cant take as much alcohol as i can at 8.30pm?? apart from the "differetn effects on different people" theory, can anybody exlain why?? and does anybody else find it easier to get a "bigger bang for less" late afternoon/early evening than later on at night???

//and u believe the lies of a corrupt and Vile Imperialist-dominated US Media??? have you heard of Diet Coke, Diet Sprite etc etc????

First of all, Sam, who says I believe anything I read in the media? Did I EVER in my entire history on this site say anything remotely like, "Hooray for the media! I believe whatever they tell me!" If you think so, you've clearly not been paying any attention at all. So start paying attention and stop spouting the same useless drivel you spout all the fucking time. I get my information from BOOKS and SCIENCE and NUTRITIONISTS, for fuck's sake, Sam. Maybe you ought to try to disengage from your little reactionary fantasy world and try some facts for a change.

Second, since when has the "Vile Imperialist-dominated US Media" ever told anyone that soda, or any sort of highly processed convenience food is bad for them? That would not support the economy, which in the real world is what the US media is all about.

God, your ignorance is painful sometimes Sam. Your vitriol and enthusiasm might actually be appreciated if you bothered to be informed.

Hey ho, watch out Luci's got the bold tags going! Actually good guess, it was Tui's. Like I said, I dunno why it made me feel sick, but I had been ill earlier in the week, that probably had something to do with it.

Oh, and velocity, I can't really say alcohol has made me do anything crazy either ... I usually don't have too much. But I dunno ... it sorta seems like what's the point if you ain't having too much (which I don't like to do).

Maybe my big as student loan is beginning to get to me!

ok velocity, I notice you competely ignored my response. Maybe because you don't have an argument? I don't know. However I was being deadly serious. Yeah, I realise the odds are against you in terms of obesity, but seriously, exercise and drink coke in moderation. You will have no health problems.

//ok velocity, I notice you competely ignored my response.

I didn't ignore it, Saul. I missed it, as it took me a while to compose my diatribe. The whole point is, I am healthy because I watch what I eat, brush my teeth, and try to exercise regularly. I'm not fat and diabetic, as Megaccino snidely assumes, just because I live in America. I don't take part in the fast food culture. I pay attention to what I put into my body, and it treats me well in return.

//they could've been guttersults

how have a learnt a new word today.

bruce - read the post i added above to ses why youth+alcohol is a problem or if you cant be arsed Its not the fault of the youth its New Zealands past attitudes to alcohol - The Six O'Clock Will.

i rather blame on the media potraying drunkeness as *cool*

oh Georgina. Go outside and play, young one.

stop following my ass around like a gay man, jet. Add to the topic, I'm actually keen as hell to read your thoughts.

yes, we could consider why this sort of behaviour is encouraged. My view is that people want to fit into a crowd, because deep down everyone fears rejection. No one is an individual anymore.

Since when was anyone an individual?

Touche

and who might you be mr 03?

that's a bit sweeping. visit Greece, Italy, France ... almost anywhere in Europe, and the local yoof just aren't into drinking to excess. perhaps because they are exposed to decent drink/wine when they are lil 'uns ... funny thing is that in 'almost anywhere in Europe' the ones drinking to excess are usually British/Australian or Kiwi tourists.
same goes for westerised countries like Brazil - an exchange student we went out with was flabbergasted by the drinking culture here - wondered if we all died of heart disease/liver failure at the age of 40 ...

That's an amazing story, but perhaps the best evidence why evolutionary explanations of behaviour are so dangerous. They often seem plausible, and if the basic facts check out, then it seems like they're true.

However, there are several problems with this one.
A/ The only reason why `distilling' makes water safe is because the water is boiled as part of the process (ie, the two processes aren't different).
B/ `Asian' cultures (inasmuchas one can generalize) drink and swim in the water, and end up with a higher level of tolerance (through mere exposure rather than genetic difference).
C/ `Asian' cultures tend to drink less as approx. 50% possess a gene which leads to an unpleasant response (facial flushing, heart palpitations) to alcohol.

i have to agree with iluvtheclean - western european attitudes to alcohol is entirely different from those western countrys whom where colonised by the english, Kids in places like france, italy, germany and austria where introduced to alcohol as young children and in strictly controlled circumstances which is why these countries have fewer rates of alcoholism than the english speaking countries.

As ive said before the reason for Australia and New Zealand having high rates of drunkeness is because until only 35-40 years ago both countries where required to close there pubs at 6pm which led to a 1 hour "Booze Orgy" where men would guzzle down as much beer as they can after work and stagger home at 6pm to beat up there wives, beat up there mates in the pub carpark or on the footpath, or bring back up the contents of there 1 hour bingefest. because its only been 35 years since the six o'clock swill ended its going to be at least another generation (my kids generation) before a european standard of drinking behavior is adhered to, id prefer to call this era (which started in 1967) The "Recovery Period."

America also has a high rate of alcoholism the reason being - Prohibition, between 1919 and 1933 it was illegal to possess, consume, buy/sell or manufactuer alcoholic stimulants of any strength over 1.5% unless it was prescribed by a registered physician and because of Prohibition, Alcohol problems just took off in the states and drinking driven underground (speakeasys anyone??) and more crime and violence was associated with Prohibition than before the 18th amendment was passed into law. Unfortunatley americas drinking problems still remain - as a direct consequence of Prohibition and also the federal increase of the drinking ages from 18/19 to 21 during the 1980s under knifepoint that states would lose all there federal road funding if they didnt conform, this is why America is considered the worst in terms of alcohol abuse.