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We here in USA here of stories where these 3 countries drink ALL day long, & so consume far more than 2 glasses of wine (as USA recommends). Just wondering if anyone can say really what is the real amount -- not just stories we hear. Thanks & Happy New YR to all!
Well, hearing things through the grapevine probably ain't the best way to understand an issue (for that requires the powers of city-data). I can't comment much on Italy never having been there yet but I have traveled in France and extensively in Spain.
First off, I'm not sure what you mean by ALL day. Many drink every day but that doesn't mean they drink ALL day. After all, what is better to drink a drink a day or to drink 7 drinks all in one day a week? Obviously, it averages out to the same thing but it ain't the same thing to your body or mind. The culture of alcohol is just different there. When you go out for lunch or dinner you often have a drink with your meal every day. Not everyone does but many do. Here people often binge drink much more than in Spain probably France too. In most states here the legal DUI limit is .08% while in France and Spain it is .05% and even less for new drivers. I've seen periodically many random DUI stops driving around Spain. They are quite strict about it there. Actually, the many times that I have been in Spain I have very rarely seen public drunkenness. And the few times I have it has usually been tourists. It may exist but I sure haven't noticed it. As opposed to here on any weekend night I can go down to many a neighborhood and watch the drunken crowds flow from bar to bar. Of course I've been guilty of the same thing too in my life but drinking for me has never been to get drunk I just love a good drink (go read the whiskey forum for more on that ). http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunk...law_by_country
Alcohol still has a bit of a naughty aura surrounding it here (after all we did introduce the world to prohibition) there it is just a part of everyday life and has been for millennia. You often see families at a bar with their kids in tow, it's just normal there. I suppose the real issue is not whether you drink every day but whether you abuse alcohol or not.
Last edited by biggunsmallbrains; 12-30-2014 at 10:01 PM..
But I guess my main question is, how many equivalent glasses of wine/day is normal even if spread over course of 24 hr day? I think that we drink 2 glasses in an hr or 2 in USA, & thus meet our "allowable medically-safe quota daily". Any more than this & it isn't advised.
So, do the Europeans abide by the same daily max of about 12 oz wine total/day, period? I thought due to a few more drinks daily, it exceeds that & maybe even more than 3-4 drinks.
But I guess my main question is, how many equivalent glasses of wine/day is normal even if spread over course of 24 hr day? I think that we drink 2 glasses in an hr or 2 in USA, & thus meet our "allowable medically-safe quota daily". Any more than this & it isn't advised.
So, do the Europeans abide by the same daily max of about 12 oz wine total/day, period? I thought due to a few more drinks daily, it exceeds that & maybe even more than 3-4 drinks.
Ok, thx again for that reply.
What is the obsession with this artifical quota or restriction to 2 glasses of wine? Most people in Europe and the US know their own personal habits and what works or doesn't work for them...for some people that is none...for others is higher. Work on being a responsible for yourself drinker and not worry about what someone in France is drinking with dinner.
Hi Scarlett, this isn't a crazy question but trying to see why lower rates of cardiac disease, & even longer lifespans, occur in much of Europe -- DESPITE daily drinking of some wine (& of course, other alcohol, I realize).
I thought that this "magic number" of 2 drinks/day in USA medical circles, may be even much lower than the amount consumed in Europe on daily avg -- yet in Europe longevity, & even health due to alcohol intake, isn't lowered like here for drinking in the USA -- where health does drop off per drinking amounts?
Ok, sorry to sound like a circular debate here but trying to find a straight answer as to maybe, why lower poor health & lifespan happen here in USA from booze -- yet in Europe, maybe even a better, healthier lifespan is had?
Hi Scarlett, this isn't a crazy question but trying to see why lower rates of cardiac disease, & even longer lifespans, occur in much of Europe -- DESPITE daily drinking of some wine (& of course, other alcohol, I realize).
I thought that this "magic number" of 2 drinks/day in USA medical circles, may be even much lower than the amount consumed in Europe on daily avg -- yet in Europe longevity, & even health due to alcohol intake, isn't lowered like here for drinking in the USA -- where health does drop off per drinking amounts?
Ok, sorry to sound like a circular debate here but trying to find a straight answer as to maybe, why lower poor health & lifespan happen here in USA from booze -- yet in Europe, maybe even a better, healthier lifespan is had?
You are committing a logical fallacy with this. Corelation does not mean causation. There can be hundreds of differences that lead to longer life spans....the big one would be better access to affordable health care in Europe compared to the US....nothing to do with how much wine one dies or dies not drink. They also take much more vacations then we do...leading to lower stress...the lists goes on.
You are committing a logical fallacy with this. Corelation does not mean causation. There can be hundreds of differences that lead to longer life spans....the big one would be better access to affordable health care in Europe compared to the US....nothing to do with how much wine one dies or dies not drink. They also take much more vacations then we do...leading to lower stress...the lists goes on.
Haha, well no real big job stress, eat well & exercise daily. Also, I drink a few wine glasses daily. Go for docs visits/checkups/bld wk, often, & in overall decent health. Can I now drink like a European? Haha.
Haha, well no real big job stress, eat well & exercise daily. Also, I drink a few wine glasses daily. Go for docs visits/checkups/bld wk, often, & in overall decent health. Can I now drink like a European? Haha.
Which European? Individual genetics and personality also come into play. Now you are trying to apply macro level outcomes on the micro (individual ) level.....that doesn't work either.
You don't need population case studies to determine your drinking level.
You are committing a logical fallacy with this. Corelation does not mean causation. There can be hundreds of differences that lead to longer life spans....the big one would be better access to affordable health care in Europe compared to the US....nothing to do with how much wine one dies or dies not drink. They also take much more vacations then we do...leading to lower stress...the lists goes on.
Not to mention they're also thinner in France and Spain and eat better diets.
Regardless, the difference in alcohol consumption between the average US citizen and those of France and Spain is trivial. WHO stats show France at 12.2 liters per year, Spain at 11.2 and the US at 9.2.
So if we're talking wine, the average French person drinks a standard 750 ml bottle of wine every 22.5 days, a Spaniard every 24.5 days and a US citizen every 29.75 days. So you're really talking the difference of one glass of wine per week between France and the US. Nothing to get excited about.
If you want to really go up against some serious drinkers, try Russia or its former states.
Not to mention they're also thinner in France and Spain and eat better diets.
Regardless, the difference in alcohol consumption between the average US citizen and those of France and Spain is trivial. WHO stats show France at 12.2 liters per year, Spain at 11.2 and the US at 9.2.
So if we're talking wine, the average French person drinks a standard 750 ml bottle of wine every 22.5 days, a Spaniard every 24.5 days and a US citizen every 29.75 days. So you're really talking the difference of one glass of wine per week between France and the US. Nothing to get excited about.
If you want to really go up against some serious drinkers, try Russia or its former states.
Got a link to those stats? They are liters of what, exactly? Wine or standard alcohol units? Beer? 9.2 liters of beer is 311 ounces, or a bit more than two twelve packs. A skimpy month's beer supply for the average U.S. beer drinker I'd reckon. Who's counted in the calculation? Drinkers only or is it a per capita average - essentially meaningless when you're including children and teetotalers.
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). I can't comment much on Italy never having been there yet but I have traveled in France and extensively in Spain.
