Comments on: Not Drinking Leads To Depression http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/not-drinking-leads-to-depression/ Jay R. Brooks on Beer Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:22:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://beerzine.com/?v=3.3.1 By: michael reinhardt http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/not-drinking-leads-to-depression/comment-page-1/#comment-8630 michael reinhardt Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:24:41 +0000 http://brookston.beerzine.com/?p=2961#comment-8630 It's really hard to imagine what some of these people are still fight for. What's left? Maybe a society for the stuffy would be up their alley. They could have social interaction and bash beauty, beer, fatty foods and a gambit of other topics. Myopic lives! It’s really hard to imagine what some of these people are still fight for. What’s left? Maybe a society for the stuffy would be up their alley. They could have social interaction and bash beauty, beer, fatty foods and a gambit of other topics. Myopic lives!

]]> By: Julie@GoodBrewer http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/not-drinking-leads-to-depression/comment-page-1/#comment-8628 Julie@GoodBrewer Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:48:53 +0000 http://brookston.beerzine.com/?p=2961#comment-8628 I can't quite get on board with the way the Times applied the conclusions from the study to the US. I've been to Scandinavia, and it really is the norm there to drink moderately in any social setting...my host family served me beer with dinner when I was just 19, and it was perfectly acceptable. So, abstinence being an indicator of social problems is a valid conclusion in that region. Unfortunately, the US still suffers the ill effects of our puritanical foundation and everything is an extreme, all or nothing as you said. Moderation in all things just doesn't seem to figure into most peoples minds, and accordingly, it isn't the norm that there's drinking in all social situations (most granted, but not all). So I don't think that you can extend the Norway study conclusion to the US, and abstinence should not be taken as an indicator of a social problem. So while, I'm COMPLETELY on board with drinking in moderation, especially in social situations, the way the Times characterized it is really off the wall. Abstainers can't make good friends without a beer to loosen them up? Their phrasing just helps the neo-prohibitionist cause in my mind because it gives them a target to shoot back at. I do think your conclusions are spot on. As a culture, we need to focus on moderation in all things, not just drinking. Too many of our ills as a country are a result of polarized thinking on any issue, with no middle ground for compromise and acceptance of opposing viewpoints. I can’t quite get on board with the way the Times applied the conclusions from the study to the US. I’ve been to Scandinavia, and it really is the norm there to drink moderately in any social setting…my host family served me beer with dinner when I was just 19, and it was perfectly acceptable. So, abstinence being an indicator of social problems is a valid conclusion in that region.

Unfortunately, the US still suffers the ill effects of our puritanical foundation and everything is an extreme, all or nothing as you said. Moderation in all things just doesn’t seem to figure into most peoples minds, and accordingly, it isn’t the norm that there’s drinking in all social situations (most granted, but not all). So I don’t think that you can extend the Norway study conclusion to the US, and abstinence should not be taken as an indicator of a social problem.

So while, I’m COMPLETELY on board with drinking in moderation, especially in social situations, the way the Times characterized it is really off the wall. Abstainers can’t make good friends without a beer to loosen them up? Their phrasing just helps the neo-prohibitionist cause in my mind because it gives them a target to shoot back at.

I do think your conclusions are spot on. As a culture, we need to focus on moderation in all things, not just drinking. Too many of our ills as a country are a result of polarized thinking on any issue, with no middle ground for compromise and acceptance of opposing viewpoints.

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