Soft Drink Junkie – A Sober Night Out? | Health And Fitness Journal

Soft Drink Junkie – A Sober Night Out?

Posted by Health JYDC Admin | Health Informations | Thursday 21 January 2010 9:54 pm

Article Source: Health And Fitness Journal

Alcohol advertising is everywhere. It’s on the TV, on billboards, in magazines and all over the internet. Images of groups of women sipping on a cheap but incredibly strong white wine and having the time of their lives tries (not to subtly) that this drink is the way to have a good time.

What the ads tend not to show is the inside of alcohol detox clinics as patients struggle with withdrawal effects. They don’t show damaged livers and they certainly don’t talk about those who lose their lives at a young age as a result of alcohol abuse.

Of course, it’s entirely unreasonable to suggest that everyone who has a drink is going to go to extremes and there are plenty of people who simply have a social drink or two when they meet up with friends and stay well within sensible limits. But binge drinking is a growing problem and being drunk is no longer taboo or even unacceptable in many social circles.

So what if you want to go out and not drink alcohol. Is a sober night out just as much fun? I decided to find out.

Of seven of us, I would be the only one not having a drink and as we made our way into a busy bar at 8pm on a Saturday, the others made their way straight to the shots bar. I ordered an orange juice. In the corner, a man in his early twenties is slumped with vomit on his shirt – already. The music is too loud to talk and so we dance as my friends drink shots, after shots, after shots…

As the bar gets busier and more alcohol is consumed, I’m bumped into and pushed around accidentally by those stumbling towards the bar for more. And this only gets worse as the night progresses. I look around a room at people falling over drunk and wonder whether I look like that to other non-drinkers I am out and I am drinking alcohol that night? My friends are not that drunk really, yet I notice (in a way I never would if I had drank alcohol too) their raised voices, slurred words and repetitiveness.

The night gets progressively more difficult as my patience is tested by drinks being spilled, being pushed into even more and trying desperately to have a coherent conversation with anyone (and failing).

I pass on the club and head home early.

At 9:30 the next morning I wake up bright, early and not hungover. Maybe last night wasn’t great but I bet I’m faring better than the drinkers this morning!

The only opinion I can ascertain with this is that alcohol free nights out in big city centres, bustling bars and nightclubs etc just aren’t as enjoyable as perhaps an alcohol free night in a quieter bar or pub, where you would at least be able to hear a conversation.

It’s a shame really. With growing numbers of alcohol related illnesses, we should really be emphasising the importance of moderating our alcohol intake. While this needn’t necessarily mean going alcohol-free, it does mean knowing what you’re drinking and staying within health authority recommended limits. But we don’t. At least not effectively enough.

The ads continue to promote the fun you’ll have when drinking. The health authorities simply must up their campaign to give a truer reflection.