Doesn't surprise me. The amount of alcohol drunk here in Asia is small compared to the booze culture over there.

The UK is the addition capital of Europe, with some of the highest rates of opiate and alcohol dependency as well as a worldwide hub for so-called ‘legal highs’.

A new report by the think-tank the Centre for Social Justice (the CSJ) found that the UK has become “the addicted man of Europe” with alcohol and drug abuses costing the tax payer 21 billion and 15 billion respectively.

The addiction crisis is further fuelling the breakdown of society, while the number of alcohol related hospital admissions has doubled in a decade, in what the CSJ warns is “an epidemic of drink-related conditions”.

A quarter of adults in the UK were found to drink to dangerous levels, with one in 20 found to be “dependent drinkers”. Liver disease is now one of the big killers in the UK alongside heart disease, strokes and cancer.

Alcohol dependence was second highest among men in Western Europe and seventh overall worldwide, while there are more female alcoholics in the UK than anywhere else in Europe.

“We’ve had an unhealthy relationship with it for some time. While the general public is drinking less at the acute end the problem is getting worse, people who work in Accident and Emergency say it’s a revolving door,” Alex Burghart, the director for policy at the CSJ, told RT.



He believes the government should introduce a tax on alcohol, which could then be used for treatment.

“The government has backed away from an alcohol pricing strategy; there should be an additional tax for alcohol, which could then be used for treatment for alcoholics. Our intervention is rubbish; the number of alcoholics in treatment is considerably lower than the number of heroin addicts,” Burghart told RT.

“While our addiction problem damages the economy, it is the human consequences that represent the real tragedy. Drug and alcohol abuse fuels poverty and deprivation, leading to family breakdown and child neglect, homelessness, crime, debt and long term worklessness,” said Christian Guy, the director of the CSJ.

rt.com/news/uk-drugs-alcohol-addiction-282/

They already tax alcohol in the UK, in fact, its one of the highest taxes on booze on the face of the planet, lol
Same goes for cigs and same goes for petrol and diesel.

Obviously the director of the CSJ is a complete moron.

Close. But it should have been "poverty and deprivation fuels drug and alcohol abuse". Most, or at the very least many, people that get shitfaced and wasted all the time are trying to escape their personal circumstances, they’re trying to block out reality. It’s a symptom of poverty, not a cause. It’s hardly surprising that people want to engage in escapism, when every time they turn on the TV it tells them “you should look like this, you should own this, you should buy a new car, look...this one it costs only £19,995, your family should be like this, you should live in a house like this, you should have a holiday home like this...” etc, etc, and yet 40% of people in London by their own admission don’t know how they’ll pay the rent next year. Forget about buying a house, that’s a fucking pipe dream.

This is what turns people to drink and drugs, people don’t end up in an impoverished position because they drink, they drink to escape their poverty. Almost without exception drink and drugs are used to escape something, and poverty is the most common motivation.

wake_up_bomb wrote:
Indeed, perhaps its cos they're already taxed to death and getting fuck all in return for it trying to feed a family on 20- 30k and then seeing half of it pissed away on taxes and then told that they ought to be owning a home that costs 250 grand lol.

Oh look guys, it's a gang of Sociopaths here to save you from yourselves by stealing from you.

I wonder if it's alcohol related brain damage that lets these parasites get away with scam ad nauseum.



-The Pope as the Antichrist, signing and selling indulgences-

When you see the similarities between Catholic and Statist Theology you'll shit bricks my friends., and they'll tax that too, for the common good!

wake_up_bomb wrote:
What this magnificently intelligent bastard said.

In fact, when you consider the issue this way around it actually makes much more sense and may help you understand just why we pay so much in taxes and why so many of us still do it.

Although, ofc...we don't have 'poverty and deprivation' here in the West.

"The Centre for Social Justice is an independent not-for-profit organisation which is funded through the generosity of private supporters, corporate sponsors, trusts and foundations. We pride ourselves on our independence and do not receive any government funding".

Have Googled, but can't find any reference to who sponsored this particular survey.

No doubt some evil bastards who like to watch the proles suffer with yet more taxes (which they themselves don't pay).

Reptired wrote:
Because RCC Cultures have the worst drink and drug problems.....er.....

Moldova -Orthodox
Czech Republic -Irreligious
Hungary -RCC
Russia -Orthodox
Ukraine -Orthodox
Estonia -Evangelical Lutheranism,
Andorra -RCC
Romania -Orthodox
Slovenia -RCC
Belarus -Orthodox
Croatia -RCC
Lithuania -RCC
South Korea - No Religion/mix
Portugal-RCC
Ireland- RCC
France- Secular/RCC
Denmark- Lutheran
UK- Anglican

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption

Andorra is high up the booze list yet they have one of the highest average life expectancies in the world.
Go figure

andyh wrote:
Booze is good for you!
I'm off to snort some now!

mikey mikey wrote: You completely misunderstood that post.



There's an interesting pattern in that list though.

Moldova -Orthodox Former Communist
Czech Republic -Irreligious Former Communist
Hungary -RCC Former Communist
Russia -Orthodox Former Communist
Ukraine -Orthodox Former Communist
Estonia -Evangelical Lutheranism, Former Communist(soviet colony)
Andorra -RCC
Romania -Orthodox Former Communist
Slovenia -RCC Former Communist etc

Perhaps the relative increase in Democide from the more extreme forms of Statism produce similar increase in substance abuse, even years after.
I saw the tail end of Catholic Ireland and it struck me as very similar to Communism/Facism, a lot of the substance abuse problems here are due to children being raped in large numbers by cult leaders both State and Vatican employed.

andyh wrote:
After much head scratching I came to the conclusion that the Residents don't try and keep up with the tourists.
Either that or it's a Communist/Facist state with excellent propaganda.

Reptired wrote:
Well I would just lurve to hear what I missed.

BTW, South Korea
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_South_Korea

It looks like you better get editing that entry and give the tinterbebs the benefit of your knowledge of South Korea.

How is the weather there btw?

mikey mikey wrote:
I was equating tax on alcohol with indulgences, you seem to think I was inferring something else (Jesus makes you drink?).

South Korea is a "fully functioning modern democracy" (all praise be to the sacred mob ) and I think your figures point out that over 50% also belong to other Cults.

Reptired wrote:
Ahhhh Well they're both outdated and fucking medieval, on that we agree.

Reptired wrote:
Nah, I am just ready for the inevitable catholic bash, especially considering the OP. I happen to agree with WUB: alcohol and drug abuse is the symptom, not the cause.
Reptired wrote:
Well it is a stretch to call mainstream Buddhism "a cult".

But cheers for the clarification and apologies for jumping the gun.

mikey mikey wrote:
No worries.