We are told more and more these days that binge drinking is ruining our society. With statistics that seem to be quite unbelievable often reported to us in the news. Fairly recently it has been reported that the UK has the highest alcohol consumption in the whole of Europe with the average units of alcohol being consumed in one occasion reaching 6.3 units.
However with all these facts given to us on almost a daily basis and information on binge drinking and its effects readily available is society really taking any notice?
The answer to that question in my opinion is no.
As a student, who are known for enjoying a drink or two, I would argue that all the information that is given to us is not making any difference to the way young adults think about alcohol. Both myself and my friends are aware that when we go out it is very possible that we will consume more than our recommended units of alcohol for the night. However we will also exceed the amount of cigarettes we should smoke in order to stay healthy, the obvious answer being none, and if we decided to go for something to eat before hand we would also probably exceed the recommended calories for one sitting.
This is obviously not something that most people my age would do every night of the week, but after a long week I do not see this being a problem as a way of letting off steam. And despite this I still consider myself to be a healthy 21 year old. That being said I would in no way glamourise binge drinking and certainly would not recommend it to any children that I may come across. However I do argue that as an adult who knows all the facts and is aware of what the occasional binge drink does to me it really is my choice.
I feel that the government should be aware, when addressing the country's 'binge drinking epidemic' that not every person who exceeds their daily units is passed out on the street or throwing up in the back of an ambulance.
To me it would make alot more sense for the Government to be addressing teenagers who may feel peer pressure to drink, and who are not legally allowed to drink rather than adults who know their own minds and can make their own decisions regarding their life and how they choose to live it.
Afterall people have been doing things that aren't particularly good for them for years. Binge drinking was not the UK's first epidemic and I am sure it will not be our last.
1 comment:
Intersting idea for an opinion piece and well structured too. The argument flows well and you make some good points at the end. You've linked to sources too, though you perhaps be a bit more specific in the link text - i.e. identify that it's a Daily Mail story or a Guardian story - because each of those papers has a specific take on the 'binge drinking epidemic' and you should show you're aware of that.
Work a bit more on your paragraph layouts - remember line spacing between paras - and watch out for repetition in sentences next to each other. But a good read overall.
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