is it the new or in thing to still be drinking like a 21year old when you are close to or into your forties? I don't get it. i have noticed friends of ours, wehnever we get together they shove a beer or drink in our hands, or whenever we talk it turns into a "let's go have a drink" moment. We just don't do this sort of thing anymore.

Maybe they're trying to recapture their youth. Or perhaps they feel that it relieves the stress in their lives.

I have noticed it, too. Beer is the new Coke or Pepsi. Sad, too....

In our area, downtown has a lot of bars/restaurants and bar-hopping is very popular with the middle-age crowd. Just last year, a man and woman were bar-hopping (she was a real estate agent) and both were basically falling down drunk (video showed them actually falling down in the bars). They both got behind the wheel of their vehicles and her Hummer hit a construction work site (at night) and impaled a worker between a dump truck & backhoe after her friend's SUV hit hers. They're now both sitting in prison for their 'fun night of drinking', their careers ruined, and the worker died, leaving behind children.

I've never noticed this, but maybe that's cuz I'm not out there to notice it.

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

THANK YOU BlueSkeyes for saying this! What is up with grown middle aged people trying to act like they did back in their teens? And it's more than just drinking too...they are refusing to be responsible adults really just over all in general. I think it's high time middle aged people stop trying to act like teenagers and grow(up) some b*lls!

I'm recently divorced....I basically got a divorce because my EX just wouldn't grow up. I think the older he got the more immature he got. See when he was in his 30s he was trying to be grown up and act grown up but as he got "OLD" he was trying to pretend like he wasn't getting old...trying to avoid getting old. So his way was to act immature and start hanging out with the young people he worked with and going out and partying with the young people. Then after we divorced, he got even stupider acting and constantly drank until he was literally falling down drunk. He thought it was so funny(cute) to post pictures of himself on the ground having fallen down drunk on his MS profile. We are talking a man that's now 50 years old! I just don't get it. Thank goodness the man I'm married to now acts like a grown up..though it did take him until he was well into his 30s to grow some b*lls! HAHA!

We were just talking about this Wed. We were watching The Cougar and I told my daughter, she always has booze in her hands. I don't know what is going on, but I hate drinking.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

I think there's a world of difference between being falling down drunk or an irresponsible boozer and enjoying an evening with friends that happens to include a beer or some other alcoholic beverage. When we get together with friends, we're usually offered water, soft drinks, beer, wine or a drink. People drink what they want and drinking doesn't necessary have anything to do with being immature or stupid. Some people are just as jerky sober as others as drunk.

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Reading is Fundamental.

I drink a lot more than I did at 21 but I really didn't drink when I was 21 so that wouldn't be hard. I don't see what OP is talking about often but we live near a college town so we avoid the bars BECAUSE of the 21 year olds. The people I know who drink a lot drink at their homes not out and about. They might offer us a drink but it's not shoved in our hands and there are plenty who don't drink at all. What gets me more are the people in their 30's and beyond who sleep around like they are the college slut (or himbo I guess is the male term). GREAT example to be showing your kids (who are now in their teens). I can do it but I don't want you to have sex...

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

DH & I have noticed it. We drink - he'll have a martini with our weekend movie, a beer while he grills or a couple drinks on a Friday night. I don't drink much beer and rarely a martini, but I'll have a hard lemonade or a jack & diet coke occassionally.

We haven't been drunk since before kids - at least 15 years ago. We're in our mid-forties.

But we do have friends that drink for the sole purpose of getting drunk. They've even challenged us - why drink if you're not getting drunk? Uh, because we drink responsibly, we like the taste of the drink we're "drinking" and not "chugging," and have absolutely no interest in being drunk? They don't understand us and we don't understand them.

DH & I, the older we get, the more of home-bodies we are. A movie and a drink or maybe 2 on a weekend night on our leather couches in our jamies is what makes us happy! We are so boring!

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

I see a lot of this because of the industry I work in and it really isn't pretty.
My personal opinion is that having been drunk is the excuse given for outrageous behavior. Maybe it's a way to show how cool or hip (do they still say hip?) they are. Or how daring.

"I was sooooo drunk that I was in the corner making out with the beer delivery guy hahaha"
"I was sooooo drunk that I don't even remember half of what happened yesterday"

It's just another way of not taking responsibility for one's actions.

I partied hard in my teenaged years and mellowed out in my early twenties but I pretty much remember everything that I did, drunk or high. Even the embarrassing and shameful things. And that may be why I only drink occassionally now.

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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Well I think by now everyone here should know how I feel about any alcohol drinking at all.. I am totally againist it on all levels . Again my personal views, I am so afarid of drinking and driving and plain out the outcome of a persons personality when they decide to engage in drinking... To me I rather watch a real funny movie to laugh and feel good.. I have personally experienced too many loved ones who ever lost their lives to alcohol abuse . Now as far as Soda well I gave that up welll over a year ago and do not miss it at all.. I am the icetea lady and the hot tea lady and juices and fresh water mixed with fresh friut so yummy so healthy for you... But again it comes down to a personal choice in life to drink or not..... Peace. Catherine

I don't know how people can drink like that for so long, I've got friends that do it. If I continued to drink the way I did in my teens my liver would've crawled out of my body by now.

I know back then, I could drink all night, sleep about 3-4 hours and get up like nothing happened. Now more than 3 drinks and I've got a headache in the morning. I drink a few times a year and rarely more than 2 or 3 drinks at a time.

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

The paper here features different bars on at least 1/2, sometimes 3/4 of a page. They feature photos and it irratates me on 3 levels.

#1, they all have a drink in their hands, #2, the photos are almost entirely female, with the tatas hanging out, to the side and being pushed up, and #3 it simply is free advertising for the bars.

They all look happy and I think it sends the wrong message. Oh and yes, this paper participates in the papers for education program, they are all over the schools.

I'd llike to see them utilize the same space with photos of school children doing something good, getting an award, winning a competiton, etc. Ahhhh but this same paper will feature the top 10 athletes per sport/season and yet a small blurb about the class valedictoran only. That's 10 to 1.

I think the alcohol thing parallels what people want to see in print, they think it's cool.

dl

Iced tea is not good for you, and fruit juice is only good in small amounts. It is full of sugar. A drink of red wine is actually better for you.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

One report will say tea's good one will say it's not good...one report will say wine is good...another, not so good. Fruit juice is good as long as you drink 100% juice.

Some people that have a problem with alcohol...oh say an alcoholic cannot even drink one drop of alcohol!

Besides we aren't talking about drinking one glass of wine...she's talking about binge drinking among people that should be old enough to know better!

Icetea is not good for me well to me compared to soda tea whether hot or cold has been proven to contain so much in antioxidants. Also I have been brewing my own icetea for ages. I get lipton tea bags for nothing with double and triple coupons. I also do add some sugar not too much and I also add fresh fruit. Now as far as drinking juice I only do drink any juice that is 100 percent juice, but more then that I have 2 juicers and they are the best I have put just about any juice you can imagine into those juicers. Also now that the warmer weather is here I have been buying and eating so much fresh fruit I love it to death. Now about the wine yes I have heard a glass a day is good for you and perhaps grooveygirl that might be true and I do believe it is true , however for me personally it is alcohol and I prefer never ever to drink any alcohol. Can I just ask why you would say drinking icetea is bad????. Honestly my only downfall and weakness is some sugar. I also have not used salt like seems forever, I grew up this way because my dad always suffered from high blood pressure so my mom never used salt and I do not either.. Peace... Catherine

Lucy, the only bad things in it as far as I know are the sugar you add and mostly the caffeine. There is NO nutrition in it, though, which is why I say it is not good for you. It is full of nothing...lol. As for the juice, it has a ton of natural sugar, which is way too much. I used to think drinking juice with no sugar added was good, until my doctor told me not to drink it except on occasion and he had me read the sugar grams on the carton. I was shocked!! As for the wine, I don't drink it, even though it is good for us. I just can't stand the way it makes me feel the next day!

Iced tea......

Total Fat 0g 0%
Sat. Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Total Carbs. 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 0g
Protein 0g

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

green tea is loaded with anti-oxidants

It does, but it also has risks...

While green tea has some definite benefits in the cancer-prevention and metabolism-boosting arena, the fluoride content may, according to some practitioners, be a concern for the public in general, but specifically for thyroid patients. It is also a laxative, due to the many plants it is made from and over consumption can cause stomach disorders.

Anyway, we were talking about Iced Tea.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

Juice, even 100% pure fruit juice is empty calories. A 4-8 serving of juice contains far more calories than an actual serving of the fruit. Not to mention the fiber you will benefit from in eating raw, unprocessed fruit!

Tea, while having no nutritive value, does contain antioxiadants that have been shown to prevent cancer. Green, White and Black teas are particularly full of antioxiadants.

However, moderation is the key to just about every substance you would put in your body. Did you know that caffeine, in small doses can be very effective for staving off a full-blown asthma attack? A glass of wine (remember that a serving is 4-8 oz, or 1/2 to 1 Cup) every now and then is not going to hurt the average/normal person.

I don't drink beer because the taste makes me gag. I can drink the ocassional glass of wine--white or a zin, can't stomach red wine. If I'm going to drink set me up w/ a good tequila!

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

Not much of a drinker here either. I have noticed that some of the "older" people, IMO, exhibit behavior that I don't find very appealing.

I have an acquaintance who takes great pride in posting pictures of himself and his spouse at any number of functions with drinks a plenty and everyone acting a fool. I guess to each their own, but that's just not how I like to conduct myself.

Also, I have a friend who whenever I stop by offers me a drink.....always alcohol, wine cooler, etc. Um, hello, I'm driving. Also, the DH would ask my DH to stop by after work "for a drink". Well, we had to put the kabash on that, and I have stopped accepting any drinks but water from them.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I will agree in the last 6 months now 6 people been killed on our interstate from drunk driving accidents one of them being my big brother he wasnt driving but he was passanger in a car leaving a bar talk about hitting home hard the effects of drinking & driving!!!! My big brother was 39 the guy driving in his 40's & 2 weeks ago it was 2 guys last 30's left a bar going wrong way down interestate its all crazy & very sad!!!!

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mom of 3 greats girls

I make green tea iced. It tastes much better than black tea anyway. Nothing says you can't drink green iced tea...it tastes great!

From what I was reading, black tea doesn't have the same anti-oxidants as green tea. The process it goes through makes it lose it's anti-oxidants. So if anyone thinks they are getting anti-oxidants from black tea, they are incorrect. At least the articles that I've read say this.

not me, havent drank alcohol in 21 years well, before last weekend me and a friend went out and had one marguerita but other that that nope not my normal past time. Even told hubby glad he didnt drink cause it causes so much problems if it's overdone have two girls working for him on the "should I or shouldnt I" line to leave their husbands cause ALL they do is drink

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Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
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I agree that there comes a time when you have to grow up and stop acting like you did when you were college aged.

I'm not ashamed to admit I was a wild, hard drinking, party gal in my college days. But once I got out of college, I started calming down and by age 25 I had mellowed out.

I still drink but now "drinking" means having a beer or two when I come inside from mowing the yard on a hot day or having a beer or two at a bbq I'm at all day or kicking back with a drink with co-workers after a really bad day. Heck, I bought a 12 pack last week and I still have 11 left, LOL!


I don't see what people get out of getting drunk all the time. Yeah, it was fun for a while when I was in college but there is no appeal in it anymore. A lot of things are fun when you're a kid that just aren't fun once you're an adult.

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Jesus SAVES by shopping smartly and using double coupons!

She told me to lay off the iced tea(which I have a glass full at all times) UNLESS I drink decaf. I am trying but it is soooo hard, LOL. As far as alcohol I don't think I have had anything more than maybe one or 2 drinks on New Years Eve since I had children. My oldest is 12. I have one sister who is the complete opposite. She is 40 (I am older) and STILL acts like she is in 20's. They hang out and drink with friends ALL the time. They hit the bar 3 times a week and usually go to the lake on Fri and SAT(all drinking). She is a grandma now--you think she could slow down a bit. I guess she is just the wild child.

All I know is that my Mom and her contemporaries would never have dressed the way we do or think of doing a lot of the activities we do.
And NO self respecting man of my father's generation (or older) would be caught dead playing video games all day even if they were on vacation, injured, mentally deranged, or there were no jobs available in the whole world.

We have "youth-e-sized" and there is no going back.

Maybe part of it has do with things being hard and people appreciating the small fun things in life or being able to just forget about everything for a while.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Annarose, good to see you are back and who is Sgt. Jukich?

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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

This one takes the cake for a partier who won't grow up. My DD ( a junior) got a last minute invite to the senior prom from a guy who was a friend and not part of her normal crowd. After the prom, DD ends up at a party at another boy's house. They were outside around a fire. DD noticed that several of the group of about 12 were drinking beer. Then out of the house comes the mother of the boy. DD thought they were all going to be sent home, and was rather relieved. But the mom says this instead- 'pass me one of those Miller Lite's', and proceeds to stay out there drinking. She got up out of bed to party with 17 and 18 yr old under age kids. DD left shortly after with the boy who was her ride, and also not drinking.

When I was a kid I had a lot of friends whose parents would buy us alcohol and drink with us, of course at the time we thought they were cool. Now as a parent if I found out another parent was giving my kids alcohol, I'd be furious. In fact I'd probably have them arrested even if it meant my kid would be taken in and given an M.I.P. fine too.

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

Sgt Jukich is my first cousin. He was in law enforcement from the time he was 16 and was tied to a chair and assaulted during a home invasion robbery. In that case he was responsible for the capture of the men four hours later. He became an Explorer.
Most recently he worked in the Alameda County Sheriff's Office for 26 yrs. He broke up a prostitution ring where two men were using middle school girls and threatening their families.

He did countless other things to make the world a safer and better place. He was born to be a law enforcement officer he lived it and breathed it. He felt happy and fulfilled.

Last month he lost a 2 and 1/2 year battle with leukemia. He was 47 just a few months older than I and we grew up spending a lot of time with each other. After hearing all the inspirational things people said about him I vow to make my life more meaningful and do some good.

If you google Sgt Jim Jukich or Sgt James Jukich you can read some of his commendations.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.