They taste just like fizzy pop and are one of the reasons we have a destructive binge drinking culture.
Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer for England, makes alcohol abuse the main focus of his annual report.
But suggesting that low-cost drink is heavily taxed is not the answer. Pandora should never have been let out of the box in the first place.
When Bass launched Hooch lemonade in 1995 even I could predict it would lead to a disaster. Hooch has since disappeared but it paved the way for the billion pound market which is now dominated by the likes of Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezer, WKD, Reef and Red Square.
I'm guessing that alcopops earn the government lots of tax so I can't envisage any sort of ban.
As a youngster I loved fizzy pop and all things sweet. I hated booze because it tasted bitter and disgusting.
In my twenties I developed a taste for sweet cider. By this time I was married with two young children money, was short so it was only an occasional treat.
Everyone lived within their means because there was no such thing as credit or credit cards. One either made do and mended or went without. Being ever resourceful I learned how to make country wine from fruit leaves and vegetables. Once the equipment had been purchased it was cheap, easy and very tasty. The garden shed was full of 1 gallon demijohns and I became a regular tippler.
So began my love affair with alcohol. The first time I got totally plastered I was 27. I had just failed my first driving test, felt sorry for myself and drank too much.
Very strong Dandelion wine was the culprit. I'd followed a very old country recipe which advised gathering the flowers at midday on St Georges day. Both children had beach buckets and we gathered them in a local field.
Being so drunk was a nightmare, my entire body felt like it was made from cotton wool and the real me was trapped inside this stupid body. But once I had recovered from the horrendous hangover I wasn't put off.
In my thirties my life changed. I had a different husband, a proper job and a lot more money. My second husband liked his booze and encouraged me to drink. Alcohol was treated like a reward for stress. At the weekend lunchtime was the signal to start on the wine and quite often we'd drink and not eat, on holiday we'd often start at breakfast time. It felt hedonistic and was a world away from my previous life.
And so began my descent into alcohol dependency.
Tuesday 17 March 2009
Ban Alcopops
They taste just like fizzy pop and are one of the reasons we have a destructive binge drinking culture.
Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer for England, makes alcohol abuse the main focus of his annual report.
But suggesting that low-cost drink is heavily taxed is not the answer. Pandora should never have been let out of the box in the first place.
When Bass launched Hooch lemonade in 1995 even I could predict it would lead to a disaster. Hooch has since disappeared but it paved the way for the billion pound market which is now dominated by the likes of Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezer, WKD, Reef and Red Square.
I'm guessing that alcopops earn the government lots of tax so I can't envisage any sort of ban.
As a youngster I loved fizzy pop and all things sweet. I hated booze because it tasted bitter and disgusting.
In my twenties I developed a taste for sweet cider. By this time I was married with two young children money, was short so it was only an occasional treat.
Everyone lived within their means because there was no such thing as credit or credit cards. One either made do and mended or went without. Being ever resourceful I learned how to make country wine from fruit leaves and vegetables. Once the equipment had been purchased it was cheap, easy and very tasty. The garden shed was full of 1 gallon demijohns and I became a regular tippler.
So began my love affair with alcohol. The first time I got totally plastered I was 27. I had just failed my first driving test, felt sorry for myself and drank too much.
Very strong Dandelion wine was the culprit. I'd followed a very old country recipe which advised gathering the flowers at midday on St Georges day. Both children had beach buckets and we gathered them in a local field.
Being so drunk was a nightmare, my entire body felt like it was made from cotton wool and the real me was trapped inside this stupid body. But once I had recovered from the horrendous hangover I wasn't put off.
In my thirties my life changed. I had a different husband, a proper job and a lot more money. My second husband liked his booze and encouraged me to drink. Alcohol was treated like a reward for stress. At the weekend lunchtime was the signal to start on the wine and quite often we'd drink and not eat, on holiday we'd often start at breakfast time. It felt hedonistic and was a world away from my previous life.
And so began my descent into alcohol dependency.
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1 comment:
I agree with you on alcopops. I couldnt face alcohol until I had my first Advocaat and lemonade at the age of 18. Ive never developed a dependency on it, but find your post interesting. Id like to hear more.
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