Sam_goUUUdogs wrote: Yes, but if I choose to go out and ignore any health risks associated with drinking then that is my decision to make, not the governments.
Those who fund Medicare may eventually think otherwise as the costs go up..
Sam_goUUUdogs wrote: Particularly when its fair to say some members pushing for these types of things would have been no different when they were younger.
Some yes, but not as many as you may imagine - we all tend to justify what we do with "everybody does it".
I remember a guy in the early 1980s, who saw me in my professional capacity, complaining about restrictions on Marijuana when "everybody uses it".
He really didn't believe me at first when I said, "Nobody I know socially does."
Similarly, I've only been genuinely drunk once in my life, and not to the extent of chucking, and none of my usual friends have either to my knowledge.
That was just enough that I didn't fully remember the drive home, though nothing went wrong.
I took that as a warning and never drank that much again.
IIRC the last MJA published study suggested about 15% of the population drink at "dangerous levels" - that is more than 4 drinks in any 24 hours.