Poll reports drinking in U.S. at record low

Starving Electrician said:
Interestingly rates of depression, and other mental illnesses are very high among young millennials and gen z. Turns out being "chained to responsibility and stress" is vital to being happy. If you are responsible for nothing, and stress free you are useless and being useless makes people depressed.

I hate to be the these kids are so dumb guy, but they really are in this case. Also the whole I have to go to college scam my peers were dumb enough to fall for. Yes I am in college now but I am working toward becoming a medical doctor which is very different from getting a degree in art history pr something stupid.
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This can dubious because depression typically is self reported.

So is it that Gen Z and late Mills are far more depressed or is it they’re just more honest about their depression and seeking help (meds and/or therapy) for it vs prior generations who’d shove it down and self medicate with illegal drugs and alcohol?
 
ATex7239 said:
This can dubious because depression typically is self reported.

So is it that Gen Z and late Mills are far more depressed or is it they’re just more honest about their depression and seeking help (meds and/or therapy) for it vs prior generations who’d shove it down and self medicate with illegal drugs and alcohol?
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Perhaps but suicide rates are higher among Gen Z and millenials. Alcohol use increases suicide risk. So even with less drinking they are more likely to off themselves. Seems like more than just pushing it down as in they are killing themselves at a higher rate. Not only attemps but successful suicide rates are higher.

As it turns out having a reason to live keeps you alive crazy I know. Next we will figure out that eating food keeps you from starving to death.
 
Starving Electrician said:
Perhaps but suicide rates are higher among Gen Z and millenials. Alcohol use increases suicide risk. So even with less drinking they are more likely to off themselves. Seems like more than just pushing it down as in they are killing themselves at a higher rate. Not only attemps but successful suicide rates are higher.

As it turns out having a reason to live keeps you alive crazy I know. Next we will figure out that eating food keeps you from starving to death.
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I agree a purpose is needed for life to have meaning. No argument there.

But I’m still not sure suicide rates tell the whole story either. That’s one end of the spectrum yet it still leaves the question open are they actually more depressed or just dealing with it differently? Maybe the extremes are greater but we cannot go by extremes alone either. There are many other aspects to depression such as violence and abuse of others. And that extreme may even be worse depending on how you want to view it. At the least the suicidal person is only seeking to harm themselves.
 
Starving Electrician said:
Interestingly rates of depression, and other mental illnesses are very high among young millennials and gen z. Turns out being "chained to responsibility and stress" is vital to being happy. If you are responsible for nothing, and stress free you are useless and being useless makes people depressed.

I hate to be the these kids are so dumb guy, but they really are in this case. Also the whole I have to go to college scam my peers were dumb enough to fall for. Yes I am in college now but I am working toward becoming a medical doctor which is very different from getting a degree in art history pr something stupid.
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We haven't done "art history pr [sic] something stupid" in quite a while, my friend. We've been living under the regime of STEM. Maybe it's time that we wake up and see that STEM is a large part of how we got to the world that we're in. There is a value to reading a poem or looking at a painting. It nourishes your imagination and connects you to your own humanity. Which is different from blowing things up in a computer game or 23 hours of scrolling on TikTok.

I could go on, but any discussion of millennials and Gen-Z makes me want a drink. (See what I did there? I'm back on topic.)

By the way, good luck with your medical career. Healthcare is about to be overrun by AI. Be sure to take a few courses in coding for insurance billing. That will be your main job. We don't need no stinking doctors. Our Overlord Elon is giving us agentics
 
Marrk said:
We haven't done "art history pr [sic] something stupid" in quite a while, my friend. We've been living under the regime of STEM. Maybe it's time that we wake up and see that STEM is a large part of how we got to the world that we're in. There is a value to reading a poem or looking at a painting. It nourishes your imagination and connects you to your own humanity. Which is different from blowing things up in a computer game or 23 hours of scrolling on TikTok.

I could go on, but any discussion of millennials and Gen-Z makes me want a drink. (See what I did there? I'm back on topic.)

By the way, good luck with your medical career. Healthcare is about to be overrun by AI. Be sure to take a few courses in coding for insurance billing. That will be your main job. We don't need no stinking doctors. Our Overlord Elon is giving us agentics
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It would be an understatement to say that this is a big problem.
The Renaissance and the Enlightenment (Age of Reason) brought the Industrial Revolution. Industrial Revolution, belief in science did not come on its own. Two cannot survive on its own.

A few weeks ago, I had a student seriously asking me why he needed to know how to write (his reasoning was AI, etc.)!!! A graduate student, employee of one of our security agencies (national level). I was giving 2-3 minutes of some goulash of an answer because I was so shocked by the question. Then I had to answer like I was talking to my 6yrs old (and she never asked me that question).

I must say that that night was one of the most depressing nights of my professional career. I just could not get that question out of my head.
 
edyvw said:
It would be an understatement to say that this is a big problem.
The Renaissance and the Enlightenment (Age of Reason) brought the Industrial Revolution. Industrial Revolution, belief in science did not come on its own. Two cannot survive on its own.

A few weeks ago, I had a student seriously asking me why he needed to know how to write (his reasoning was AI, etc.)!!! A graduate student, employee of one of our security agencies (national level). I was giving 2-3 minutes of some goulash of an answer because I was so shocked by the question. Then I had to answer like I was talking to my 6yrs old (and she never asked me that question).

I must say that that night was one of the most depressing nights of my professional career. I just could not get that question out of my head.
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He is correct. He does not need to know how to write. Or read. Or think. We have AI for that now.

The war is over, my friend. The people lost. Technology won.

By the way, I'm teaching a freshman composition class starting in two weeks. Not a single student is going to do a thing. ChatGPT 5 will do it. "Teaching" is over as we knew it. I'll just be the clown in the Zoom box that looks like all the other meaningless nonsense on the Internet.
 
Marrk said:
He is correct. He does not need to know how to write. Or read. Or think. We have AI for that now.

The war is over, my friend. The people lost. Technology won.

By the way, I'm teaching a freshman composition class starting in two weeks. Not a single student is going to do a **** thing. ChatGPT 5 will do it. "Teaching" is over as we knew it. I'll just be the clown in the Zoom box that looks like all the other meaningless nonsense on the Internet.
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Actually, it is not over. This will have costly consequences. We are still in stock-pumping time. When the crash comes, there will be realignment.
I am only teaching at graduate school. They must have B- to pass, and I am weighing now much more participation in class (discussion).
 
dnewton3 said:
And yet they'll plow down several energy drinks laden with caffeine and sugar ... Or load up on grande sized extra mocha choco-holic whipped fat latte's ... And munch on chips, etc that are just nothing but processed high-calorie/low-nutrition crap.

Diabetes has been on the rise since the late 70's, with each generation. It's generally age related; the older you get, the more prone to be diagnosed with it.
In this graph you can see that folks below 44 have a fairly steady rate of diagnosis. But as you age, the trend lines are staggering.
So anyone who's 20-something today will have a lot to answer for in 40 years.
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And then there's obesity ... also on the rise significantly over the last several decades. The "Obese" folks are really gaining ground, obviously. Oddly, both "overweight" and "extremely obese" haven't changed much at all in decades. While I agree it's wrong to "fat shame" people, it's also not good to go along with their delusional viewpoint of being really fat is OK.

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So, in summary, the youth of today are less likely to die of ESLD because they don't drink as much alcohol. That's a net positive.
Instead, they'll die of diabetes and weight-related problems as they age.
I'm not saying one is better or worse than the other.
It's a matter of picking your poison (literally).

Just trying to keep things in perspective.
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This comment hints at the root of this issue. It's an ever-evolving slope with more kids and younger people getting addicted to sugar and free markets capitalizing on that addiction. It's to a point that I think we actually need regulation on sugar in foods. Much the same way we penalize OEMs for not meeting CAFE, we should do the same for companies that pack food products full of sugar. Start taxing Starbucks for every white chocolate mocha they sell, with 74 grams of sugar (venti), you'll start seeing some changes happen pretty darn quick. A lot of these products have no need for such high amounts of sugar. It's added to feed the addiction that keeps customers coming back for more. The same for fruit juices with 40% of its sugar content being added sugar. Start fining them 1% of profits for every 1 gram additional added, that will stop pretty quick.

Making matters worse, the future doctors, surgeons, nurses, and therapists are using ChatGPT to complete med school right now. We might want to start looking out for our own health.

On the alcohol issue, I think it's simply a shift in culture. If you go back 30 years ago, even 20 years ago, the main way to have a good time in your younger years was to go party. The club, frat parties, etc... were the places to be. You got drunk, danced, and had a good time. That favorite music you liked was playing at the bars and clubs. Nowadays, the biological products of those drunken hookups in the run down sports bar bathrooms have no interest in that. They can get all of the dopamine hit they need through social media, gaming, music and video streaming, and other means in the more digital world. Also though, alcohol has just gotten too expensive. At the grocery store the other day, I looked at a 6 pk of Corona that was $11.99. That's $2 a bottle.
 
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edyvw said:
Actually, it is not over. This will have costly consequences. We are still in stock-pumping time. When the crash comes, there will be realignment.
I am only teaching at graduate school. They must have B- to pass, and I am weighing now much more participation in class (discussion).
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It's over. Millennials and Gen-Z are your evidence for the case.

This semester, I'm giving a maximum grade of C on all written work. Fifty per cent of their grade will come from class participation. When my students see this on my syllabus, they will drop the class or say nothing for 17 weeks and take the C.
 
Marrk said:
It's over. Millennials and Gen-Z are your evidence for the case.

This semester, I'm giving a maximum grade of C on all written work. Fifty per cent of their grade will come from class participation. When my students see this on my syllabus, they will drop the class or say nothing for 17 weeks and take the C.
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I am in a bit better position as the minimum grade is B-.
As for taking C, that is nothing new. Mr. Darwin will take care of that later.
 
edyvw said:
What exactly is archaic?
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Everything, making them sit in a classroom for eight hours a day, listen to a teacher, deal with his/her whims and biases for grading, behavior or just general attitude.
Being forced into a curriculum, that is often just “padding”, or some other arbitrary requirements for graduating.

And of course there are the astronomical costs associated with getting all of this.

Young kids are starting to realize they can get what they want online, much faster and at a fraction of the cost.
 
edyvw said:
I am in a bit better position as the minimum grade is B-.
As for taking C, that is nothing new. Mr. Darwin will take care of that later.
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I teach at a very low level. It's called "college," but it's really junior high with a driver's license. The ESL students are going to fake their way through. The rest only know what they've been told, i.e., go to college to get trained to get a job and make money. My students make up the base of the capitalist pyramid.

If you are teaching graduate-level STEM, you are training the technicians who will keep the machines running. What other graduate programs have any enrollments?
 
KrisZ said:
Everything, making them sit in a classroom for eight hours a day, listen to a teacher, deal with his/her whims and biases for grading, behavior or just general attitude.
Being forced into a curriculum, that is often just “padding”, or some other arbitrary requirements for graduating.

And of course there are the astronomical costs associated with getting all of this.

Young kids are starting to realize they can get what they want online, much faster and at a fraction of the cost.
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Yeah, that is not education.
They don't "sit" in a classroom all day. The point of education is also perseverance and patience. Something employers appreciate A LOT! Quick answers won't work when one goes for a job.
I think 46% of new graduates get fired in the first two weeks on the job because of dress code, being late, etc. They forgot I guess to look for that online.
 
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