Alcohol - we all know that certain people are more susceptible to suffering addiction than others. This story in the Independent says that 5 or 10 years ago, the average age patients with an alcohol problem was about 45; now it is about 35 and we are seeing people as young as 18 who are alcoholics.
And the reason they site for this worrying problem? Over-sized wine glasses. There is a trend for serving wine in ever larger glasses. I am not sure why. Perhaps it lends a sense of generosity, of extravagance or a sign of decadence that our prosperous society is reveling in at the moment.
"People have become used to these outsized glasses. They fill them up and believe it's OK because they are only having one glass, but that can now amount to a third of a bottle. If they have a small glass, they feel cheated."
In the UK the old 'standard' serving of wine was in a 125ml glass which contains one unit of alcohol, but a standard pub measure was increased to 175ml last year and larger glasses may contain as much as 250ml.









