OPINION: Too much of anything will ruin you but our oldies are doing a pretty good job at winning the world title for being the biggest soaks in the world.
It's official - those aged over 50 drink more and drink more often than anyone else in the world.
For so long we've worried about young people and their drinking and smoking, but the facts don't support that.
Young people have never drunk so little and they largely don't smoke. That's the domain of older women actually - Maori and Pasifika especially.
But back to the drinking. Our Baby Boomers are sinking more bliss and can't see what the problem is. Day in, day out, get yourself another.
We have some world titles we aren't proud of. Third fattest in the OECD, highest suicide rates among young people, now add to that: "the alcoholics galore prize" - the dubious honour of being the biggest, hungriest, thirstiest old soaks in the world.
No one in the world or no where in the world do Baby Boomers sink more plonk more often than here in New Zealand and alarmingly 40 percent of the oldies are drinking to hazardous levels.
So when they say 'what is it with young people these days?' Actually, feel free to roll your eyes, walk away, and don't get that beer they just demanded.
Duncan Garner is host of The AM Show.
