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hEllen Coffey’s recent article on the rise of reusability Water The bottles have become involved in a surprisingly heated debate Independent Readers are talking about everything from convenience and consumerism to the role of social media in shaping daily habits.
Many agreed with Ian McEwan’s comments That the trend has gone “insane”Reminiscing about the time when people only drank water from the tap and did not feel the need to carry a bottle everywhere.
Some said today’s preoccupation reflected broader concerns about health and self-improvement, with one reader calling it “yet another symptom of our need to pursue wellness.”
Others defend the habit, arguing that staying hydrated is hardly harmful and that reusable bottles are a practical, eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastic. Many reported that workplace culture and long commutes made it difficult to rely on “just waiting until you get home for a drink.”
Some commentators pointed to social media and influencer marketing for fundamental change. hydration In a trend leading to a competitive lifestyle, while others found humor in the “Big Bertha” bottle of coffee, he said they also developed their own “emotional support bottles.”
Overall, readers were divided between those who see the water bottle craze as a harmless quirk — and those who see it as another example of how far consumer culture has gone.
a modern threat
Water Bottles and their close relatives, soft drink cans, are a modern hazard. It is disappointing to see that dog walkers at the local park are unwilling to take their pooch for a 30-minute walk without making much preparation for unexpected drought.
I have four humans in my household, none with any medical problems that require special care. hydrationTill now, only one of us has had a deep love for water bottles. Thankfully, we live in a part of the world that is full of taps and cups and the nearest part is rarely more than a few minutes away.
When I look into our overflowing kitchen cupboard, I can count about twelve 1-1.5 liter water bottles made of plastic, metal or glass. The character-based children’s characters especially frustrate me. There are also some additional tops attached to bottles that have been around for a long time. I’m not willing to risk throwing them away so it doesn’t go unnoticed. It’s true that I may have used one twice in the last five years – but why so many?
Teenage children, forced by their mothers, reluctantly take someone to school. Most evenings I have to scrub through piles of laundry with a bottle brush that isn’t long enough to do the job thoroughly. Didn’t I read somewhere that these bottles can be a breeding ground for nasty bugs? I am heartily fed up with them – they are usually returned full or almost full. I decide to empty the unused water into the watering can on the balcony.
More importantly, the damage these things can do to a marriage is fatal! This should hardly be the only grounds for divorce, but if we ever go there, this issue will definitely be at the top of the list.
a handful of fish
The hydration habit has gone too far
I live in Australia and was diagnosed with kidney problems 30 years ago, and so were advised to stay hydrated – just like now I’m rarely without a 600ml water bottle, but for good reason. However, it seems that my habit has now taken a toll on family and friends, and I think we are all a little more cautious and in tune with the current trend or obsession than a real need.
thinking about the weekend
a modern accessory
The water bottle or other container for water has become what many people consider an important accessory of modern life – in the same way as their phone. People believe it is a matter of survival.
As a child, I used to drink a cup of tea in the morning and before a glass of water at lunch if I felt seriously thirsty, perhaps a drop of water would spill from my cup-filled hand.
Today, if someone doesn’t come across you with a phone up their nose or with their head tilted back while sipping from a water bottle, you’re lucky. Most children’s school bags have pockets to keep bottles.
The bottled water market is growing rapidly. There must be a good market for all these containers that can differentiate between stable and shiny containers, as shops and supermarkets are full of them.
I don’t carry a water bottle and have no intention of starting. It doesn’t do me any good to see old ladies pulling them out of their handbags and sipping them here and there!
How much of this sudden need to drink water every few minutes is marketing and how much is it?
Ambigirls
a practical habit
I’m from the era before “Janes”, and I didn’t know that keeping a metal water bottle was a “thing”. However, if I go out, I’m very happy to carry cold water with me from home rather than spend money for a plastic bottle when I feel thirsty – with the garbage thrown away as well.
thought is free
hydration and hydration
The big objection is to all those billions of plastic disposable water bottles littering the universe and being found in the stomachs of dead whales etc.
Public fountains were a Victorian social invention and gift. Nowadays, one finds them in UK airports and elsewhere hidden in corners, away from bottles selling for more than £1 – for water that costs 0.0001p.
Carrying them reminds me of the Winnicottian transitional object – the need to feel comforted by some real object as one moves from infancy to childhood…
Luckybeam
Learning ‘Rawdog’
As a nearly fifty-year-old (usually) non-water-bottle carrier who also considers this obsession a bit silly, I always insisted on carrying a water bottle with me every time I went running. Until a few weeks ago, when I forgot to take it out with me.
Experiencing mild panic, I almost turned back to fetch it, but opted to press ahead and see if I could survive the ordeal.
I didn’t die of thirst, faint or feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, I realized I rarely drank it – and when I did, most of it went down my face! So now I “rawdog” (I think that’s the word?) it, and it’s a lot of fun not to have to carry a pound of sloshing liquid around with me. However, when I get back home I enjoy drinking a big glass of ice cold water.
amkirk
color-coded hydration
At the NHS trust I worked at in the 2010s, there were little posters on the back of the toilet doors (the female ones anyway) showing and highlighting different colors of pee, ranging from ideal (straw-coloured) to severely dehydrated (quite brown). The image gets stuck in my mind and if I see my image going towards darkness, I drink more.
Thus, I always have a bottle of water with me. Extremely intelligent and not even remotely insane.
moodyjack
water on the go
Sub-boomer here with a water bottle.
Obviously, they have their place. I don’t go hill walking without it, but until a few weeks ago it was always a worn-out old “disposable” ex-San Pellegrino bottle. I just turned on the switch when it started leaking.
Rest, do whatever you want. If spending money every time a new trend emerges makes you happy, then who am I to criticize? I, for one thing, don’t feel any less deficient in my pursuits because I don’t have the latest technology of breathable fabric, a carbon fiber walking pole, and an integrated. hydration System.
rick c
less than a penny on tap
As a 51-year-old man, I have an insulated metal bottle. I don’t use it often, but if I feel thirsty I would rather use it than go to a store and buy a drink in a plastic bottle.
I can’t drink anything with caffeine or artificial sweetener, which basically means the drink will have to be water anyway. Aside from the single-use plastic, I resent paying money for a bottle when it comes from the tap for less than a penny.
universe
a marketing invention
I’ve said for ages that this is a marketing thing – just like pedometers are sold at 6,000 steps. I object to the pressure of social media. Be a leader, not a follower, and live a little instead of needing strangers to control your every move.
Small
have other bad habits
Drinking water is much better for you and the planet than drinking Coke or Pepsi or other fizzy horrors in environmentally damaging plastic bottles – and if people want to carry around expensive bottles, so be it. There are many bad collective habits in the society right now. Just remember to clean the inside of those bottles – mold quickly accumulates.
coffee
Some comments in this article have been edited for brevity and clarity.
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