Drinking in the GAA - problem or not?

[blanketattack]

I think a major problem is that managers now want a complete ban on drink for x days/weeks before a big match, so when the opportunity to drink comes round again, fellas are desperate and feel the need to squeeze a few months worth of drinking into a few nights of drinking.
Previously the managers would be more relaxed and would just ask the players to take it easy, and so they'd only have a few pints on a night out, so there wasn't half the desire to have a huge session when the opportunity arose.

There's not much of a drinking problem when you're having a couple of pints on a regular basis. There's potential for drinking problems if you drink 'til you can't drink no more on an irregular basis

[Declan]

On reflection the thread title is misleading - I agree it's not a particular GAA problem rather a societal one it's just the Dr Rowe was using his experience of his involvement with Waterford.

I definitely notice a difference in drinking patterns from when I was playing / training etc - Maybe as I get older I get more Victor Meldrew like but the emphasis on lorrying drink into you and particularly shorts/shots etc is something that I never saw 15/20 years ago. The self imposed drinking bans etc and the more scientific approach to elite players definitely means there's less scope for lads to have a few jars hence I think the need to go ballistic when they get the chance- not specifically talking about "elite" players in that regard either just lads playing senior/intermediate level.

[camanchero]

yep Dec, years ago when I played there were two seasons - football season from 1st Feb - end of Oct and Drinking season Oct - Jan.
Oct to Jan I was never sober. Feb - Oct- I was rarely boozing when out.
still a big regret of mine was to start drink in the first place.

I dont think things have changed much really. just the problems in society that reflect on players- bad manners, expect thigs to be handed to them, poor attitude, poorer committment etc etc
I feel these are more widespread than before.

[BEASTY]

If you take any group of 30 Irish fellas aged between 16-35, there will be a decent quantity who are fond of the sauce, and a handful who are overly fond of the sauce. As there's always 30-odd players at a GAA club, opining that there's a drink problem in GAA circles is downright lazy thinking. I hate lazy thinking. Dr Rowe is a lazy thinker.

Is this rhyming slang?

[theskull1]

Young lads seems to be more into the halfuns and shots these days. Bound to be worse on the ould  system than beer.

Bingeing is a much bigger phenomenon id say ........and this in a bloody recession