What's your relationship with alcohol?

[manfromdelmonte]

Only coming back to this thread now

Fair play to the lads battling to stay off the stuff

As always it's good to talk. Even typing out your thoughts here can be a big help

[themac_23]

Only seeing this thread now. I have a strange relationship with drink, I never drink at home and would never think of having a few beers at home. I also struggle to take 1 drink, even after football on a Sunday or that if I've work the next day I couldn't take 1 pint because I know as soon as I take one that's me on the stool till closing, I don't know if it's a lack of self control. I'm not proud of it but I can take a lot of drink, i could easily take 20 pints in one sitting. In fact, few months ago on a Saturday night it was a friends birthday and although I had a match on the Sunday I went out and said I'd have a couple of bottles and no pints, ended up on a rip and was going to go to the game on the Sunday having only got through the door, friend talked me out of it so I text an excuse and went back on it, 3-4 days drinking, still really annoyed about that. I love drink, I know I drink too much, have tried going off it, even this month said I'd do that sober for October, couldn't even get passed the first Friday. Alcohol has been a factor in me doing a lot of things I'm not proud of/ ashamed of. Hope everyone on here who's on their journey keep plugging away and get through t

[BennyCake]

when you start drinking in the house, that's the beginning of the end, seen far too many people go this way and there is no way back for most.

the pub is meant to be a social meet up, not somewhere to get hammered or worse arrive there hammered.

young ones i know now go out with a fiver (which in my day bought 6 pints  ), because they drink their fill of cheap booze from the off sales before heading anywhere

First point I agree on. If only to set an example to your kids

Only a problem if you're getting hammered at home. Opening a bottle of wine with the wife on a Friday or Satuday night is nothing to be concerned about in itself.

Would agree with that. Alcohol should be normalised and show children it is possible to enjoy drink in moderation. I would rather they saw that than parents coming home from the pub hammered and/or spending the next day dying with a hangover.

Yes but it can go the other way too.

It can make it seem normal for kids to think it's fine to drink any time there's a match on TV, or at meal times. If there's always booze in the cupboard that's easy availability for youngsters. At least when there's a clear distinction that the pub Is where you drink, it may help foster kids habits later in life

[general_lee]

Working in a bar is a great education.......you see how people react with alcohol. You have the happy drinker.....the depressed drinker......the aggressive drinker.....the guy who wouldn't say boo now full of beans drinker. Back in the day if someone was drunk in public there were talked about......now it's so common hardly anyone bats an eyelid. Many people enjoy alcohol without it causing problems, but alcohol related problems are huge. Unfortunately there is no simple answer and I hope anyone struggling gets help and support.

I've family in the trade and would have helped out from time to time. One thing I've noticed is that regardless of age, class or background, anyone can go out and make a fool of themselves. I've seen middle class women claim their friend has been spiked when in reality they've been drinking for 8 solid hours and the friend just can't keep up. I've seen aggressive young men full of double vodka red bulls (and coke probably) start fights with doorstaff. I've seen daytime drinks sleeping over their laptop because they've had too many pints and not enough sleep the night before. They're all pretty normal people but like you say this behaviour is now more or less considered acceptable. When you consider the price of drink in supermarkets compared to pubs it doesn't bear thinking about what goes on at home

[tonto1888]

when you start drinking in the house, that's the beginning of the end, seen far too many people go this way and there is no way back for most.

the pub is meant to be a social meet up, not somewhere to get hammered or worse arrive there hammered.

young ones i know now go out with a fiver (which in my day bought 6 pints  ), because they drink their fill of cheap booze from the off sales before heading anywhere

A ridiculous statement to start of with

the only thing ridiculous is your grammar 

Let's see if we can help you. Which part did you fail to understand?

[Orior]

Personally, I feel sorry for people that need alcohol in order to relax or enjoy themselves.

[Insane Bolt]

Personally, I feel sorry for people that need alcohol in order to relax or enjoy themselves.

You're lucky mastrabation still does it for you😜

[ONeill]

yez shud alL DRinK mOre

[ONeill]

when you start drinking in the house, that's the beginning of the end, seen far too many people go this way and there is no way back for most.

the pub is meant to be a social meet up, not somewhere to get hammered or worse arrive there hammered.

young ones i know now go out with a fiver (which in my day bought 6 pints  ), because they drink their fill of cheap booze from the off sales before heading anywhere

A ridiculous statement to start of with

the only thing ridiculous is your grammar 

Let's see if we can help you. Which part did you fail to understand?

Cmon. Yiz have both had enough.

[ONeill]

Personally, I feel sorry for people that need alcohol in order to relax or enjoy themselves.

Personally, that's the view of a p***k.

Personally, I feel sorry for those who take drugs to numb pain.
Personally, I feel sorry for those who avoid social occasions to avoid interaction. 

[omochain]

Yes

[BennyCake]

Maybe what Orior is saying is drink is too easy to turn to when someoneneeds to unwind. Heard many people say "I dunno how I could manage if I couldn't have a drink". I'd say, well you'd just find something else to do : gym, walk, gardening, meditate etc. it's just the done thing to turn to drink when stressed, nervous, relaxed, worried, etc etc. If you were a recovering alcoholic, couldn't drink due to medical issue of in a Muslim country you'd find another way to relax, destress etc.

[Milltown Row2]

Maybe what Orior is saying is drink is too easy to turn to when someoneneeds to unwind. Heard many people say "I dunno how I could manage if I couldn't have a drink". I'd say, well you'd just find something else to do : gym, walk, gardening, meditate etc. it's just the done thing to turn to drink when stressed, nervous, relaxed, worried, etc etc. If you were a recovering alcoholic, couldn't drink due to medical issue of in a Muslim country you'd find another way to relax, destress etc.

It can take the edge off people if they are feeling stressed... whether that is all in the head or not doesnt matter.. I prefer to go to the gym straight from work and that works for me, though if I want to have a beer then I'll reach for one in the fridge and not give it a second thought.

I do wonder about the having a beer/wine in the house and how my kids look at us, and they aint shy in telling us how they feel, we've a good group of friends that we call round to or they call to ours for a chat or catch up and its a case for reaching to the fridge, but when we had the month off we only tea to offer and found it strange not opening up a bottle and having a glass of wine!

Needless to say we are going to pick another month, probably Feb as January we have too much on and then possibly June.. If we can do 3 months a year no drink and no drinking through the week I'd be happy with that 

[lurganblue]

Same as a lot of posts, i went mad for the drink from about 15 years of age. Couldn't get enough into me fast enough. Sick everywhere and carried home on a few occasions (thank god there were no camera phones).  After getting married, having kids and settling down, my relationship with drink changed. I still like to have a blow out and a good feed of pints but only really at stags, weddings, parties or other events... and these are a bit of a rarity in fairness.  I now couldn't even be bothered with normal weekend nights out.

I like to have a couple of beer in the house on a Friday or Saturday night sometimes but there is not the same need to fire it into me when I'm at home.

[johnnycool]

I was very late to the drinking game. probably early 30's or so and even now it's not a whole pile and mostly in the house at the weekend when the wanes are in bed.

In my mid teens all my mates drank to various degrees and were an eclectic mix, some were painfully shy and felt they needed a few drinks to interact with the fairer sex (and overshot the mark manies a time), some to feel part of the gang and all that and some grew into killing machines (in their mind) with a 2L of cider swilling in them and ended up getting a thumping the odd time. If they were being arseholes and deserved it I'd always let the other lad land one on them before breaking it up, just so they'd an abiding memory the next morning. By and large all came out the other side married, kids, settled down with no dependencies that I can see from the outside looking in but I do know of others that weren't so lucky and did develop a dependency and that has a huge impact on them and their immediate family.
As far as I was aware my mates never excluded me from anything because I didn't drink and it was never commented on even when living in the student areas of Belfast for a good few years when the drinking did get hot and heavy. I'd have been asked by others as to why I didn't drink, it certainly wasn't a religious thing, maybe I didn't trust myself after seeing so many bad drunks I don't know but I never felt the need nor inclination. Maybe I was a boring bastard after all.

I grew up in a house where my Da was a pioneer since he took the oath and my mum never drank other than a sherry or something at christmas, but never to excess that I was aware off and that's something I'm very conscious of for some reason with my own kids. I never want them to believe that it's normal and cool to be out of your face with drink in (or anything else that may do the trick) and to leave the drink aside for as long as possible (as much as I can control) to develop proper social skills in advance of then, but we as parents can only control so many variables and others are in the lap of the gods.