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Joe will be back on Crossmaglen band wagon. He was at Athletic Grounds today to see a great game of football with 1 goal and 39 points scored with only 5 from placed balls. Nothing wrong with football if coaches encourage players to play in a progressive manner.

He seemed to enjoy it alright. Was a very good game

On reflection, the ban fro next year's championship is quite lenient. Neither team would be serious contenders, nor be expected to progress far. With the back door, it's a loss of 2-3 games at most

My take also. Very lenient. Ban both clubs from every competition for the maximum period permitted. And ban identifiable individuals for the same length of time.

Very easy to do with few county men involved. (And, therein lies the real issue).

BTW, same punishment with recent rows in other counties, including my own.

Do the current rules allow this?

If they don't, they should be amended to do so. The Harps and RGU folk would think several times before jumping the wire again.

I don't doubt it. But would the county board get away with it? Didn't the GAA basically make up a rule for TMcCann after hair gate and that didn't stick?

Pbat well done on 100 days. I remember that milestone. I'm 1000 days ahead of you and it's one day at a time. I was overwhelmed when I gave up. How can I go the rest of my life without booze. After a while it dawned on me. I don't have to. I just have to go the rest of the day without it. When I got up the next day it was the same thing. A bit of a cliche but for me it works

On reflection, the ban fro next year's championship is quite lenient. Neither team would be serious contenders, nor be expected to progress far. With the back door, it's a loss of 2-3 games at most

My take also. Very lenient. Ban both clubs from every competition for the maximum period permitted. And ban identifiable individuals for the same length of time.

Very easy to do with few county men involved. (And, therein lies the real issue).

BTW, same punishment with recent rows in other counties, including my own.

Do the current rules allow this?

I should add to my post too that, i don't feel i have a bad relationship with drink at all. I enjoy a good lash at it from time to time but i certainly don't crave it, and can easily do without it for extended period of times.  During those periods, i don't miss it either.  It's definitely a social thing for me.  Maybe it is unhealthy that my relationship with friends still centres around meeting up for a feed of pints and a bit of banter once every few months but i suppose i don't see it that way.

I was the opposite. I didn't have a good relationship with it at all. I don't have any now but when I drank it was a terrible relationship. Alcohol didn't have a hold on me in my day to day life but when I drank it had a vice like grip on me. I drank the bit out at uni. It it probably went to the next step when I worked in a local bar - you probably know it. Thankfully those days are gone and I haven't looked back. Can never be too complacent tho

I pointed out MMA has no standard it won't go below. You equated it to Tyson's antics in boxing. I agree it's nothing to do with Gaelic Football and I never said it was. You somehow went down that tangent.

Although one thing GAA and UFC has in common is the fact athletes in both sports refuse to accept responsibility for their actions

I may have picked you up wrong when you said 'your sport'. I wasn't equating. I was giving an example to show it isn't just McGregor and/or UFC where such depths are reached

I got the impression it was the 1sf time he seen it and didn't realise what it was like. God forbid be then does some research before writing the piece

As stated, this is his 2nd article calling for it to be banned. The 1st was 2 and a half years ago.

It's a pity it didn't happen. To think there was talk of awarding the freedom of the city to Conor McGregor. It seems there is nothing you can't say or do to promote a fight as long it brings in the Pay per views

That's not just limited to MMA tho

True, but the stuff McGregor comes out with is outrageous and frankly family/religion/race of his opponents are areas he seems to take particular enjoyment in insulting. Also using footage of him throwing stuff at the bus previously to promote the fight was ridiculous. That was something you would expect from the WWE, except all their story lines are scripted and not real life!

He is a different character altogether . But look at boxing. Didn't Tyson threaten to eat Lewis' kids. Haye with a tshirt if him holding the devapitated heads of the Klitschko brothers. They just want to sell fights and they stoop to very low levels to do so

When you're comparing the standards/behaviour in your sport to boxing for integrity and basic human decency then frankly you've already lost your argument

Where did I compare the standards and behaviours of Gaelic football to boxing? I'm not really an MMA fan. Or a boxing fan either. When you start making assumptions about someone you've lost your argument

I got the impression it was the 1sf time he seen it and didn't realise what it was like. God forbid be then does some research before writing the piece

As stated, this is his 2nd article calling for it to be banned. The 1st was 2 and a half years ago.

It's a pity it didn't happen. To think there was talk of awarding the freedom of the city to Conor McGregor. It seems there is nothing you can't say or do to promote a fight as long it brings in the Pay per views

That's not just limited to MMA tho

True, but the stuff McGregor comes out with is outrageous and frankly family/religion/race of his opponents are areas he seems to take particular enjoyment in insulting. Also using footage of him throwing stuff at the bus previously to promote the fight was ridiculous. That was something you would expect from the WWE, except all their story lines are scripted and not real life!

He is a different character altogether . But look at boxing. Didn't Tyson threaten to eat Lewis' kids. Haye with a tshirt if him holding the devapitated heads of the Klitschko brothers. They just want to sell fights and they stoop to very low levels to do so

I got the impression it was the 1sf time he seen it and didn't realise what it was like. God forbid be then does some research before writing the piece

As stated, this is his 2nd article calling for it to be banned. The 1st was 2 and a half years ago.

It's a pity it didn't happen. To think there was talk of awarding the freedom of the city to Conor McGregor. It seems there is nothing you can't say or do to promote a fight as long it brings in the Pay per views

That's not just limited to MMA tho

Was that a big surprise there in the St Brigids game?

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?

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

I never had a problem with the booze unless I had a drink.

I don't mean to be flippant, but I enjoyed that line.

Good thread and good testimonies. I drink too much. 50+ units a week. Mostly wine at home plus a few pints a couple of times a week. But my biggest worry is not directly about my own drinking but about a family member I fear is becoming a problem drinker and I'm not a great example to him.

Does anyone have any advice on how to intervene, advise, etc. Anyone familiar with Al Anon and are they to be recommended? The self-described younger problem drinkers here might have some good advice as to whether an intervention from a parent would help or hinder.

Haha. No problem. What I meant was I wasnt one who would sit in work all day counting down the minutes until I could get a drink. But when I drank, well to quite Bartley Gorman. "When I was drinking I was drinking. Wild horses couldn't get me away."

The bravest and most honest post I've seen here in years, pbat.

Four weeks off it today. Did my serious sessions over the years. This year, my dad died and my life has been in some personal turmoil since. Alcohol didn't help. I'm playing this abstinence thing purely weekend by weekend.

You know where I am mate. Always have time for you

Personally it has a grip on me, has now for 10 years. I was like most in my early 20's lived for the weekends died on a Monday and that was me until Friday then away again. As the boom years developed and I had more income the Monday club came into play, then midweek till practically it was every night. I used to fool myself with sure I never drink in the house. Had a few personal and financial sets backs in  the late 20's early 30's and things went down hill for me.

That's when the benders started maybe for 2-3 weeks at a time till the body could take no more. Then a week of hell in bed with sickness, paranoia, guilty. Theses benders used to be about twice a year then gradually every couple of months. I would know every early house between Belfast and Dublin This last 10 years has been a train wreck. At least 4 great jobs lost,either let go or quit in a drunken blur, kicked out of places to live, losing friends, broken relationships and treating my family like shit and a month in jail all through drink. I would estimate I have lost the price of at least 2 houses through drink or drink related crap such as missed flights, fines etc.

There is a fog descends on me and nothing will stop me drinking when it does there is nothing more important than drink in my eyes, no money, family on my back, important work events - nothing will stop me when I feel like that.

If I get to Wednesday I will be 100 days off this time, longest in 3 years. Working hard at the moment and have just bought my first new car in 10 years. The thing I have done different this time is I have joined a gym to try and lose weight and get fit which I do feel is helping. But I live in fear, fear of when that cloud will come over me again and I will blow this. I have attended AA meetings and I recognize the brilliant work they do but I feel that is not for me.

Yesterday like every Friday the lads at work where going for a pint and again I had an excuse not to attend but I did not feel I could come out and say look lads I would love to but I cant because i am an alcoholic. I would love to be able to go for one but I know that will end up with me knocking an early house door at 8am Monday morning and not caring about the job. There is a bit in the show the West Wing where they discuss alcoholism and Leo is asked can he not have a drink and he says the problem is he doesn't want 1 drink he wants 10 and he can never understand someone who goes for one drink. I totally get that sentiment. 

But I get what Boycey is saying about been overlooked for invites to things when I am off, and the snide comments such as grow a set of balls and get this sorted or your a pussy.( 2 former teammates use that one to me a lot). My parents nor my siblings never drank but through my wider family on both sides there is an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. I am 40 now and my health does not reflect that of a 40 year old.

I hear the young lads (17-18) around the club on a Sunday morning telling about how drunk they were and done this or done that, and I smile and laugh along thinking I was there. But I would like that maybe through school or the club they could be shown where it can take you. We do need to address the attitude in the country as a whole on alcohol, win a cup drink for 4 days, weddings now 3 days sessions, funerals drink, school dances drink, going to watch the county play a day on the drink. I dont know if I had been told the dangers and horrors at 17 would it have been any different for me but I feel as a society when need to try.

It seems like a month a go my biggest worry was preparing for a minor county semi - final but as I survey the wreckage of the last 22 years I dont wish that on anyone.

I totally get this mate. This was me to a tee. I went to AA for maybe 18 months and it helped me stay stopped as I had made plenty of attempts previously.
If I were you I'd pick a couple of close mates and tell them. People who you totally trust. Believe me it's easier when you have people who know. Drop me a pm if you want