Non-drinkers are 'more depressed, lack social skills'

MagicMarker

I haven't had a drink in almost a year and tbh I have plenty of chances to go out and ''socialise''.

Only last night, I was asked to head into town with ''the lads'', but to be honest, any pros to drinking are far outweighed by the cons imo, namely having to use public transport!! Plus I just don't like pubs, what is the point in standing in a crowded pub not being able to hear 90% of any conversation going on?

However, if the pub was local to me (walking distance) and it's quiet enough to have a conversation with someone without shouting into their ear, then I'd be much more likely to have a drink.

Does this make me unsociable? Frankly, I don't give a fúck.

AckwelFoley

Let me see...

not consuming a known depressant makes you depressed?

Who conducted this research? The VFI?

Bob_Harris

I can't stand drunk people. I hate this giddy attitude to drinking in Ireland, people who go to a pub and feel like they are basking in the glow of their own "coolness" simply because they are drinking alcohol.

WOW, you're drinking alcohol, you're some MAD WHORE!!!??!!!??!

Oh and by the way, hilarious "you're not doing it right" responses, LOL, mad whores.

chopperbyrne

Bob_Harris wrote: »

I can't stand drunk people. I hate this giddy attitude to drinking in Ireland, people who go to a pub and feel like they are basking in the glow of their own "coolness" simply because they are drinking alcohol.

WOW, you're drinking alcohol, you're some MAD WHORE!!!??!!!??!

Oh and by the way, hilarious "you're not doing it right" responses, LOL, mad whores.

Those were responses to someone saying that he hated being really drunk, getting sick and losing the next day to a bad hangover repeatedly.

If that was regular occurence, then he clearly wasn't doing it right.

Kipperhell

holystungun9 wrote: »

I have to draw attention to the "lack social skills". I guess some non drinkers may be a bit more self conscious or not as adept at talking in big groups but I have to say I have noticed plenty of drinkers lacking social skills. In particular the people who fall asleep in the club or at the bar, those who go around stealing drinks or throwing things around, getting really pervy and randomly feeling people up, those who puke up everywhere, those people I see after the club falling around,fightning other people, boyfriends, girlfriends, those who go around town after shouting and roaring, damaging things, etc...

You are mixing up social skills and social conduct. The report is simply saying that people who don't drink have more difficulty socialising and with social communication. Don't like pubs and the behaviour in them so they don't go. Less socialisation equals less social skills.

I can see why somebody who doesn't drink wouldn't go to the pub but that makes them have less friends. The same applies to liking sport as I don't like sport I don't go to the pub to watch it so I socialise less.

Handsome Bob

I don't think non-drinkers lack social skills and even if they did, it's only because they are being alienated by those who do drink. I swear that Irish people feel threatened by non-drinkers. I remember one night I wasn't drinking and everything was going fine until my mate came back from the bar and agressively shoved a drink into my hand and said "It's the ****ing weekend, get that into you." I had another mate who gave up drink for lent a few years back, and he got nothing but hostility on nights out. Lacking social skills my ass, more like being abused for not conforming to Ireland's drink culture.

Latchy

It was Norweigian survey which came up with those stats .The price they pay for a beer is depressing enough .

Red Alert

One of the craziest people I know doesn't drink - you're practically guaranteed a good night out when she's out.

I'd be a very light drinker: i must prefer having a decent wine with dinner, trying new foreign beers in the porterhouse or having a couple of drinks at a gig or club. Not into going out and having twelve pints at all.

Biggins

Kipperhell wrote: »

You are mixing up social skills and social conduct. The report is simply saying that people who don't drink have more difficulty socialising and with social communication. Don't like pubs and the behaviour in them so they don't go. Less socialisation equals less social skills.

I can see why somebody who doesn't drink wouldn't go to the pub but that makes them have less friends. The same applies to liking sport as I don't like sport I don't go to the pub to watch it so I socialise less.

I get your point but I disagree with the last part. Not so.
So they don't go to a bar - so they have less friends?
Maybe they go to other entertainment outlets??? You just don't need to be standing up in bar just gain just as much friends!

Prof.Badass

It's unfair to lump all non-drinkers into one category.
While drinking doesn't make you cool, people who have never drank do have a tendency to be more square than average.
I would expand the same sentiment towards those who waited untill they were 18 untill they drank.
For me, drinking will never be anything like it was when i was 16/17. It was the whole forbidden fruit factor that made it so enjoyable. People who were impervious to this growing up, would strike me as being quite square and rule-abiding (at the detriment of free-thought).

That being said, people chronically underestimate the effect a party atmosphere has on someone's inhibitions. It is very possible to do fun and crazy stuff without drinking. Only problem is, if people find out you're sober they will think you're a weirdo .

entropi

Agamemnon wrote: »

So is it true? Are non-drinkers a miserable shower of dour-faced loners? Does drinking regularly make you more sociable, even when sober?

Is it true? i'm gonna say no in my case. I didnt begin to drink up until Feb of this year (28 long years of teetotal) and i was still as sociable and outgoing as any of my friends would have been. I have still seen countless men drinking in a pub/club who would not set foot on a dancefloor, and alot of non-drinkers heading there after the first glass of soda water & lime. Confidence is the key here once again.

More than likely its just that the "research" didnt take into account the social states of introvert and extrovert and just focused on how alcohol affected the social and possible mental state of the test subjects. Flawed research is my guess.

Mr Benevolent

When she enters a room, erections wilt

You're saying that you want your erection to continue when she enters the room?

orestes

So not consuming alcohol, a substance long known to have a signifigant link to depression, makes you depressed?

That contradiction and the idea of being fukked if you do or fukked if you don't is enough to make despair so much that I need a beer to deal with it. No wiat, I don't, that would make me depressed, better not. Wait, not having the beer will make me depressed, so maybe I should just have half a beer to kep things balanced, that way I only get half the depression. But that really is the ultimate is the half glass empty/half full dilemma, isn't it?

Oh fukk this, I'm taking up heroin

tarbuck

What a people people like me who drink AND are depressed and lacking in social skills?

I like to drink but I'd 5000% prefer to spend a night in front of my computer/telly with a bunch of cans than go for a night out in a pub/club.

I find sitting in a pub akin to walking into someone elses house and polietly listening to their music and watching their telly whilst being annoyed by their loud obnoxious family. It's not for me. I Like the beer tho.

Cianos

vinylmesh wrote: »

It's unfair to lump all non-drinkers into one category.
While drinking doesn't make you cool, people who have never drank do have a tendency to be more square than average.
I would expand the same sentiment towards those who waited untill they were 18 untill they drank.
For me, drinking will never be anything like it was when i was 16/17. It was the whole forbidden fruit factor that made it so enjoyable. People who were impervious to this growing up, would strike me as being quite square and rule-abiding (at the detriment of free-thought).

That being said, people chronically underestimate the effect a party atmosphere has on someone's inhibitions. It is very possible to do fun and crazy stuff without drinking. Only problem is, if people find out you're sober they will think you're a weirdo .

Ah, the free thinking, peer-pressured youth, how amazing it'd be to be so cool and enlightened.

STBR

Whiskey Devil wrote: »

I can understand those who have gave up drinking for reason - booze doesn't suit some people at all, but the people I know who have 'never drank' are mostly too tight to drink (mentioned above) or they're just squares.

OR

• They don't like to consume depressants.
• They don't like it.
• They just don't fúcking want to.

Username says it all though so I won't expect you to reason.


Can't believe all the mature pro-anti-drinking replies in here; maybe Ireland is a little different than portrayed...






... Still leaving.

Whiskey Devil

SirDarren wrote: »

OR

• They don't like to consume depressants.
• They don't like it.
• They just don't fúcking want to.

Username says it all though so I won't expect you to reason.


Can't believe all the mature pro-anti-drinking replies in here; maybe Ireland is a little different than portrayed...






... Still leaving.

'Still doesn't make them any less boring. Does it?

stovelid

MagicMarker wrote: »

Only last night, I was asked to head into town with ''the lads''

Are they your friends? Why the sarcastic inverted commas?

Carsinian Thau

That's actually very interesting.

I don't drink and I have been told that at times, it does really seem as if I have a visible lack of social skills.

STBR

Whiskey Devil wrote: »

'Still doesn't make them any less boring. Does it?

Nobody but you implied they were any more boring than drinkers in the first place.

In fact, if you were to read through this you'd see people saying they were at the same, if not a higher entertainment level.

Besides, what's the alternative for drinkers?

Falling over the footpath and pissing yourself in the street?

Only sounds entertaining for those watching.

Tell me the next time you're doing it and I can come have a laugh.

Whiskey Devil

SirDarren wrote: »

Nobody but you implied they were any more boring than drinkers in the first place.

In fact, if you were to read through this you'd see people saying they were at the same, if not a higher entertainment level.

Besides, what's the alternative for drinkers?

Falling over the footpath and pissing yourself in the street?

Only sounds entertaining for those watching.

Tell me the next time you're doing it and I can come have a laugh.

You quoted me. I replied. Remember?

I've never fallen over a footpath or pissed myself in the street, but I have enjoyed my youth. I can't see the problem.

Carsinian Thau

Whiskey Devil wrote: »

I've never fallen over a footpath or pissed myself in the street, but I have enjoyed my youth. I can't see the problem.

You've just aged by about twenty years by saying that.

4zn76tysfajdxp

Whiskey Devil wrote: »

I've never fallen over a footpath or pissed myself in the street, but I have enjoyed my youth. I can't see the problem.

The only problem I can see is that you're assuming that people who didn't drink when they were young didn't have fun. It's this "all or nothing" attitude that pisses me off. I know some older relatives who lecture me on drinking if I get drunk because I'm bound to turn into an alcoholic, but I also get shit from some other people if I'm not getting pissed on a particular night because it seems that I'm not having a good enough time. Silly me being wrong all the time, good job everyone else knows how I should have fun to steer me in the right direction.

cjbh

SirDarren wrote: »

Can't believe all the mature pro-anti-drinking replies in here; maybe Ireland is a little different than portrayed...

In fairness, most of the replies came on an Internet forum on a Friday night - hardly the most unbiased of samples?

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

FunkZ wrote: »

Your sig says it all dude!

ALL HAIL THE ALE.

I think he/she means legal for sex

Dudess

Apart from going to the pub the night after being out drinking (never feel like drinking then), I couldn't go to the pub and not drink. I just would not enjoy myself. Being pleasantly drunk with your friends who are also pleasantly drunk... is fun (being absolutely out of it is not). I hate it when some people say I must have a problem - how is it a problem to want to join in and share the experience?
Only being able to have fun when drunk - in any context... well that's a sign of a problem all right. But only being able to have fun when drunk in the pub is just normal. That is, after all, the main function of a pub.

STBR

Whiskey Devil wrote: »

You quoted me. I replied. Remember?

I've never fallen over a footpath or pissed myself in the street, but I have enjoyed my youth. I can't see the problem.

Exactly, and I can't see the problem doing other things.

Latchy

Doesn't take a genius to work out that the all day /all night boozers who indulge themselfs several times a week more that the average drinker will most likely in the long run, have serious physical and mental problems ie,depression . We all know the dangers of exessive drinking but getting pleasently drunk in the company of like minded peeps, even once a week is a an enjoyable social expierence as any other and the latter will look foreward to it more .I know of one chap who cant just have a social drink ,it has to be an exessive bender that can last 2 ,3 hrs or 12 ,at least 3 times a week

ChocolateSauce

I would tend to agree with the findings. That isn't to say that drinking makes one interesting or that not drinking makes you boring- they don't, and I know of many glaring exceptions on both sides - but I do find that my more interesting acquaintances tend to drink, while the dry people I know are, well, dryer.

Although to make it more accurate, I'd replace the word "drink" with "mild-altering substance user".

Handsome Bob

ChocolateSauce wrote: »

I would tend to agree with the findings. That isn't to say that drinking makes one interesting or that not drinking makes you boring- they don't, and I know of many glaring exceptions on both sides - but I do find that my more interesting acquaintances tend to drink, while the dry people I know are, well, dryer.

Although to make it more accurate, I'd replace the word "drink" with "mild-altering substance user".

What you have described above basically screams to me Fun Bobby.