Drinking - giving up for a while

eclectichoney

i've been off the drink since the 16th july... hoping to last a couple more weeks anyway. mainly financial/health reasons, i gave it up for 6 weeks at the start of the year and then gave in at a work night out and pretty much been back on it 3 or 4 nights a week since then. fingers crossed that it lasts a bit longer!

BizzyC

I dont see any problems with drinking.
I probably have a drink 3 or 4 nights a week on average. But I'd usually only have 1 or 2.
I dont do it to escape this or that, or to give myself an illusion etc....
I do it because I like beer. I find it very enjoyable to sit down with someone, chill out with a beer and relax.

Dragon's statements seem to describe people who become alcholholics due to personal stress, and by no means can be taken as a general statement towards the irish drinking culture.

[someguy]

BizzyC wrote:

Dragon's statements seem to describe people who become alcholholics due to personal stress, and by no means can be taken as a general statement towards the irish drinking culture.

You can take this as a general statement towards irish drinking culture.
There are far too many people in this country who waste a big chunk of their money on booze. why? surely there must be something remotely useful they could spend it on instead. Because when it comes down to it, it's nothing but an overpriced drug that you end up blowing a lot of money on in one night, just because you think you're unable to have fun without it/don't want to look out of place by not consuming it.

BizzyC

[someguy] wrote:

You can take this as a general statement towards irish drinking culture.
................
just because you think you're unable to have fun without it/don't want to look out of place by not consuming it.

But where in that comment does it clarify the reasoning for believing that ALL those drinkers do so to escape reality?

The bottom line is that you dont know these people, since you dont know them you have absolutley no right to comment on their motives for drinking.
Doing so is a generalisation, for which you have no method of reasoning or decent arguement to back it up.

I drink all the time, I dont do so because I need it to have fun. However, if I am drinking, and having fun, why would I stop?
If you're playing a football match, do you stop after 20 mins because you dont need football to have fun?

And that comment about looking out of place is complete BS.
I have, and know plenty of people who do go out and dont drink.
Anyone who drinks because they're afraid of other peoples opinions is a pathetic sheep, who doesn't have the strength of character to control their own life.

Kingp35

[someguy] wrote:

Because when it comes down to it, it's nothing but an overpriced drug that you end up blowing a lot of money on in one night, just because you think you're unable to have fun without it/don't want to look out of place by not consuming it.

Hold up there a minute. Dont post up a statement like that unless you have some kind of argument to back it up!! This is a blatant generalisation of people and one is totally wrong. The very odd person who might have a very weak character and have social skills might drink to fit in and to not look out of place.

But the majority of people do not "need" drink to have fun. They drink because they like to have a beer or whatever and do have fun while doing it. As for the blowing your money comment you are simply commenting on your self. Explain to me how you know that the guy sitting at the table across from you in the pub considers spending his money on dring as "blowing his money". What about a guy who spends ridiculous amounts of money going to different restaurants alot and eating out. Now he isnt getting anything out of this other than fun. Is this guy "blowing his money".

If its somebody elses money and they are spending it on something they get enjoyment out of and something they like doing how can this be considered as "blowing your money"?

Really your just your stereotypical anti-drinking campaigner who states the same ridiculous arguments but when it comes down to it the only person that you can truely measure these arguments against is yourself because you have no idea whatsoever what anybody else thinks about themselves and drink. Simple as

Victor

But he gets to go to a different restaurant / try a different foood / taste each time, no the same old recycled urine taste.

Too many people do see getting drunk (as opposed to having one or two) as their primary pass-time.

BizzyC

Yes, a lot of people do drink in that way, but who's to say what their motivation for doing it is.

I'm simple argueing against the claim that drinkers use alchohol to escape reality etc.

Red Alert

As long as they're not:

* being forced to by their mates
* drinking regardless of whether they feel like it or not
* not having a good time

then what's the harm? i used to drink an awful lot more than I do now, and I only started drinking at 17. I only drink now about half the times I go out. I still enjoy being 'drunk' - it can be great fun! But if i'm not in a drinking mood, then it's the 7UP's for me!

CerebralCortex

The one thing I noticed when I was young was that the poor simple fools who started drinking when they where young was that
1) They saw it is a right of passage (it made them men and made them cool)
2) I remember alot of my friends at the time thinking it was the only way to have fun, and that I an adamant non drinker didn't know how to have fun.

I believe people in Ireland drink because they have nothing else I honestly believe this. We have imho a culture with no substance which is saturated in alcohol abuse and poor quality establishments (that can only be enjoyed with a pint wheyhey).
I think anybody who can stay dry in this country and sociallise sucessfully int hos culture deserves alot of respect. I know certainly there is no place for me as non-drinker in the Irish night scene.