What is this?

Kingp35

ionapaul wrote:

I think the posters recommending lots to eat before going out / building up your tolerance of alcohol, while well-meaning, are misguided. Alcohol is a drug we consume for its intoxicating effect, no point pretending otherwise - why try to deaden your reaction to it? Just consume less. Which is easier said than done, as I fully understand

No I wont totally disagree with you that some peope drink to get drunk but in all honesty your not gonna drink something you dont like. I really like the taste of some drinks and quite happily have a beer watching a fil or something simply because I ove the taste. This is another case of trying to generalise everything. Dont do it it makes you look stupid.

To the OP. No you dont have a drink problem. I am 100% certain. The poeple who say "there is a legel age for a reason" are generally older people who are in denial about what young people do. By the way just as a point Ireland is one of the very few european countries with this age limit its generally about 14yrs old or with the likes of switzerland there is no limit. I had a pint in a pub there when I was 13!! Anyway the reason you dont have a problem is because you dont go out that often. if you did you would be finding yourself going out alot and getting absolutely hammered. if you ask most teenagers will say tehy ahve been paralytic at least 5 times. i know everybody I know(bar my pioneer girlfriend) has so dont look into that. As for the things you do when your drink thats just what happens. You act like an idiot but best way is just to laugh it off in the morning. You most definitely do not have a problem. your only problem is acting like a teenager.

As for your problem yes most people your age(in fact I would love ppl to give me free beer!!) would not turn down free drinks no way. But if you are getting too drunk and you dont like it then drink pints of water dut=ring the night to replace a pint of alcohol. If your already tipsy then you wont mind. The main reason is you dont go out that often and therefore you will get drunk alot quicker. Just drink teh water and you wont be so drunk. Your size doesnt matter that much its more about how much your body has become used to drink. My best mate is a girl who is less than 5ft tall not an ounce of fat on her and she can drink like a fish and walk home no problem.

Anyway to answer your questions you dont have a problem most teenagers are exactly the same as you(I nknow coz im only 20 plus I have 2 teenage brothers). As for the drinking thing you can either drink less(not that hard if you drink a pint of water every secong pint instead of beer.lots of people I know do this),or as you get older and you drink more often you will get used to it and wont effect you as much. I remember the good old days when I was 14 getting p1ssed on 4 cans now 4 cans prob wouldnt even effect me.

But the main issue here is if you dont like getting drunk or you dont like drinking then dont drink just because others do. Believe me people wont have a problem with you quitting. But if you like drinking then there is nothing bad about it. You will become wiser about it as you get older. Everybody goes nuts at your age. Its what teenagers do so stop worrying and just do what you want to do.

Glipmac

deek wrote:

I know a girl who has never drank and probably never will drink, she's 19 an says that she finds it really hard to be the only one not drinking when she goes out with her friends.I understand her situation more than these people who dont drink and find it "really easy". And before anyone suggests getting "better" friends,my friends are really decent people and Ive known them all for years so I dont want leave them just because Im not drinking anymore.

yes it is hard to not drink when others are, i myself am a non drinker my friends go out and drink i just go along for a laugh. i usualy only drink coke or somthing fizzy so im not the odd one out, but remember you don't need alcohol to have a good time.

deek

Thank you so much king:) This was why I posted originally. I didnt want the anti-drink brigade coming down on me ranting and raving about the culture in Ireland in general ,I needed good advice on my situation in particular.You've really put it into perspective thank you!

Kingp35

deek wrote:

Thank you so much king:) This was why I posted originally. I didnt want the anti-drink brigade coming down on me ranting and raving about the culture in Ireland in general ,I needed good advice on my situation in particular.You've really put it into perspective thank you!

No problem, glad I could help

LundiMardi

i think this will be another case of selective advice taking.

homah_7ft

deek wrote:

Should I give up drinking if I cant control it?

Yes

deek

Has anyone ever been able to take everybodys advice at the same time??

You see some people give really bad advice.

deek

homah_7ft wrote:

Yes

Ok that was actually a really stupid question to ask. What I really wanted to know was whether I actually have a problem or not. Sometimes I go overboard even if I never planned to, I needed to know how serious this is.

homah_7ft

They do. It's up to you to choose what to do.

homah_7ft

deek wrote:

Ok that was actually a really stupid question to ask. What I really wanted to know was whether I actually have a problem or not. Sometimes I go overboard even if I never planned to, I needed to know how serious this is.

It's not unusual. I mean who hasn't made mistakes. I would curb it a bit if I were you. I wouldn't like the idea of thinking hmmm maybe I could have hurt my spine in the fall. Or maybe I didn't want to do that with that guy.

LundiMardi

deek wrote:

Ok that was actually a really stupid question to ask. What I really wanted to know was whether I actually have a problem or not. Sometimes I go overboard even if I never planned to, I needed to know how serious this is.

It's really simple ya see,

Originally Posted by deek
List of things Ive done while drunk
gotten totally paralytic about 5 times
Broken someone elses shower door off its hinges(I cant remember that) so that it couldnt be fixed
Jumped off a garage roof onto concrete 7ft below on my ass bone so that I spent 5 days in bed unable to move
Cheated once
and other strange things and obviously kissing guys I shouldnt have etc etc etc

You obviously can't control yourself, i mean come on. Cheating? Paralytic 5 times? Do you really have to ask yourself these questions?

deek

homah_7ft wrote:

I would curb it a bit if I were you.

Ya thats what Im going to try to do. Its going to take a bit of work but Ill take the advice of everyone i.e eating, drinking pints of water etc. If after a while ,having tried my best ,I still havent kept it properly under control when I go out ,well then Ill know I have to give it up.

Ph3n0m

The best advice you can take away from these boards is this:


1) Yes you do have a problem with drinking
2) You havent learnt how to say no - it is quite easy to do so
3) If you continue drinking in your continuing fashion, I dread to think what might happen - especially if you are paralytic
4) Best idea, bring only enough to cover a few drinks and getting home money
5) Learn to say NO

I speak, not only as a drinker but as someone who used to be in your position and believe me, the trouble you think you have caused is nothing compared to the potentially dangerous and hazardous situations you could find yourself in

28064212

deek wrote:

Ive tried going off drink on a night out but I went home early because the people I went out with were drinkin and I was bored outta my ****e. Does no one else finds this. Is it an earely sign of alcoholism when out of the number of times I go out(which is quite few) I end up gettin scuttered whether I planned to or not and doing really stupid stuff?

See this is one of the main contributing factors to the continuation of the Irish drinking culture. The Irish nightlife is sh1te. When you go out, there's basically nothing to do except drink. Especially if you're not a dancer. It's only when you go out and don't drink that you realise this. There's very few nightclubs where you could go out and have a decent night unless you were too plastered to notice.

Oh, and by the way deek, accepting drink off strangers at 17, especially ones who are in their 20s, is just asking to be drugged and raped.

Sleepy

Couple of tips for ya deek:

1. Assume that any guy buying you a drink is trying to get off with you. Only accept if you fancy that person (this advice goes out the window when you've already got beer goggles on, at that stage, refuse all drinks you're offered).

2. A pint of milk/ carton of Yop / Bowl of ice-cream will all help increase your tolerance as dairy products line your stomach. Don't think this means you can drink what you like, but it will make you slightly more able to handle what you're drinking.

3. Remember, every pint of beer contains over 400 calories. It's one of the leading reasons why the Irish as a nation are over-weight. Most girls will tell you that they had their best figure around the ages of 17 to 19, all those calories start taking their toll after that. It's a good idea to cut back on the amount you're consuming if you still want all the attention from guys when you're a bit older

deek

28064212 wrote:

accepting drink off strangers at 17, QUOTE]
I never did that they were always off people I knew.

deek

Thanks everyone for all yer advice it is really helpful. But I do want to add that its not as big a problem as it may have sounded.

I dont deny that its something I have to be stricter about but on the other hand
I dont drink that often (not even every second or third weekend, although Id say I drank about 5 times this year because of the leaving cert)
I dont drink on my own
I dont feel the need to drink as an escape from anything
I never crave drink or being drunk

My problem is that I seem to get stupid once I do go out and not control how much Im drinking unless Im really concentrating on it.

That being said I will work on this because I think drinking is no bad thing if you can learn to handle it.

Kingp35

Sleepy wrote:

3. Remember, every pint of beer contains over 400 calories. It's one of the leading reasons why the Irish as a nation are over-weight. Most girls will tell you that they had their best figure around the ages of 17 to 19, all those calories start taking their toll after that. It's a good idea to cut back on the amount you're consuming if you still want all the attention from guys when you're a bit older

this is only true if you do not excercise or play any sports etc. If your an active person this will not affect you at all. Well at least until you are in your thirties when your metabolism starts to slow down. Only worry about this if you do not excercise.

Assume that any guy buying you a drink is trying to get off with you. Only accept if you fancy that person (this advice goes out the window when you've already got beer goggles on, at that stage, refuse all drinks you're offered).

Good advice. Guys who buy you drinks want to score you. Thats a FACT. Every guy on boards can confirm that for you.

ph3n0m wrote:

1) Yes you do have a problem with drinking
2) You havent learnt how to say no - it is quite easy to do so
3) If you continue drinking in your continuing fashion, I dread to think what might happen - especially if you are paralytic
4) Best idea, bring only enough to cover a few drinks and getting home money
5) Learn to say NO

1) This is not true. Just because you go out and hammered every now and again is not a problem. Drinking alot on a regular basis is a problem if you let it be. She has already said she only goes out and gets hammered every now and again thats what 80%(in my opinion) of the teenagers in this country do. they do not have problems. You should be able to refuse drink though do what I said before and get a water or coke or something every now and again instead of an alcoholic drink.
2) This I agree with
3) This I do not agree with. See above about drinking only every now and again.
4) That can be good if it works out. What if she loses some money and is stuck her friends having gone home. Many situations can arise where you thought you didnt spend as much as you had and you end up in trouble. Good in theory but not always the best way.
5) This is the same as 2).

LundiMardi wrote:

Originally Posted by deek
List of things Ive done while drunk
gotten totally paralytic about 5 times
Broken someone elses shower door off its hinges(I cant remember that) so that it couldnt be fixed
Jumped off a garage roof onto concrete 7ft below on my ass bone so that I spent 5 days in bed unable to move
Cheated once
and other strange things and obviously kissing guys I shouldnt have etc etc etc


You obviously can't control yourself, i mean come on. Cheating? Paralytic 5 times? Do you really have to ask yourself these questions?

Ok your getting way ahead of yourself here Lundi. You are obviously alot older or are living in denial, one of the other. This is a pretty average if not less than average list of what teenagers get up to.(with exception to the landing on your arse bit!!). Most people do alot worse things than this and paralytic 5 times is nothing compared to your average teenager. I think you will have to wake up a bit and get with the current times before you start giving the girl a hard time. Thes are the kinda things you have a laugh about with your mates a few months down the line. i know me and my friends are still talking about times we went out and did stuff like that. Stop being so serious about it.

This is not a serious situation she is being a typical teenager and all of you are acting like her dad or something. She isnt doing anything wrong(except taking drinks off guys). Lay off her and stop giving her such a bad time about it.

LundiMardi

Kingp35 wrote:

Ok your getting way ahead of yourself here Lundi. You are obviously alot older or are living in denial, one of the other. This is a pretty average if not less than average list of what teenagers get up to.(with exception to the landing on your arse bit!!). Most people do alot worse things than this and paralytic 5 times is nothing compared to your average teenager. I think you will have to wake up a bit and get with the current times before you start giving the girl a hard time. Thes are the kinda things you have a laugh about with your mates a few months down the line. i know me and my friends are still talking about times we went out and did stuff like that. Stop being so serious about it.

This is not a serious situation she is being a typical teenager and all of you are acting like her dad or something. She isnt doing anything wrong(except taking drinks off guys). Lay off her and stop giving her such a bad time about it.

I'm 21, this is my point about drinking in Ireland, we see this behaviour as 'typical average teenagers'. Does that not seem kinda bad to you?

The girl has already said she can't control herself when she has a few drinks, she can't say no, that is a problem no matter how old you are.

Kingp35

LundiMardi wrote:

I'm 21, this is my point about drinking in Ireland, we see this behaviour as 'typical average teenagers'. Does that not seem kinda bad to you?

No not really. we all did it(well most of us) and we all turned out fine. I would like you tell me exactly what the problem with this is. What harm is it actually doing? None as far as I can see.

LundiMardi wrote:

The girl has already said she can't control herself when she has a few drinks, she can't say no, that is a problem no matter how old you are.

The cant say no bit is only a problem if its a regular thing. thats what im getting at. Your bashing the girl for doing something every now and again. thats being too hard on her. If it was a regular thing and she is drinking all the time and cant so then tahts a problem. She has come on her for advice and all she gets is drink bashers who think its eveil or something. Thats not gonna help anybody!!

All the drink Bashers are being no help at all. She doesnt need to stop drinking because she doesnt have a drink problem as such. Simply substitute a pint for a pint of water evry now and again and problem solved.

Its not a serious situation. Your all sounding like she is a raving alcoholic!!

LundiMardi

Kingp35 wrote:

The cant say no bit is only a problem if its a regular thing. thats what im getting at. Your bashing the girl for doing something every now and again. thats being too hard on her. If it was a regular thing and she is drinking all the time and cant so then tahts a problem. She has come on her for advice and all she gets is drink bashers who think its eveil or something. Thats not gonna help anybody!!!!

Actually, all i gave her was my advice, i wasn't 'drink bashing' at all. It only happens every now and again because she only goes out every now and again. What happens when she goes out more often? Which is worse? going out 3 times a week and not being able to control yourself once every two weeks. Or going out once every two weeks and NEVER being able to control yourself. I'd choose the latter as a problem.

Kingp35

LundiMardi wrote:

Actually, all i gave her was my advice, i wasn't 'drink bashing' at all. It only happens every now and again because she only goes out every now and again. What happens when she goes out more often? Which is worse? going out 3 times a week and not being able to control yourself once every two weeks. Or going out once every two weeks and NEVER being able to control yourself. I'd choose the latter as a problem.

The reason she cant control herself yet is because she isnt used to going out yet. When she gets used to it she will control herself. I used to drink like a nut case back the too but I can control myself now if I want.

Its lack of experience thats her problem

LundiMardi

Experience doesn't come into it, she knows she has some kind of problem other wise she wouldn't have posted. She's 17 not 7, i'm sure if she really wanted to she can control herself and say no. This is where the problem lies.

deek

LundiMardi wrote:

i'm sure if she really wanted to she can control herself and say no. .

I had some respect for you and your opinions until you said this. It makes it blatantly clear that you havent listened to a word Ive said. A lot of Irish people drink as much as Im talking about every weekend without giving a second thought.They dont want to control it.

How bloody dare you accuse me of not caring. What do you think think this thread is for? Some kind of self indulgent plea for attention or what? Its obvious you know absolutely nothing about what Im talking about.

LundiMardi

deek wrote:

I had some respect for you and your opinions until you said this. It makes it blatantly clear that you havent listened to a word Ive said. A lot of Irish people drink as much as Im talking about every weekend without giving a second thought.They dont want to control it.

How bloody dare you accuse me of not caring. What do you think think this thread is for? Some kind of self indulgent plea for attention or what? Its obvious you know absolutely nothing about what Im talking about.

Way to overeact, I haven't accused you of anything.

Experience does not matter imo, you're old enough to say no, IF you really wanted to. Do you not agree?

ionapaul

You're on to something there, deek, most Irish simply don't WANT to control themselves. And use our drinking culture as an excuse...'sure, all teenagers / young folk in their 20's get paralytic at least 5 times in their lives, it's normal and healthy. It's what we fought the brits for in 1916 blah blah blah...' Sorry if that's generalising and making me sound stupid

I'll never forget the first medical I took when moving to the States in 1999 (was there for a good while, which maybe changed my perspective a tad), the doctor asked all the standard medical history questions, one of which is 'are there any individuals with alcohol problems in your family?' Obviously Kingp35 and I have very different definitions of alcoholics, but I recognised that yes, there was one in my extended family, but kept quiet about it out of embarrassment (stupid I know to be embarrassed in the doctors). The doctor simply fixed me in a stare and said 'really? Ireland? no alcoholics?'. Awful, evil generalising! Tragically, we do have a national problem with alcohol. And letting 13 year olds into the pubs will not solve this problem. Some 20 year olds should be disuaded from going, for that matter...

bug

50% of us who managed to get out and about at 17, we drank, none of us could handle it. Legal or illegal.

The best advice I can give you at the time of yer life that your having at the moment, is drink more water when your out, as someone else said.

Most importantly get up and dance more. you cant drink when your dancing...
most clubs wont let you up on the floor with a bottle and its damn right difficult to drink with a pint in your hand..

MOST important is that you have to mind yourself. Pick a female friend who is reliable and will keep an eye on you if your out of your bongos. And no, thats not the one who you'll have the most fun with, thats the one who wont leave you in a pool of your own vomit while some 50 year old is molesting you on camden street.

I know girls in their 30's who still regret that one night when they were seventeen....
You can always get over the worst hangover in the world, you'll never get over someone taking advantage of you, or the fact that you were so pi**ed you never quite know what happened.

the whole, Im drinking too much thing, should sort itself out. In the next few years or so if your still getting ratarsed cos you feel like you have to finish what was bought for you on the table, you'll be either be greedy or a lush, and will be seen as such in your late 20's Realise your own limits, one night it could get you into trouble.

LegacyUser

deek wrote:

Thanks everyone for all yer advice it is really helpful. But I do want to add that its not as big a problem as it may have sounded.

I dont deny that its something I have to be stricter about but on the other hand
I dont drink that often (not even every second or third weekend, although Id say I drank about 5 times this year because of the leaving cert)
I dont drink on my own
I dont feel the need to drink as an escape from anything
I never crave drink or being drunk

My problem is that I seem to get stupid once I do go out and not control how much Im drinking unless Im really concentrating on it.

That being said I will work on this because I think drinking is no bad thing if you can learn to handle it.

Avoid it were you can.

its just not good for you. The practise of "self control" is just lacking.

Your not an alcho... you just lack the ability to control your drinking habits