Alcohol.......

[Morag]

I don't drink now (being pregnant) but I didn't really drink before becoming pregnant due to my ongoing history of depression/anxiety which has been ongoing for the last 4 and. Half year. I found although I enjoyed drinking when I went out the day after wasn't pleasant. It made my mood a lot lower. So once Iv had the baby I don't think I'll be drinking much to be honest, and I don't really miss it either.

 

[squonk]

thirsty work reading this thread

 

[Kurt.]

I enjoy a beer quite often.... more the social aspect though rather than to get bladdered. Interesting thread this as I've just completed a short course on Drug & Alcohol abuse and will be enrolling on the next level at Uni which starts in October... first steps to working in Dual Diagnosis alongside Mental Health.

 

[The Esk]

I enjoy a beer quite often.... more the social aspect though rather than to get bladdered. Interesting thread this as I've just completed a short course on Drug & Alcohol abuse and will be enrolling on the next level at Uni which starts in October... first steps to working in Dual Diagnosis alongside Mental Health.

Interesting mate, do you consider alcoholism to be an illness?

 

[AdamEFC]

I'm a social drinker. Probably drink a lot less now that I've finished uni.

 

[Kurt.]

Interesting mate, do you consider alcoholism to be an illness?

Yes , I think there is an underlying 'Addictive personality' type thing which affects some people but I also think there is a hereditary problem too... I don't mean that everybody who has a parent who has/had an alcohol problem will become alcoholics as many will never touch a drop, but I believe the potential to be far greater for people who fall into that group. From my own personal experiences growing up I know I would never allow myself to become alcohol dependent ... that's not to say I don't enjoy a good social life ... it's knowing when to stop that's the secret.



But saying all that, I could be wrong haha.... I see a lot of people who have drug or alcohol problems but they are secondary problems.... the specific group of people I work 1 to 1 with have their own unique struggles to begin with and often use substances as a form of self medicating to begin with which then leads to dependency. It's still quite a new area of understanding for me at the moment but I do find it strangely interesting and fascinating work to become involved in.

 

[dholliday]

I do agree with a lot of what you've said there and you've probably sailed close to the wind too, however things have moved on a lot since you've been in Germany with flexible licensing, which was brought in to try and spread chucking out time and binge drinking. I can't comment about Hull as its years since I've been there, but certainly in Liverpool I think the flexible licensing laws have been generally successful. Admittedly there are parts of town I wouldn't go to at the weekend - Wood Street, but that's down to my age as much as anything. There's areas of Liverpool City centre which culturally I'd put on par with anywhere in Europe for a night out - around Canning Street for example, pavement cafes, pubs as culturally diverse as anywhere, top class restaurants etc. Twenty years ago it wasn't particularly safe to walk around there after dark.
The drinking culture you refer to in the North is everywhere mate, it's just that Northern towns and cities tend to be smaller so it's more obvious.

Oh aye...i'm sure there's good reason why Liverpool got the Capital of Culture vote. Agree with you that the problem's not just in the north, and I'm not sure if it's getting better when compared to 20 years ago generally. I know it's The Daily Mail but I found this piece interesting:

UK has a 'chronic drink problem'

...tho' because it's that paper I don't take it as gospel.

 

[Groucho]

Try not to drink these days as it seldom seems worth the hassle. A beer with a meal is ok but going out to drink I'm not so keen on. I saw Alistair Campbell on the Andrew Marr show at the weekend though and he's quite right about the social pressure to drink, especially if you're in a pub.

I'd say it's better than when I was growing up however as there are so many more cafes to meet people in now than when I was young, so there's perhaps less pressure to drink alcohol when/to socialise, but it's still there to an extent.

@the esk is your abstention part of your get fit regime?

Not really Bruce, as I do not drink huge amounts anyway, just with the raising of awareness over the last week I've decided to stop. Having listened to AC and he was able to stop despite having a super high dependency, I'm taking it up as a challenge to myself.

You both know I'm on a forced abstinence due to the effects of a necessary medication for my chest.

I have to say, not drinking since February has vastly reduced my anxiety, and I've re-evaluated the way I will drink when I can again.

I'm not buying any for the house, and will only drink when I go out, which these days is about once a month.

I'd be lying if I said I do not want to ever drink again, but I don't miss the loss of the following day at all.

I have found that at home it's just the taste I'm after (there are some decent alcohol free beers out there if you look past the usual supermarket gear), so perhaps those 0.5% beers you can get are the way forward for sitting in front of the telly on a Friday with a curry?

 

[coollino]

I enjoy drink, mainly ale and wine, and don't have any plans to give up. I drink because I love the taste of ale and wine so I'm fairly sensible with it.

Tend to have a bottle of wine over the weekend and a beer or two if I go out for lunch.

 

[The Esk]

Yes , I think there is an underlying 'Addictive personality' type thing which affects some people but I also think there is a hereditary problem too... I don't mean that everybody who has a parent who has/had an alcohol problem will become alcoholics as many will never touch a drop, but I believe the potential to be far greater for people who fall into that group. From my own personal experiences growing up I know I would never allow myself to become alcohol dependent ... that's not to say I don't enjoy a good social life ... it's knowing when to stop that's the secret.



But saying all that, I could be wrong haha.... I see a lot of people who have drug or alcohol problems but they are secondary problems.... the specific group of people I work 1 to 1 with have their own unique struggles to begin with and often use substances as a form of self medicating to begin with which then leads to dependency. It's still quite a new area of understanding for me at the moment but I do find it strangely interesting and fascinating work to become involved in.

Thanks for your reply - sounds really interesting and valuable work

 

[Kurt.]

Thanks for your reply - sounds really interesting and valuable work

Thankyou, Hopefully I can learn something which may be of value to somebody someday haha
@peteblue

 

[COYBL25]

You both know I'm on a forced abstinence due to the effects of a necessary medication for my chest.

I have to say, not drinking since February has vastly reduced my anxiety, and I've re-evaluated the way I will drink when I can again.

I'm not buying any for the house, and will only drink when I go out, which these days is about once a month.

I'd be lying if I said I do not want to ever drink again, but I don't miss the loss of the following day at all.

I have found that at home it's just the taste I'm after (there are some decent alcohol free beers out there if you look past the usual supermarket gear), so perhaps those 0.5% beers you can get are the way forward for sitting in front of the telly on a Friday with a curry?

Just out of interest you mention a reduction with anxiety ?.

Was this before or after drinking / both ?.

The Irish have a saying for the anxiety that's brought on after a drinking session - " The Fear ". Which I think is a fantastic way to describe the overwhelming feelings of anxiety that can come with a hangover .

One of the many classic lines from Withnail and I - " Bring me a Valium, I've got the Fear ".

 

[COYBL25]

Oh aye...i'm sure there's good reason why Liverpool got the Capital of Culture vote. Agree with you that the problem's not just in the north, and I'm not sure if it's getting better when compared to 20 years ago generally. I know it's The Daily Mail but I found this piece interesting:

UK has a 'chronic drink problem'

...tho' because it's that paper I don't take it as gospel.

Just looked at that map of death, funny that all the best places to die due to drinking aren't Tory voting, Mail reading areas !

 

[Groucho]

Just out of interest you mention a reduction with anxiety ?.

Was this before or after drinking / both ?.

The Irish have a saying for the anxiety that's brought on after a drinking session - " The Fear ". Which I think is a fantastic way to describe the overwhelming feelings of anxiety that can come with a hangover .

One of the many classic lines from Withnail and I - " Bring me a Valium, I've got the Fear ".

As I say, the day after can be hellish re. anxiety.

I didn't drink to that level all the time, I should point out. I'm not, nor was I, an alcoholic. I've just noticed a general reduction in anxiety, with the day after a heavy night being the most intense as you refer to.

 

[Tramps_mate]

Iv not had bevvies for ages until Saturday... Beers and honey JD, amazing. That JD is superb...