How much alcohol do you drink?

[McFlymo]

Strangely enough I I wasn't scared. Just a bit intrigued and also irritated. The bloke looked a bit wimpy but I'm no fighter. I did think of pulling up next to them, winding my window down and asking what was going on. But that could have made matters worse so I decided that staying a safe distance but still watching was the safest method. If he'd have physically harmed her I'd definitely have called the cops but at one point he put his jacket over her shoulders so I don't think she was in mortal danger, just pissed put of her head. I hope so anyway.

I think you did the right thing!

I see a lot of it in work too. Sometimes I get anxious watching very drunk and vulnerable people swaying a bit and spilling drink over themselves, or worse is when leery blokes try to take advantage of women like that, but it's usually grand because there'll be a slightly less pissed person in the group looking out for them...

I suppose that doesn't help the drinking alone argument, but oh well...

FRESH PAGE, FRESH GLASS... Cheers, you terrible cunts!

[canadagoose]

I don't know what I'd have done in that situation, Jockice. Probably called the police. I can't drive but if I could, I'd have no idea what I'd have done in the car.

[Jockice]

I don't know what I'd have done in that situation, Jockice. Probably called the police. I can't drive but if I could, I'd have no idea what I'd have done in the car.

I was tempted to but when the police van drove past her she made no attempt to stop it (and at that point the bloke was standing a few metres further down the road, so he couldn't have prevented it) that sort of settled my conscience. And although there were no houses where it took place (at one side of the road - the one I'd parked on - there's a small warehouse and on the other the side of a pub) it was less than a hundred metres from a major main road so I sort of thought that she'd be safe from harm. I certainly hope so. I did wait nearby for probably around 15 minutes though.

Luckily (or perhaps not) I'm very used to inadvertently getting into unusual situations so don't really tend to panic. Far stranger things have happened to me than that.

[McFlymo]

Yeah, had she gotten in, how would the boyfriend have reacted? Probably fairly violently.

Are you having an early morning tipple canadagoose?

[Jockice]

Yeah, had she gotten in, how would the boyfriend have reacted? Probably fairly violently.

Are you having an early morning tipple canadagoose?

God knows! She'd probably have complained about the amount of rubbish in my car. Most females do.

I'm on Lucozade at the moment. And should have gone to sleep hours ago.

[canadagoose]

Yeah, had she gotten in, how would the boyfriend have reacted? Probably fairly violently.

Are you having an early morning tipple canadagoose?

Maybe... Still having a beer just now. Shouldn't really have much more in case I'm hung over tomorrow night (well, tonight), but meh. How about you?

[Ferris]

I'm smashing the non-alcoholic supermarket lager like a quivering addict. It's quite nice though.

[McFlymo]

Well... Champion here ended up talking to a friend for about .... what's that, 6 hours?!

HI!!! I'm barely able to type now.......... Wooo hooooo............. It's good that I don't start work until 6pm.
I now plan to sleep until 5pm.
PARRRRTAAAYYY ................

[McFlymo]

God knows! She'd probably have complained about the amount of rubbish in my car. Most females do.

I'm on Lucozade at the moment. And should have gone to sleep hours ago.

I've seen the inside of your car. Fuck sake man. Get it together *hic* ........

[Jockice]

I'm both a jammy fucker - I can walk from home from work in about 25 minutes - and a scary looking fucker - people move out of my way when I bound home, they're probably mostly shocked at someone being able to stay in a straight line that late at night!

I have a friend (well more a friend of a friend) who is like that. He can be a bit of a wanker but he's certainly no thug. However, he looks like the sort of bloke who could handle it if there was any trouble, so therefore he's never been hassled when out drinking. Not even once in his life. Jammy fucker.

Personally, i'd be more afraid of the little wiry type. In my experience they're the ones who are more likely to kick off.

[McFlymo]

I'd like to be murdered now, please.

[McFlymo]

Oh look, another thread I killed! Wooo...

But aye, just resurrecting this to say: I decided to kick the booze, once and for all (well for a few years at least, then depending on how bleak and harrowing my 40s are, we can review) and have been sober for just over 2 weeks.

It's feeling great so far and definitely feels like the right decision, and I'm not finding it hard to stay away from the drink at all.

So ... That was nice.

[The Boston Crab]

Just wait til it's cracking the flags and the streets are wall to wall blart. You be steaming mate

STEAMIN

[McFlymo]

Just wait til it's cracking the flags and the streets are wall to wall blart. You be steaming mate

STEAMIN

Wee bag of yolks, mate

[Ferris]

Aren't you amazed how well you sleep and how you aren't tired all the time?

[McFlymo]

Definitely been sleeping better, yes.

General mood has been tonnes better and I'm not finding day to day challenges as stressful.

On the other hand, I've one less excuse now for being a terrible procrastinator and wasting my life. 

[Dr Sanchez]

I don't touch it during the week but once Friday comes the idea of a cold lovely beer is more often than not too hard to resist.

I'd usually go to the off license around the corner,  get a 12 pack of beer and watch the tv. I find it really relaxing and it breaks up the week. I'd do that easily two times a month.

I work with people and have relatives that would drink every single night. I just don't find that appealing. I want alcohol to be a treat, not a necessity.

[McFlymo]

Two times a month seems restrained and sensible, fair play to you.

My biggest problem with booze was that I could put quite a lot of it away.
I started drinking when I was 19. Prior to that, I had been drunk maybe once or twice with friends.

At 19, I hung out with a friend, both of us on the dole, and we'd drink a bottle of cheap whiskey between us, every couple of weeks, or every now and then. That increased pretty quickly into drinking with his friends most weekends.

Then I moved away and didn't drink a lot, but would have the odd session, with 7 or 8 pints, in pubs.

By the time I was 25, I would drink pretty heavily most weekends, 10 pints or so.

I never got hangovers, weirdly, but I did get quite depressed, usually for a couple of days after.

My drinking didn't feel too heavy at the time, as I was always hanging out with friends who would put away just as much, or more drink than me, so I didn't ever really think that it was a problem, or even excessive. It was just part of the environment I was around.

When I was 29, I decided to maybe reflect on all of that and quit all drink (and any other stuff) for a year, just to see how it would change my mental health and / or social life. Just as a social experiment really.

It went fine, but after that year, I got right back into the social drinking (and partying) with friends.

I think things changed around the time I was 32, on the dole, living alone, no real direction, not sure of my future. More friends were settling down and quitting the party lifestyle to buy houses, have kids etc. I felt people slowly distance themselves from me. It was pretty shit.

That's when the 3 bottles of wine (for a tenner in Asda) started. Couldn't afford pubs. Didn't have any friends anyway. So I would drink at home alone and watch shit on the internet.

Even then, though, I didn't think my drinking was really bad. I knew people who were worse. I felt I would find it easy to stop once I had more going on in my life. The problem was that being depressed for several days of the week, after those heavy sessions, meant I never really found the confidence or self-worth to try to better my circumstances.

Around that time I set myself this big ambitious task, to get my head into something more productive. I worked really hard one year, on my music. And it paid off. I started getting regular-ish work in theatre and had some money coming in. I had a partner at the time, too, so things were certainly a lot happier. But as that relationship started to dissolve, the two of us would just drink loads and eat shit take away every weekend. And he was like me: He could put away a lot of booze!

A lot of heavy drinking for the 6 months or so after we split up, feeling sorry for myself.

I found a 'co-dependent' / 'enabler' around this time and both of us were clearly in denial about our alcoholism. He was in the process of getting divorced and possibly losing his kids, I was just flailing really. The theatre work was good, but not regular enough to live off, so I was still on the dole most of the time.

January 4th 2016 - my "functioning" alcoholic friend and I shared some lunchtime cocktails in a bar in town (he was on his lunch break in work, he seemed to be very good at hiding his drinking) - he paid, because I was skint again. I think he spent about £50. He went back to work, I got the bus home.

On the bus I finally just snapped and decided to quit. I was worried for him and I felt horrible for enabling him and horrible having him pay for my drinks all the time.

I told him that I was quitting, that day. He laughed about it, but I think he was proud of me. He quit about 3 months later.

March 2018 - I started drinking again. Foolishly. I was on holiday in Berlin. I first convinced myself I would only drink on the holiday and stop when I got home. I didn't. I tried to convince myself I would moderate. I didn't. I spent the year on and off drink. A few weeks quitting and thinking I'd stop for good, but then flaking and getting back into it again, here and there, throughout that year.

December 30th 2018 - A party at my house, with lots and lots of booze, coke and two random strangers taking up residence in my house. We seemed to be on a 48 binge. It's all a bit of a blur. I woke up on NYE unable to walk, I had damaged my back somehow. Still don't know how I did it, possibly falling down some stairs, but the bruise was a cracker!! Massive. I was bed bound for about 4 days. Missed a couple of days' work.

Jan 1st 2019 - I stopped drinking. Realised I really had to wake up and take a look at my life and sort my fucking shit out etc... But! Halfway through February, I thought I could maybe try a new tact of drinking and moderating. This worked for a couple of weeks and I genuinely believed I'd be better at only having a couple of social drinks now and then. Most of March this year I was drinking around 4 days a week. Not moderating, but not being too reckless, in terms of behaviour. Still though, it was clear I hadn't gotten a handle on the moderation plan.

So yeah, that brings us up to April 11th this year. I had talked to a friend about quitting for a couple of weeks before this. He was concerned. I tried to defend it and tried to reason with him and myself, "the odd drink isn't too bad, so maybe I just need to be more disciplined on myself", "there are special occasions I don't want to miss out on" etc etc... Had my last night of drinking with my flat mate, we shared 3 bottles of wine. We chinked glasses when I said to him that this would be my last night of drinking! He talked about his own drinking habits and how he wanted to cut down, which I've noticed he has done, significantly.

Woke up after that session feeling good about the decision and haven't regretted it since.

So there y'all go.

My entire life story with booze.

THE END

[Dex Sawash]

A hatful

[Flatulent Fox]

Mainly binge drink on holidays.Hardly touch the stuff any other time.

I had a problem with it and mentally blocked it as I was missing too much.

I took up cycling again few years ago and now kick the bollocks out of that instead.Good adrenaline buzz and all that jazz.

[McFlymo]

BOOM!

So ... here... For any of ye's reading that big long post about me quitting drink................. errr.... Aye........ So I started drinking again.

About 2 weeks ago, I was due to move house and I had this massive upheaval with the previous landlord and my flat mate and then I had two friends move in for a few days (as their house was having work done on it) and they of course, brought some "gear" and that meant a couple of nights quite out of it, while also being incredibly fucking stressed, so I ended up having a few glasses of wine.

On top of that, 1 day before we moved house, my flat mate roped me into doing this charity gig in another small town about 30 miles away.......... So ayeeeeee............. I cracked really.

But hey! I figured, "I'm nearly 40, this could be the start of my 40th Birthday celebrations and when I turn 40 (and have a right good piss up) I'll quit proper, this time! Quit the booze, the fegs, the gear, the meat, the sweets and crisps...............

Can't wait.....................

So I turn 40 on Monday and I've been hitting the wine the last couple of weeks, usually around a bottle or two with my flat mate, as we get settled (and very slowly unpack) in the new gaff. ............. I'm a little drunk now, so apologies for the shite post that no one gives a fuck about....... Needy cunt that I am....

I LOVE YOU GUYSsssssssszzzzzzzzz (desolation) ................


Aye, so that's that.

[Bennett Brauer]

As long as it's not Blossom Hill, good luck to you.

[pigamus]

The only time in my life I can remember not finishing a bottle of wine, it was Blossom Hill red. Genuinely the most disgusting thing I've ever drunk I think.

[Jockice]

Big news! I've started drinking. I bought a four-pack of Fosters yesterday evening (which came as a surprise to the shop assistant who has been serving me for years and has never seen me buy it before) and drank two of them last night. At home. Alone. I hope to be in the gutter by the end of next week.

[H-O-W-L]

I used to straight up have a problem (70cl or so a night, needing-it-daily-or-withdraw sort of problem) but I've sort-of got it under control now. Every now and then I'll have a dumbarse relapse and have to reassert myself and regain my composure. At most I have like two pints a week, if that.

I sort of hate being drunk now. Fucks up my REM sleep and takes my night out. Unless it's a shit night, like, between a late shift and an early one, I don't like to drink because it just means I want to lay down and not do bugger all.

Never really drank socially, mostly drank (and drink) alone. Sort of hate social drinking because it encourages both parties to drink more and faster just because of peer pressure and the drinking culture here in the UK. I really love the taste of liquors and beers and I like savoring it, not munking it back because I want to get blottered.

[Jockice]

Big news! I've started drinking. I bought a four-pack of Fosters yesterday evening (which came as a surprise to the shop assistant who has been serving me for years and has never seen me buy it before) and drank two of them last night. At home. Alone. I hope to be in the gutter by the end of next week.

I didn't quite finish one of the cans so I did as soon as I got up this morning.  Second Prize was always my favourite Trainspotting character.

[NJ Uncut]

Have swerved the booze my first week back in a job and it's alright. Waking up early, chatting shit all day, less bad moods

Did spend a long time with booze being like, the automatic go to when needing to break the monotony of having fuck all to go or do or see.

Became one of those cunts who jokes with the lasses in the offie.

"Do you want a receipt?"

"No, if I had a receipt for all the booze I go through and put them in a ring binder to read it at the end of the year it'd be proper macabre"

"You said that yesterday, I told you I have to ask."

[Ham Bap]

I'm mainly off booze these days. 40 next year. Just can't handle it anymore.
Had a drink a few weeks ago and felt like absolute shite after it. A rock bottom-esque moment.
Haven't bothered since.

Had 2 black-outs this year too emulating drinking I would have done years and years ago.

I'm fine with having it on occasion now, payday weekend or if I have a few days off work.
Seldom days really.

There's weekends I'd love to get smashed after work has bored me stupid.
But what's the point when you feel awful after it.

Time to start listening to my body.

[Paul Calf]

I've had two alcoholic drinks since February. I don't miss it at all.

I'd fucking love a bacon sandwich though.

[Better Midlands]

I quit a two bottle a night wine habit for 10 months, round about March I saw a nice bottle of whiskey on offer and copped it, drank a few glasses occasionally over the next few weeks and thought I'd cracked it. Cut to me about a month ago and it had built up to getting through a bottle every three or four nights, sometimes all in one night and I'd wake up the next morning not even remembering finishing it off. Managed to knock that on the head and drink socially when out once a week - a couple of beers/share a bottle of wine no problem.

I can absolutely take it or leave it and have no desire to buy alcohol at all, but if I have it in the house it's going to get drunk, definitively a problem but I just don't feel the need to buy it for the home - I'm lucky I guess