Anto, you want to be careful there. Burnout on the horizon 🙂

Not a pub goer, so at home I usually stop once the bottle of wine is finished 😀 . these darned bottles seem to be getting smaller though !!!

It is not a messed up statement, it is a true statement. Red wine, real ale, stout etc are rich in antioxidants. Drink it in moderation and the alcohol doesn’t matter. Drink it in excess it will.

My mrs’s gran had a whisky every morning and she lived for a long time. Alcohol kept her blood nice and thin.

IMO a lot of people should give up drinking, especially those who can’t differentiate from having a drink and getting drunk.

Alcohol is a poison.

mmmmm, tasty tasty poison

I gave up in my second year of university nine years ago. I wasn’t drinking too much, but there were medical reasons. It is fascinating to see people’s reaction when I tell them (so +1 oldagedpredator). At university friends just couldn’t understand it, but then they couldn’t understand the idea of just having a couple. Nowadays people’s reactions are a great filter for who to spend time with and who to avoid at all costs. It’s also interesting to see how people act when you’re sober and they are pished.

The most annoying thing is the the price some pubs charge for soft drinks, and the lack of non-sugar filled drinks. Fentiments Ginger beer is ok, but too sweet after one bottle.

a dram of whisky in it will balance out the sugariness

Alcohol is a poison.

mmmmm, tasty tasty poison

That’s kind of why I stopped, managed to loose the ability to process it whilst retaining an otherwise perfectly functioning set of internal organs. It happend over about 2 months when the hangovers ramped spectacularly. The doc never fully explained it other than saying I seemed to have lost the relevent enzymes.

The my body doesnt process alcohol statement usual gets people going ah ha see you were an alcholic. Erm no couple of quiet pints with mates couple of times a week and a weekend session does not make you an alcholic.

Of course now I’m in the pythonesque – only a true alcholic would deny they are an alcholic situation

Yes, just now.

As a women, I don’t have the problem where drinkers around me think I’m odd and encourage me to have just one.

I don’t miss drink, however it is getting expensive to have soft drinks now when out socialising as mentioned above.

Hang on in there bushwacked, it takes strong will, but you have to think of your health (I’ve had experience of this).

I used to be a typical ‘binge’ drinker – none all week then quite a few over the weekend. Gave up completely overnight when going through IVF so didn’t drink for around 6 months. Didn’t lose any weight or feel any better for it. Now we have the twins I don’t really drink heavily at all but have a couple of beers most nights.

When I was off the beer I still went out with my friends as before but normally just drank lime and soda all night. There were a couple of occasions when I thought being drunk seemed a bit odd as a spectator.

Seems as though those who give it up are incapable of drinking in moderation, that is a pint while out for an evening ride or a Sunday afternoon ride, or a couple of pints of an evening with a couple of mates. Why does drinking alcohol have to mean getting totally hammered?

What a ridiculous statement! Why on earth would you tar everyone who doesn’t drink with the same brush for no substantiated reason?

I just couldn’t stand the stuff, the taste, the way even one or two made me feel, anything about it basically! Plenty of people do drink to excess far too often, and I know lots of them, but I wasn’t one of them for sure.

At university friends just couldn’t understand it, but then they couldn’t understand the idea of just having a couple. Nowadays people’s reactions are a great filter for who to spend time with and who to avoid at all costs. It’s also interesting to see how people act when you’re sober and they are pished.

Oddly I had more acceptance at uni (on the whole, some exceptions though to be fair) than since I’ve left uni and entered “the real world”. I find the most accepting people usually are guys who drink LOTS. They accept me mainly cos they wish that they could have a good time without drinking, so in a way they’re envious. The strangest thing I’ve found though is on the whole, women are very distrustful of men that don’t drink. I’ve been chatted up by girls before that as soon as they found out I don’t drink, have upped and left!

Peoples reactions are a great filter, and on the whole, you find the more interesting people (or certainly ones with hobbies, such as riding bikes for example) don’t care and accept me for who I am, and that it’s generally people with very little in their life to speak of that don’t want to know me just cos I don’t drink.

I’ve made more friends through alcohol than I have without, plus the only way to really get to know your workmates is to get pissed with them

If you really believe that, then more fool you.

Almost entirely. Down to 1 pint of ale on a Friday in the pub with friends.

RealMan – Member
Certain alcoholic drinks are good for you in moderation.

That’s a messed up statement though. It’s not the alcohol that makes them good. Alcohol is a poison.

Small amounts of alcohol have be shown by a number of studies to have health benefits. Only very small amounts though ~1 unit a day.

Gave up completely about twenty years ago. Never had a drink problem but I do often completely make up a story of alcohol dependence when anybody asks as this is the easiest way to stop them keep repeating “oh go on, one won’t hurt” over and over and over again.

Like the OP also have been pretty much off booze to help recovery for the last fortnight (I admit I had a pint today, but it was stretched over a couple of hours and it did taste good). I haven’t missed it at all which was a bit of a surprise, haven’t been bothered at all when Mrs O has had a glass of wine with dinner, but then again I have been in some fairly significant pain so I suppose that’s it.

If you really believe that, then more fool you.

oh lighten up, here, have a drink 😉

alcohol breaks down barriers, greases the wheels and helps people relax.
for some it’s a social lubricant

Inebriated people are usually either highly irritating or just tragic.I can be both while stone cold sober….. so don’t bother wasting my money.

Lost out to my lack of will power and had my first taste of beer last night, tried two sips and didn’t like it. Looks like cider will be the way forward when I do start drinking again.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMmjILJr9jk&feature=related[/video]

One month teetotal so far due to medication and got at least another 8 months to go. I’ve missed it on the odd occasion like if I’ve gone out for a meal.

I’m not drinking between sips at the moment.

Would only go teetotal for medical reasons.

on the whole, you find the more interesting people drink, take drugs, enjoy getting off their faces

Amen to that.

on the whole, you find the more interesting people drink, take drugs, enjoy getting off their faces

As a teetotaller, I am not sure I agree with that. A lot of interesting people drink, but then again a lot of people drink anyway. Druggies – interesting? I dunno. There’s a lot of good literature around written by people off their faces, but a lot that wasn’t.

Some people drink, some people don’t.

so what?

I drink cider – it must count towards my 5 a day 😉

I do try to abstain in the week though…. sometimes!

My other half had to lay off the booze for a month once for medical reasons and found cobra non alcoholic lager the best and I think becks blue is alright too. He got a lot of ‘why bother trying to substitute’, the answer being that all soft drinks are sickly sweet and only one or two a go are bearable and he’s not a tonic or soda water fan so just made a change really. That was two years or so ago and We’ve cut down on our booze consumption massively, can take it or leave it now. Havent been drunk for a long while apart from one big mishap nearly a year ago, boy did I suffer. Haven’t touched that brand of cider since. Tis a bit boring giving up booze to start with but you soon get used to it, I doubt you’ll go back to old drinking habits once you can hit the bottle again. I’m still the only girl in my group who prefers a G&T without the G!!!

We’ve cut down on our booze consumption massively

so have we. Used to drink pretty much every weekend, wasn’t doing us any good, now we go some weekends without anything. Last night got very drunk though. First time in ages.

Looks like cider will be the way forward when I do start drinking again.

Zider drinkin’, not much thinkin’

Bye bye braincells! 😉

LOL sorry, couldn’t resist…

Never had a drink problem but I do often completely make up a story of alcohol dependence when anybody asks as this is the easiest way to stop them keep repeating “oh go on, one won’t hurt” over and over and over again.

Must admit I’ve told people this before when it’s been easier just to get them off my back, only a couple of times mind. And only to people I know I’m never likely to see again. That or I’m on medication at the moment, so can’t drink a drop.

oh lighten up, here, have a drink

alcohol breaks down barriers, greases the wheels and helps people relax.
for some it’s a social lubricant

For some people, one or two drinks does relax them and make them easier to chat to agreed. Some people don’t naturally converse with others unless they’ve had some alcohol, but I find that a bit sad really as it’s kind of a social dependancy on Alcohol.

Inebriated people are usually either highly irritating or just tragic.I can be both while stone cold sober….. so don’t bother wasting my money.

Haha, likewise here. And plenty of others I know are like that too, and THEN they get drunk too! 😕

on the whole, you find the more interesting people drink, take drugs, enjoy getting off their faces

Hahaha, what total and utter crap! It makes no odds whatsoever as to how “interesting” a person is what substances they choose to put in their body in their recreational time. All the people I know that drink lots and take a lot of drugs, are pretty far from the most interesting people I know I’d say! The only things they have to share with other people are some (most they can’t remember) of the stories of being wasted and stupid things happening to them (sometimes funny yes, other times just tragic). People who use drugs and alcohol a lot tend not to have many interesting things going on in their lives I’ve found, hence the need for some kind of mental stimulation!

Spend some time (sober) around a load of pissheads and serial drug users, you’ll see what I mean…

molly – Team Molgrips insists on drinking for SITS 😈

Not going to happen!

We’ll just have to drug you instead….

Stopped drinking a while back.No reason other than I was getting bored with it.Started to drink alcohol free wheat beer which is identical almost imo to the real thing.
So I figured it wasn`t really getting alcohol but just having a drink that I enjoyed.
Major plus points are I have lost weight and I am fitter to ride more than I was before.
Been buying the beer from here.

Gave up 10 months ago after a combination of total loss of tolerance and erratic behaviour whilst drunk.

Don’t miss it; in fact I’ve had better nights since I’ve given up as I’m not taken over by my evil twin brother!!

Lost weight, feel fitter, no hangover.

I drink Bavaria Wheat beer or regular 0% if I need the taste.

My life is far from dull; alcohol, however was starting to take the shine off things. Time to move on 🙂

the same as I won’t eat jaffa cakes.

You’re a one hell of a sicko 😉
I don’t drink, never had and probably never will. Smell of the stuff is enough to make me sick (stuff being beer and wine).
People who think a unit a day is good for them are just deluded. Yes one glass of red wine a day is good for your arteries. But it is also rather bad for your liver and your spleen.
I found brits to be overall, more understanding than non brits about my tea-totalness. My friends are now use to it and some years ago were rather happy to have me to drive back ;-). However I concur with molgrips (that hurts ;-)) about the “drunk people are the most boring and annoying ones”. I never had a problem to talk to people. Actually I have, but that is just me not the talkative type. Only had sex with a drunk girl once. And I will never do it again, most horrible memory i have. So for me there is no point in drinking. Can’t see the interest of it. Lime and soda is fine or diet coke is I feel like drinking something very sugary, but yes some pubs do charge you xtr money for such drinks.

I’m 55 and in the last 2 years at least 7 people roughly my age (some of them my old school friends) have died in my community of 4000 inhabitants as a direct result of alcoholism. It’s a sobering thought, but I’m still having the odd tipple!

I don’t drink, never had and probably never will. Smell of the stuff is enough to make me sick (stuff being beer and wine).

Same here.

Juan – where’ve you been?

37, drink like a fish and ‘smoke 8) ‘ on occasions as do A LOT of people i know and ride with.
we do a local (2hrs) ride about 3 nights a week and a 4/5hr ride in the peaks/lakes or wales twice a month minimum, all year round.

lifes to short, why make it any longer.

lifes to short

Life is too short to do stuff you don’t want to do – ie drink.

And anyway you answered your own question. Life’s TOO short, so it needs making longer no?

been out of here a bit, as I have a sh1te new job, and a lot on this forum was depressing me.
So I post on the odd thread now, but only if I have something sensible to say.

juan – Member

People who think a unit a day is good for them are just deluded.

Including all the scientists and medics who have actually studied and published the evidence?

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?q=alcohol+j+curve

Juan – where’ve you been?

He flounced 😉