It's no longer is a badge of honour. Drinking too much is unhealthy, expensive and irresponsible or dangerous.
Maybe it's an age / culture thing but I remember working in offices and labs after uni where Monday morning would be full of "yeah, I got smashed on Friday night..." stories and a bit of banter around it all.Â
If that happened in the office I'm in now, it'd result in quiet disapproval. And it's a very mixed office, men and women with an age range right from graduates to near retirement! No one would dream of claiming some sort of alpha status for turning up to work with a hangover!
Probably only one person at work who goes for it seemingly every weekend. He's never going to win dad of the year. Plus a few functioning alcoholics but that's a very different thing. Just doesn't happen any more these days.
But was a big part of my life up until about 30. Plenty of regrets about the amount of time I spent inebriated but don't think I'd change much, well apart from that one time......
By and large was great fun. Nobody died. And I look at the life a lot of young people seem to have these days and certainly don't envy them. Give me an all dayer over the gym, Instagram and coffee any day.
Went in a pub in town last night that back in the day would have been rammed with hundreds of people, you'd literally have to push through the crowd to get to the bar. There were 10 people at most in there last night.Â
Times are very different, going out and getting smashed every weekend was just what "everyone" did. And that was backed up by how busy everywhere would be. It was actively encouraged by the pricing, double or triple your money on the door, free shots or ten shooters for a quid. We lapped it up. Now, most people have grown out of it, it would be way too expensive and everything you got up to would be presented back to you and the world on someone's Instagram.
Comment up there that "no-one died." Sadly not true, the drinking culture in the local towns round here has left a trail of hardened boozers who still prop up some of the bars and plenty who have died from ALD and related problems over the years.Â
For some reason, this guy keeps popping up on my YT.....
https://youtube.com/shorts/l6JwGrClPxM?si=deyzu4dfUR18m1YX
So there's definitely some people out there knocking it back like it's still 1999
If the drink was coffee, it certainly would be a badge of honour here 😉 😜Â
With coffee my guts find it more honourable to dial it back. Not used the espresso machine for months now. Espresso refers to the effects!
Well. I love getting shit faced.Â
Not bothered it you don't, though.
Casual drinkers that occasionally binge = stupid.
Being proud of how much you can drink? = stupid.
Anyone who drinks and drives/rides = stupid and selfish.Â
Anyone who pressurises others to drink = stupid
Struggling to control how much you drink? Get help now before its too late.Â
I've seen alcohol destroy lives; two family members are/were alcoholics. One didn't make it to 40. The other causing chaos to those around them and probably wont last that long either. I don't touch alcohol anymore and cant stand being around anyone who does.Â
Comment up there that "no-one died."Â
Yeh, that feels painfully ironic to me having lost a friend who stupidly drank and drove, then wrapped his car around a tree. Or another I used to drink with who died when his organs gave in but his drinking problem didn't.
I'm certainly not alone on this forum in having seen people around me die as a direct effect of alcohol.
In some ways, I'm glad my constitution is so pitiful at handling alcohol. Hard to develop a problem if it's more unpleasant than rewarding.
