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mike.mckenzie
15-Jan-11, 21:38
I'm seriously thinking of doing this. I've just spent another Saturday sat here on the couch feeling like death all day. A whole weekend day wasted... I could have been doing something constructive, and I'm in work tomorrow so there goes my weekend.

Has anyone else here done it? Gone tee-total I mean?

I managed to knock smoking on the head a few years ago with no real problems, but the social element of drinking is so intrinsically tied to "having a good time", I don't know if its going to be possible.

Also, I hate being sober when everyone else is hammered...but I really hate feeling like this. I'm getting too old.

bekisman
15-Jan-11, 21:59
Well what you do, is go into a pub with your mates and have a drink from each of the bottles along the back of the bar - see how far you can go. I won and almost reached the end of the shelf before dissolving into oblivion and being unconscious for near three days..

That was in 1964 - have not touched a drink since..

Not saying this is ideal - but it worked for me, a stupid young squaddie in Germany..:(

Torvaig
15-Jan-11, 22:03
You say you are getting too old? Well then, time to stop the "getting hammered" weekends and if you need convincing, take a look at all those who are hammered enjoying themselves by looking like slack-jawed idiots with bleary eyes and often childish swearing etc., thinking they look cool. Time to grow up and enjoy life as it really is, with good friends who enjoy good company, good conversation and have a laugh without getting hammered.

Start doing something constructive with your weekends like taking your kids or your friends kids for mad days out at the beach (yes, even in this weather) or joining in coaching them for football matches, teaching them a musical instrument or getting to grips with chess, going to riding school etc.

Get involved with the right people and start a whole new weekend regime with sport, music or just energetic leisure nonsense. Good luck in your quest....

ducati
15-Jan-11, 22:04
I slowly went off drink after being a party animal in my yoof. I'm not tee total but I drink so rarely I might as well be. The trick is; I never really liked to drink at home and I don't live near a pub. Oh, and I have no friends :~(

squidge
15-Jan-11, 22:12
Lol ducati I don't believe that. Get pregnant mike, get pregnant, breastfeed then get pregnant again and breastfeed. Stopped me drinking.

Failing that volunteer to drive!

canadagirl
15-Jan-11, 22:17
Watch someone die of liver disease and that'll fix ya. So volunteer at your nearest hospice, you'll have something to do, and brighten some people's time. Stopping alcohol can be one of the hardest things to do and often has to be done on your own. You'd be amazed how many people will be supportive and helpful if you ask. Good luck.

bagpuss
15-Jan-11, 22:35
You soon won't be able to afford much more than one drink at a time. Not such a bad thing

annemarie482
15-Jan-11, 22:39
to kick the heavy drink, i think you need to keep the social side of things up but in a different way.
try going out for meals in groups (or better staying in for meals, take turns etc) and having a sociable one or two drinks at the table with the good crack!
your still in the good company having a good yarn but have food to soak the booze and no need to go on a bender! lol

works for me :o)

Gizmo
15-Jan-11, 22:47
I stopped drinking for 2 full years, but to do that i had to completely give up my social life, as like yourself, i hated being sober when all my mates were pished. I've been back on it for the last 14 months, but come monday, i'm going tee-total again for a few months, so that i can lose some of the excess baggage that i've picked up over the last year.

Giving up drinking can be a pretty tough thing to do, and in my experience, you really need to have some kind of activity/hobby to replace it with. But good luck with it if you give it a go.

_Ju_
15-Jan-11, 23:36
I really don't get what is so much fun about getting pished. Just thinking about the hangover the next day, the pounding headache, the insatiable thirst and queasy stomach for goodness knows how long: is the few hours of poorly percieved fun of drinking to get there really worth it?
I like a glass of wine once in a while. But I don't have to see the bottom of the bottle in the same hour or even day that I open it. And that does not mean i do not have fun or enjoy my evenings. I don't like it when people I go out with get pished either, but that is because they become irritating and obnoxious and think it is funny. If I got drunk as well, it would be to make myself oblivious to them.
If you do have a drink when you go out with friends, why don't you stick to a couple instead of so much that it makes you ill? If you find you cannot stop yourself at 1/2 drinks, maybe it is urgent that you do something about it.

gleeber
15-Jan-11, 23:38
After reading that lot Mike I think I might keep drinking.

gleeber
15-Jan-11, 23:39
PS Where's the smilies when yopu need them?:lol:

pat
16-Jan-11, 01:45
Mike
How about volunteering with a youth group - many young football teams train on a Saturday, charity shops are always looking for volunteers, local/hospital radio station are usually desperate for help.
Go to visit friends and relations you have not seen for a long time - do not know if you have grandparents go to visit them and actually speak to them about their lives, you may get a surprise at some of the things they have done with their lives.
Take up fishing, hiking, photography so many things to pass the time and you will also feel you have accomplished something and saved yourself a few pounds from going into the publicans purse.
There is nothing wrong with a drink but to get hammered every week - the only person who benefits is the landlord and you feel rough for another day.

ShelleyCowie
16-Jan-11, 10:41
I am the same as Ju! The thought of a hangover really puts me off!

Sometimes (rarely) i will enjoy a morgans or a kopparberg in the house with the hubby. But even a whole bottle of kopparberg is off-putting to me and will only drink half. Was on a night out just before Christmas with some friends and thats the most i had to drink in years! (still didnt get drunk though)

I find that if you have something to keep you occupied then your fine. I tend to watch a film at nights, play on XBL with the hubby, do my scrap books of the kids...anything! But i dont think about drink. Rarely occurs to me having one!

Good luck with it though! I wish you all the best :) x

EDDIE
16-Jan-11, 11:45
If your going out to the pub to get hammered every weekend what would you spend £50 or £60 probably more add that up over a month and look at the money your wasting to get a sorehead and hangover when you could either save it or put that money into a hobby or activity that you would like to do.
I think a lot of the urge to go out and have a drink and get hammered is just a phase you go through when your young
as what most people do and when you get a we bit older you look back and you think how silly i was drinking to that excess but thats just hienz site for you.
Me personnaly i would rather spend my money on something nice or anything but alcohol

Metalattakk
16-Jan-11, 11:57
So, what has been suggested so far:


Drink yourself into oblivion in the vague hope that it'll put you off for life.
Taking your kids or your friends kids for mad days out at the beach.
Teaching the kids a musical instrument.
Getting to grips with chess.
Going to riding school.
Get constantly pregnant.
Enrol at your local hospice so you can watch people die.
Host dinner parties with all your great mates.
Just drink less, you alky.
Volunteer with a youth group.
Volunteer with a charity shop.
Join Hospital Radio.
Visit your relations.
Take up fishing.
Take up hiking.
Take up photography.

You know, you can do all of the above (apart from option 6) and still support your local publican. ;)

My advice would be to learn to recognise the tipping point: The realisation that the next drink is going to be the one that knocks you over the crest of the hill and onto the slippery slope on the other side.

I do this by avoiding spirits completely, as they hurtle you up the hill too fast and before you know it you're like Evel Knievel looking for a landing ramp. And we know how that usually worked out.

Stick to beer, and support your local pubs!

onecalledk
16-Jan-11, 13:19
It depends why you drink in the first place surely. You have realised that you dont want the hangover and you dont like wasting a day but if you do the same things all the time you will get the same result. Drinking plays havoc with the human body and todays society seems to be drink orientated. When I lived in the central belt I was amazed just how much drink played a part in EVERYTHING. Lunch time would be a pub lunch, straight after work go for a few to unwind, Friday nights was a few after work that turned into a pub crawl/nightclub. Its a bit like breathing to some people.

As I have got older the amount that I drink has lessened to the extent that I dont drink now but that is also for other reasons as well. It affects the work that I do if I was to drink so I dont. I dont feel out of place not drinking, when I go out to socialise I dont need an alcholic drink I can have a good time with good conversation and a laugh with the people that I am with and perhaps thats the key to your situation?

WHY do your mates drink? what is it that they get (apart from the hangover) from drinking? I dont personally understand HOW younger people can drink so much , the price of booze is scandelous!!

Whats a bit worrying in your post is the fact that you asked if anyone else had done this and how to do it. Surely the way to go is just STOP? If you get to the point that stopping fills you with dread or fear then perhaps time to visit your GP.

Lots of people continue to drink to excess without realising they have passed the "healthy" limit a long time ago. A female having ONE glass of wine EVERY night of the week is going OVER the recommended units. Doing this most weeks out of the year would see that female having a serious drink problem. She wouldnt be lying drunk in the gutter but would have built up her tolerance to drink over time .......

K

mike.mckenzie
16-Jan-11, 13:37
Hmm, think I need to qualify this a little more. Friday was the first time I have been out on the town this year, and the first night since the work xmas do on December 17th, so nearly a month between nights out and thats not entirely unprecedented for me. I'm 34 now (so not THAT young onecealledk :-) ), and the weekly ritual (for a while in my early to mid 20's, it was daily) of going to the pub has all but stopped. The night out was me and my band mates catching up after xmas, so almost like a New Year drink. It wasn't even a late one, I was back in for 1:30am, admittedly a lot worse for wear!

Thanks for some of the suggestions. I'm quite a busy guy anyway, so do the kids musical instrument thing (son's a guitarist now), I do PC repairs, I bike ride, I do the days out with all 3 of the kids and have a decent job - so I'm not just lying around drinking with nothing better to do - thats why yesterday I was so frustrated at being incapacitated by going out the night before - I got nothing done at all. :-(

Another reason for me to stop - after going out on Friday night, I left my car in the work car park. Its always been fine there, so had no qualms about leaving it. Came in this morning to do some overtime and noticed my back window had been smashed in. Security guard told me a couple of hammered morons climbed on top of a parked taxi, urinated all over it, then walked into the car park and chucked a traffic cone through my rear windscreen. Brilliant. There's a massive dent on the hatchback door from the cone as well.

They got them on CCTV picking up the cone, but not them actually chucking it through the window, so the police can't do anything.

If I hadn't gone out on Friday, this wouldn't have happened. Gutted.

Vistravi
16-Jan-11, 13:57
For myself i rarely drink to the point i'm pretty much tee total. The last time was in july when a good friend was up visiting us and even then it was only 2 drinks. I didn't even have one at new year or christmas. To be honest spend so long not being able to that i simply don't want to now.

The reason i don't drink is due to my young son and the fact that i enjoy driving too much. For me being fit to drive will come first. An extreme choice but works for me.

I'd rather get the crack with my friends and enjoy their company than suffer the stomach churning and lack of sleep from staying up all night.

You are properly better of changing what you drink and reducing the amount first. If you find that sticking to a max number of drinks when you are out helps to keep the hangover away but still enjoy yourself then its all good. But if that just makes you want more you will have to think about why you need to drink when out.

You can enjoy yourself without drinking.

Vistravi
16-Jan-11, 14:03
Hmm, think I need to qualify this a little more. Friday was the first time I have been out on the town this year, and the first night since the work xmas do on December 17th, so nearly a month between nights out and thats not entirely unprecedented for me. I'm 34 now (so not THAT young onecealledk :-) ), and the weekly ritual (for a while in my early to mid 20's, it was daily) of going to the pub has all but stopped. The night out was me and my band mates catching up after xmas, so almost like a New Year drink. It wasn't even a late one, I was back in for 1:30am, admittedly a lot worse for wear!

Thanks for some of the suggestions. I'm quite a busy guy anyway, so do the kids musical instrument thing (son's a guitarist now), I do PC repairs, I bike ride, I do the days out with all 3 of the kids and have a decent job - so I'm not just lying around drinking with nothing better to do - thats why yesterday I was so frustrated at being incapacitated by going out the night before - I got nothing done at all. :-(

Another reason for me to stop - after going out on Friday night, I left my car in the work car park. Its always been fine there, so had no qualms about leaving it. Came in this morning to do some overtime and noticed my back window had been smashed in. Security guard told me a couple of hammered morons climbed on top of a parked taxi, urinated all over it, then walked into the car park and chucked a traffic cone through my rear windscreen. Brilliant. There's a massive dent on the hatchback door from the cone as well.

They got them on CCTV picking up the cone, but not them actually chucking it through the window, so the police can't do anything.

If I hadn't gone out on Friday, this wouldn't have happened. Gutted.

That is awful what they did to your car! Some people are simply idiots!

Sounds to me like you've made up your mind. Don't think it'll be too hard for you as you seem very determined that the drink was to blame.

There is nothing wrong with having a couple every so often. Saves the hangover and a social drink is nice as long as it stays as 1 or 2.

orkneycadian
20-Jan-11, 13:47
Seek out the alcohol free beers that are on the go nowadays. When they first came out decades (? :eek:) ago, they were like drinking something that had passed through a horses bladder, but the ones nowadays are almost indistinguisable from the real thing. Becks Blue, Cobra Zero, Kopparberg pear cider (lush!) etc. They come in a bottle the same style as the "full fat versions" so you don't feel like a muppet drinking out of a J20 bottle, and most folk don't even notice that it says Alchol Free on the bottle (can be hazardous if someone else gets them in....)

Have spent many an evening out "drinking (Becks Blue) and driving" and getting up bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning!

The only downside is that a lot of bartenders look at you funny when you ask for alcohol free beer. Responses can ranged from.... "Eh?" to "Whats that?" to "Why?". More and more of them are getting it in.

oldmarine
20-Jan-11, 16:11
I'm seriously thinking of doing this. I've just spent another Saturday sat here on the couch feeling like death all day. A whole weekend day wasted... I could have been doing something constructive, and I'm in work tomorrow so there goes my weekend.

Has anyone else here done it? Gone tee-total I mean?

I managed to knock smoking on the head a few years ago with no real problems, but the social element of drinking is so intrinsically tied to "having a good time", I don't know if its going to be possible.

Also, I hate being sober when everyone else is hammered...but I really hate feeling like this. I'm getting too old.

Mike: I gave up drinking many years ago when it nearly ruined my marriage and caused problems with my family. I encourage you to get all the help you can get to get past this demon called alcohol.

openminder
20-Jan-11, 17:00
I quite often have turned to drink at weekends and tring to give up,, as am getting really down with it,, i find masel bored at weekends and just turn to drink,,, am finding it hard to give up,, but am determined.

scorrie
20-Jan-11, 17:40
I dont personally understand HOW younger people can drink so much , the price of booze is scandelous!!

A female having ONE glass of wine EVERY night of the week is going OVER the recommended units.

K

Pub alcohol is relatively expensive but supermarket booze is cheap. Tesco used to do 60 cans of Tennents Lager for £20 ie 33p a can

On the second point you are incorrect. There are 1.5 units in a glass of wine. 7 times that is 10.5 units. The recommended intake for a Woman in one week is 14 or under

canadagirl
20-Jan-11, 18:09
There are 1.5 units in a glass of wine. 7 times that is 10.5 units. The recommended intake for a Woman in one week is 14 or under
Thank you for that! Was worried there for a bit that my glass a day with dinner made me an alcoholic. The ones with breakfast don't count, right?

Bazeye
20-Jan-11, 19:27
Try drugs instead.......

oldmarine
21-Jan-11, 03:02
Try drugs instead.......

Anyone replying with "Try drugs instead" apparently has already damaged their brain or mind with that statement.

Bazeye
21-Jan-11, 21:05
Anyone replying with "Try drugs instead" apparently has already damaged their brain or mind with that statement.

Knew someone would bite. Didnt expect it to be you though oldmarine. ;)

ciderally
21-Jan-11, 23:01
havent had a drink in 6 or so years...what keeps me off it....i can still remember the last hangover, and how ill i was, nothing is worth that...no way...and no dont miss it one bit

trix
22-Jan-11, 01:23
ach...i da ken. i do lek a guid dram :D

The Drunken Duck
22-Jan-11, 08:42
I still like a drink and will continue to do so, if I had never drunk I would not have got into some of the funniest escapades of my life. Ask a tee totaler if they have a story called "The Topless Deaf Dancing Girls of Cyprus" or "Wheelchair on Bricks". Bet they dont. I dont go overboard like I used to in my youth, but then everyone was a beer monster in the services, and no matter how untrendy it is to say so today you know what ?? .. I had a damn good time.

Everything in moderation as you get older though. Exuberance with alcohol is natural when your younger but age should dilute that I reckon. If you have to go overboard with it, or cant trust yourself with it, then its not really the booze that's a problem. Its your lack of self control and even if you give up booze you will just over indulge on something else unless you deal with that issue.

bekisman
22-Jan-11, 10:54
Well being (it seems) one of the few tee-totalers on this thread and a 'military' bloke into the bargain (see #2).. better mention that if you do become a teetotlar your sense of humour goes out the window, it is impossible to have a good time and really enjoy yourself- it's pure purgatory..

I miss all the great times; I remember in Gordon Barracks, Osnabruck in the early 60's and in the basement of one of the blocks was a place called "the snake pit" colloquially known as 'the pit'.. to put it bluntly it was a filthy hole, a total fog of smoke and full of squaddies going off their heads, with every couple of hours a fight breaking out.

There was no bar as such - just a hatch in the wall where booze was passed through. Well when they tried to string up the barman, they decided it was best if the barman and the booze was behind a wall.

There was a 40 gallon oil drum on the floor; for spewing into. I, watched as some paralytic git, staggered to the bin, grabbed hold of it and spewed his ring up. Problem was he lost his balance and fell back - dragging the drum with him. Now there's a sight to see; gallons of stinking spew slopping all over him; how we laughed.. I think we were singing "get em down you Zulu warrior" at the time.

It was about a year after that when I knocked drinking on the head and my life spiralled downwards into total boredom..

Nah, I'm joking of course, the best part of being about 20 and not rat-arsed, is to sit and watch the real drinkers 'enjoying' themselves. I think Torvaig sums it up well "if you need convincing, take a look at all those who are hammered enjoying themselves by looking like slack-jawed idiots with bleary eyes and often childish swearing etc., thinking they look cool. Time to grow up and enjoy life as it really is, with good friends who enjoy good company, good conversation and have a laugh without getting hammered." So very true.

Of course it's perfectly feasible to have a great time, an enjoyable time, without the need for drink.. AND I'm a life-long non-smoker; wot! I hear, he must be a totally boring do-gooder, pain in the arse, unhappy person
(Nope)
Enjoy...;)

mike.mckenzie
22-Jan-11, 18:38
Well, Friday night was Dry-day night for me, not even the weekly Friday lunchtime bottle of beer. Woke up this morning feeling great and I've had a top day - 15 miles on the bike and then watched Liverpool beating Wolves and Aberdeen pushing Celtic all the way. Off out tonight with the mrs for a meal and I have decided to do the moderation and maybe have a bottle of Singha with my Thai meal! Great idea. I actually knocked back a night out last night and I'm really glad I did. Got a lot done today I wouldn't have been able to if I'd been out on the pop last night.

Done a lot of thinking about the drink this last week, and have made some decisions. Big changes afoot! The beer monster is being put in his cage, but I enjoy a beer or two, and thats what its going to be. No more hangovers... Expensive wake up call last week.

John Little
22-Jan-11, 18:52
Well - there is room for compromise.

I like a drink and I particularly like good whiskey, which I will not water or adulterate for the plain reason that it is sacrilege.

However most of the time I like red wine, but could easily drink too much of it.
When I was a kid I read how the Romans used to water their wine- they even had a slave at dinner parties. If the mood was dull the host would instruct 'more wine'. If the mood was over noisy then he would say 'more water'.

Legionaries also used to drink watered wine because you can't go up against hairy barbarians the next day if you have a hangover.

So I put my red wine in a carafe and I water it down at a ratio of 1/2 water and 1/2 wine. Tastes fine and I use fizzy water which enhances the flavour by increasing the surface area on the tongue.

I never ever drive if I have had a single drink and if in a pub it's a two pint limit.

Why?

Cos when I was a student many years ago I got so pi-eyed one night that I was ill for three days. There is nothing like pain and sickness for teaching moderation with the drink.

oldmarine
22-Jan-11, 18:52
Knew someone would bite. Didnt expect it to be you though oldmarine. ;)

I am as unpredictable as my old age. lol...

ducati
22-Jan-11, 22:41
Well - there is room for compromise.

I like a drink and I particularly like good whiskey, which I will not water or adulterate for the plain reason that it is sacrilege.



I too like an occasional malt. Any distiller will tell you, you ought to introduce a drop or two of water to enhance the flavour. :cool:

mike.mckenzie
22-Jan-11, 23:09
Well, went out for a Thai meal, had one bottle of Singha, back home with an ice cream, film on and no drink on the go at home! Well done me!

_Ju_
23-Jan-11, 00:18
I still like a drink and will continue to do so, if I had never drunk I would not have got into some of the funniest escapades of my life. Ask a tee totaler if they have a story called "The Topless Deaf Dancing Girls of Cyprus" or "Wheelchair on Bricks". Bet they dont.

That is a bet you have lost before you even made it, Druken duck.

The Drunken Duck
24-Jan-11, 06:11
That is a bet you have lost before you even made it, Druken duck.

Talk is cheap, prove it.

_Ju_
24-Jan-11, 08:49
How do you prove you have had a fun life? Who are you to judge the enjoyment life has given me without the crutch of alcohol to lower my inibitions? If all your fun happened through an alcohol coloured fuzz how can you compare it to living life a different way? In my opinion it is a sad person that has to rely on alcohol to make a memory hilarious enough to remember.
I have never puked my guts out on a street corner, I have never been unable to recall part of an evening or cringed at a suddenly remembered embarassment nor put myself in dangerous situations because I had no control over my body or mind. That does not mean I do not like a glass of wine with a nice dinner or a great single malt.
I have lived in 6 different places in 5 different countries, 3 Country Capitals. I have experienced those cultures to the full, made long lasting friendships and have a plethora of stories to tell my son, and one day grandchildren. The only proof I need is my life: it does not leave me indifferent. It is not boring. I have laughed so hard with my friends that I couldn't sit upright, and my ribs hurt the next day, but even though I winced at the pain, I could recall everything clearly with a smile and no headache. I do not need alcohol to get into escapades or have a laugh.

The Drunken Duck
25-Jan-11, 13:34
How do you prove you have had a fun life? Who are you to judge the enjoyment life has given me without the crutch of alcohol to lower my inibitions? If all your fun happened through an alcohol coloured fuzz how can you compare it to living life a different way? In my opinion it is a sad person that has to rely on alcohol to make a memory hilarious enough to remember.
I have never puked my guts out on a street corner, I have never been unable to recall part of an evening or cringed at a suddenly remembered embarassment nor put myself in dangerous situations because I had no control over my body or mind. That does not mean I do not like a glass of wine with a nice dinner or a great single malt.
I have lived in 6 different places in 5 different countries, 3 Country Capitals. I have experienced those cultures to the full, made long lasting friendships and have a plethora of stories to tell my son, and one day grandchildren. The only proof I need is my life: it does not leave me indifferent. It is not boring. I have laughed so hard with my friends that I couldn't sit upright, and my ribs hurt the next day, but even though I winced at the pain, I could recall everything clearly with a smile and no headache. I do not need alcohol to get into escapades or have a laugh.

Whoa. Take a breath. Now jump down off your high horse.

I was just reacting to your claim that my view is "a bet I will lose". I am not judging your life in anyway at all, dont flatter yourself that I care one iota. And all my fun did not happen through an alcohol coloured fuzz. Just ask the Chinese Takeaway in Wick that used to get me on the phone stone cold sober trying to order the "Cream of Sum Yung Guy". Always funny. I put forward my view that SOME of the funniest things that ever happened, and the funniest incidents I was ever involved in were after a bit of boozing. I have plenty of fun memories that did not involve alcohol, but you seem to have taken the point of view that you must either not drink at all or have to get stand up, falling down blitzed to have a good time. My point is that when boozed up a bit your brain takes you down avenues it would not normally go with amusing consequences. I have had good times when I was sober, but like I said, SOME of the funniest things happened after a few bevvies and were things that just would not have happened with the fuel of alcohol. And big up you eh ??, colour me impressed. I have travelled the world as well and experienced cultures you havent, been to the Falklands or Ascension Island and walked amongst Sharks swimming round your feet for instance ??, So you having been to 6 different places and 3 capitals isnt a big deal in my book. I did more than that in 1996-1997 alone. In fact in one flight from the states to the gulf I did five countries in one flight when you count the refueling/freight stops. Doesnt make make me funnier or smarter than someone who hasn't. Just means I have travelled more. But if you really have travelled the world as you say I would have thought it would have opened your mind a bit more. And if you read my previous posts I actually advocate moderation in taking alcohol, so on that we agree. You need to apply the 7P rule before you post.

Why dont you a post up one of your hilarious non alcohol induced stories and we can have a bit of a compare, you claim that my assumption that some of the funniest things that happen are after a bit of boozing is "a bet I will lose" .. so go on .. prove it. I will post up a bit of a drunken escapade from a few years back that could only have happened when alcohol was liberally applied to all three parties and then you go with a hilarious rendition from your "plethora". Cant wait to hear about your riveting nights in with a glass of wine and all those "Englishmen, Irishmen, Scotsmen" jokes. And before you go all whiny about me chewing you up a bit .. read back and see who threw the hissy first. If you dont like being bitten .. dont bite.

This could not have happened without our good friend alcohol in my view, I would not have gone for those bricks had I been sober.

Years ago a girl we worked with a gilr who bust both her ankles on a skiing trip. She was stuck in a wheelchair in the block and was pretty miserable, she had to be helped everywhere and was fairly unhappy with life. At that time wednesday night was the regular night out in Elgin. For those who know Elgin and are aware of Joanna's nightclub, and the pub Downtown above it they will know it is off Elgin High St and is approached by a long dark alley from that end or from a small car park at the other. Anyway, we agreed to take her out for a couple of drinks and duly rang up the nightclub to arrange wheelchair access. They were quite happy to store the chair while went up the stairs to downtown and then allow her into the nightclub in the chair. All good. We duly arranged a minibus taxi to transport about six of us and her to Elgin and arranged for it to come back at closing time of 2am. She was delighted and we all had that warm fuzzy feeling when you help someone out. What we didnt know was that she was on pain medication and had been told not to drink. She decided that a couple of drinks were alright, which would later land me, and a mate, in an Elgin cell.

We trooped of to Elgin and got into Downtown where we were sure that she had only two drinks and then went onto soft drinks. But as we had a few more (and as we learned the next day) we didnt spot her "minesweeping" other peoples drinks, she was just happy to be out and was making the most of it. We were also having a few (it was "twofers" night in Downtown) and soon the crack and banter was flowing. And we were a bit merry. She seemed to be alright and so went to Joannas where the bouncers let us in, it was at this point the night went downhill rapidly. Said girl had had a few drinks and had decided to pop a couple of pain pills. This induced a transformation on a scale of the Incredible Hulk, and she was in a wheelchair. She was up on the dance floor to every tune spinning like a top and at some point the bouncers tried to catch her. She set off like a F1 car and boy could she corner. There was a strange demonic look on her face as she tried to outrace the bouncers and it was obvious it was time to go. Our mates duly abandoned us and left this poor girl in the care of myself and a mate who were, out of the group, the most depraved and sick humoured. This wasn't going to end well. We left the club and found that when we got outside we were in charge of what looked like linda blair out of The Exorcist on wheels. It was obviously angry and all it needed was to start chundering pea and ham soup and we would be there. While this apparation was talking in tongues and still trying to pull off wheelies and 360's behind us the following conversation ensued.

"What do we now, the minbus isnt coming until 2 and its only just past 1 now. I am up for a few more beers and a bit of a boogie"

"Yeah me too"

"Hang on a bit .. got an idea mate"

At this point we spotted some breeze bocks, one of the Takeaways near the car park was being renovated and we thought it might be a good idea to just park Linda up for a bit and then come back and get her. Not something we would have done sober but like I said, we had had a few. So while my mate tried to calm her down, which clearly wasnt happening. this just reinforced our drunken plan. In hindisght it was a pretty poor one but at the time it was genius in that way that a touch of the alcohols makes every decision a good one. I lined up the bricks to provide a platform for the chair.

"Right mate. What we do is stick the chair up on these. Take the wheels off and take 'em with us. We will be back in a half hour or so, she'll have clamed down by then and sobered up a bit. Stick the wheels on, get her mobile and in the Taxi."

"Fair enough, good drills"

Right love, just gonna stick you up here and we'll be back in a wee bit"

"IAMAGONNABELTYEYALITTLEGITWHENIGETOUTOFHEREDOYOUTK NOWTHATIAMFINEIJUSTNEEDANOTHERDRINKANDYAKNOWILLBEF INE" .. etc etc.

"Right bored of this, up we go" .. *CLUNK*

Once we got the chair on we took the wheels off and were standing there holding one each and were just about to turn round when we heard ..

"Right then you two, what is going on here ?? ..Oh. Crap.

Two of Highland Contabularies finest had come down the dark alley off Elgin High St and you cant blame them for coming to the conclusion they did. What they saw was a writhing cursing apparition in a wheelchair being bricked up by two lads who were about to make off with her wheels. If it was me I would have thought the same, they are nicking some helpless cripples wheels. We tried to explain but this would have required her to say that she knew us. Something she was either incapable or unwilling to do so we got lifted. I always suspected that unwilling played a large factor there as the fresh air seemed to have calmed Linda down a bit when the law arrived. Despiet us telling the coppers that we had a minibus coming for her at 2am we were ushered away. Basically got taken to the station but as we passed in the back of the car two of our judas group that had bomburst out and left us spotted us. They made their way to the cop shop and duly explained the situation. We were let go and went back to get our female social hand grenade from the care of the bouncers in the nightclub and duly got the taxi home. Even the coppers saw the funny side.

Alcohol was a factor there, wouldnt have happened if we were sober. And no one puked on a street corner or fought or generally made a social nuisance to anyone except the players invovled.

So there we go, I have taken up your challenge of it being a "bet I will lose" .. your turn.

The Music Monster
25-Jan-11, 13:47
I like a drink and I particularly like good whiskey, which I will not water or adulterate for the plain reason that it is sacrilege.

I always thought that, but then we did the tour at the Highland Park Distillery and they said that apparently it enhances the flavour. They did explain why, but it was a bit scientific for me so I zoned out!!!

In terms of drinking... I don't do it much for the simple reason that there are very few alcoholic drinks I actually like the taste of, and I can never justify buying a bottle just for myself. I do, however, like a white sparkling wine with a meal, but the stuff we buy has an amazingly low alcohol content, and over Christmas I was drinking port and lemon. I've never had a hangover. You could think that this makes me boring, but in today's binge drinking world I think it makes me a rare commodity :D!!!!

scorrie
25-Jan-11, 18:39
I like a drink and I particularly like good whiskey, which I will not water or adulterate for the plain reason that it is sacrilege.



You need some water to make the flavour more accessible in my experience.

The REAL sacrilege is spelling WHISKY with an "e", tut tut ;)

squidge
25-Jan-11, 18:55
I like a drink occasionally and I like the feeling of being a little bit drunk. Not falling down throwing up drunk but that funny fuzzy feeling which lightens you a wee bit and makes everything funny. I drink so rarely that I'm practically tea total and I don't feel the miss of it or anything but I truly do enjoy a good red wine or a spot of baileys mmmmmmmmm

trix
25-Jan-11, 19:02
The REAL sacrilege is spelling WHISKY with an "e", tut tut ;)

oh no scorrie...i insist on drinkin whiskey...but thats choost me :Razz

orkneycadian
25-Jan-11, 20:32
I like a drink and I particularly like good whiskey, which I will not water or adulterate for the plain reason that it is sacrilege.

Hmmm, 100 proof right out o the cask is a bit lively for me, so it needs a grain o (non tap) water to tame it doon a bit so you can taste it

John Little
25-Jan-11, 20:47
Whisky (Scottish English) or whiskey (Hiberno-English) both seem to be acceptable.

I will not water good scotch. I have always liked a strong flavour and a bite and to put water into a good Islay is to drink it like orange juice imho.

It does not say 'dilute to taste' on the bottle now does it?

scorrie
25-Jan-11, 21:34
Whisky (Scottish English) or whiskey (Hiberno-English) both seem to be acceptable.

I will not water good scotch. I have always liked a strong flavour and a bite and to put water into a good Islay is to drink it like orange juice imho.

It does not say 'dilute to taste' on the bottle now does it?

I have never seen a bottle of Scotch with the word spelled as Whiskey.

From the Website Whisky.com comes the following:-

"Whisky vs Whiskey: The spelling Whisky is used for whiskies distilled in Scotland, Wales, Canada, and Japan, while Whiskey is only used for the spirits distilled in Ireland and America. However, a 1968 directive of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms now specifies Whisky as the official U.S. spelling!"

Therefore, if you are drinking Whiskey, it is not made in Scotland!!

John Little
25-Jan-11, 21:41
Language is such an arbitrary thing. Dr Johnson has a lot to answer for.

I'll go with Wikipedia, which is remarkably liberal in allowing both spellings;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky

However I have a bottle of Jamieson Whiskey on my sideboard and a bottle of Black Grouse Whisky beside it.

Will that do the trick?

Anyway, I assure you they both make you feel frisky.

orkneycadian
25-Jan-11, 21:42
I have always liked a strong flavour and a bite and to put water into a good Islay is to drink it like orange juice imho.

It does not say 'dilute to taste' on the bottle now does it?

Since its Burns night, I thought I would put the theory to the test. Some 100 proof Caol Ila, straight, and then with a peedie grain or water oot of the well. Must say the latter is more appealing to my palate, but horses for courses I guess! I would maybe agree with your water theory if it was county water wae chlorine in it, but a grain o well water does it for me!

BTW, it doesnt say anything on the bottle! http://www.ferndaletalk.co.nz/phpbb/images/smilies/Innocent_Whistle.gif

scorrie
25-Jan-11, 21:43
It does not say 'dilute to taste' on the bottle now does it?

ps Unless you are drinking Whisky bottled at "Cask Strength", it has already been diluted with water anyway.

John Little
25-Jan-11, 21:44
Aye - get it from a wee man up in the hills did ye......?

John Little
25-Jan-11, 21:45
Well precisely! So why dilute it more than the blenders already have!

RecQuery
25-Jan-11, 21:48
I'm 26 and I haven't had anything alcoholic in about 1 year 8 months and even before that it was a good 3 or 4 years since I drank heavily, during that time I'd just have the odd drink.

I didn't make any conscious decision, drinking felt like such a chore and it just seemed natural to me not to drink. I probably would still have a drink in some situations. I just felt like I was wasting my money and that it could be better spend on other things; I never understood why people spend all week working and then went out every weekend doing essentially the same thing. Plus you have to put up with drunken idiots.

I notice that there's a sort of societal proclivity to drinking, it's like if you don't drink your weird. Personally I think it's weird for people to define themselves so fully based on that one act, they talk about drinking, talk about how much they can drink, what they drink, the supposedly funny antics they got up to.

I also notice people tend to mythologise drinking in a way, they get very elitist over it.

scorrie
25-Jan-11, 21:48
However I have a bottle of Jamieson Whiskey on my sideboard and a bottle of Black Grouse Whisky beside it.

Will that do the trick?



Only one bottle will do the trick if it is Scotch Whisky you are after ;)

orkneycadian
25-Jan-11, 21:48
Aye - get it from a wee man up in the hills did ye......?

Na na, official Caol Ila. Raw cask, unfiltered, un-messed about with and as near as God intended it to be, except for the damned duty!

John Little
25-Jan-11, 21:52
Na na, official Caol Ila. Raw cask, unfiltered, un-messed about with and as near as God intended it to be, except for the damned duty!

Lucky man. Islay is my favourite - I love that iodine bite. Enjoy!

Bazeye
25-Jan-11, 22:54
How do you prove you have had a fun life? Who are you to judge the enjoyment life has given me without the crutch of alcohol to lower my inibitions? If all your fun happened through an alcohol coloured fuzz how can you compare it to living life a different way? In my opinion it is a sad person that has to rely on alcohol to make a memory hilarious enough to remember.
I have never puked my guts out on a street corner, I have never been unable to recall part of an evening or cringed at a suddenly remembered embarassment nor put myself in dangerous situations because I had no control over my body or mind. That does not mean I do not like a glass of wine with a nice dinner or a great single malt.
I have lived in 6 different places in 5 different countries, 3 Country Capitals. I have experienced those cultures to the full, made long lasting friendships and have a plethora of stories to tell my son, and one day grandchildren. The only proof I need is my life: it does not leave me indifferent. It is not boring. I have laughed so hard with my friends that I couldn't sit upright, and my ribs hurt the next day, but even though I winced at the pain, I could recall everything clearly with a smile and no headache. I do not need alcohol to get into escapades or have a laugh.

Bet youre a good craic on a night out.

_Ju_
25-Jan-11, 23:15
Bet youre a good craic on a night out.

Me? No. I am a boring uppity git, or so I am told. Tell me, Bazeye, what would change your sarcastic reply : me getting drunk or you getting drunk?

Bazeye
26-Jan-11, 00:20
Calm down Dear.....:lol:

_Ju_
26-Jan-11, 17:14
What, Baz, you have no reply for me......dear? ;)

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/1258/drunks.png
Hope the picture link works.....

wicker8
27-Jan-11, 15:08
your post made me laugh ,very good advice