I am an alcoholic - so what?

JohnGalt

I have been an alcoholic for a while now, I can't be sure exactly when it started but I was definitely a full blown alcoholic when I started in college two years ago. My family keep trying to stop me drinking and all my friends tell me they are worried about me. I don't understand why these people can't just leave me alone and let me live my life the way I want to. Many of them are smokers and unhealthy eaters who don't exactly have a healthy life style and yet I don't criticise them. I think that society has created a lot of overly negative images around alcoholism, and many of these things are accurate, but I think that I should be left to do what I want without having friends questioning me and telling me how to live my life. There is no reason why I this behaviour is any less acceptable than smoking or eating ten cheeseburgers a day.

jim o doom

eh - it just means they are worried about you and don't want to see you hurt yourself through drink. Sure it's a bit hypocritical if they are harming themselves through addiction..

BUT you don't see people ending up in a gutter due to burger addiction or cigarettes - Class A drugs and alcohol - yes, bugers and cigarettes.. no.

Also - when you stop drinking - your liver repairs itself fairly sharpish - but if you don't give your liver that break to fix itself, you can end up dead a lot younger than the average "fatty" or smoker. My OH's mother died in her early 40's thanks to alcoholism.

Hell I like the drink myself and was at it heavily for years; now I just take it easy and have a few pints - life is there to be enjoyed and there's more to it than getting drunk.

thorbarry

JohnGalt wrote: »

I have been an alcoholic for a while now, I can't be sure exactly when it started but I was definitely a full blown alcoholic when I started in college two years ago. My family keep trying to stop me drinking and all my friends tell me they are worried about me. I don't understand why these people can't just leave me alone and let me live my life the way I want to. Many of them are smokers and unhealthy eaters who don't exactly have a healthy life style and yet I don't criticise them. I think that society has created a lot of overly negative images around alcoholism, and many of these things are accurate, but I think that I should be left to do what I want without having friends questioning me and telling me how to live my life. There is no reason why I this behaviour is any less acceptable than smoking or eating ten cheeseburgers a day.

alcoholism changes your behaviour... i really dont think smoking and eating cheesburgers will do the same

Zaph

I'm sorry, but unless you have a specific request for help or advice I can't see any reason for this thread to continue as it merely reads as a statement to me.

I'll leave it open a while longer in case you want tio further expand on your post.

beth-lou

Your alcoholism affects not only you but those who love and care about you and that is why they can not leave you alone. Right now, you seem to be holding it together. But one day those people will give up on you and you may think differently about it.

clones1980

Hi johngalt. Im sure your friends and family really only have your best interests at heart and are worried about you.

Alcoholics can effect the people around them and more often than not they do. When there on a bender do you become abusive, depressed, maybe your very hard to be around when your drunk, maybe they are afraid you will physically hurt yourself or someone else, not something thats likely to happen by eating 10 chesseburgers (except the poor cow that is) And yes smoking and eating 10 cheeseburgers a day has long lasting health effects but nothing in comparison to an alcohol addiction at such a young age. I think you seriously need to look at the effect alcohol has on yourself as well as your friends and family. At the first step to recovery is to admit your an alcoholic which well done you just did.

Tar.Aldarion

Just because they are not perfect, it does not mean their advice is not.

julien69

I think you are right.There is nothing wrong with being an alcoholic,dont let other people put you off drink.A pint a day keeps the doctor away they say.Although i could be a little biased as i own a pub and an off license:D.

JohnGalt

Zaph wrote: »

I'm sorry, but unless you have a specific request for help or advice I can't see any reason for this thread to continue as it merely reads as a statement to me.

I'll leave it open a while longer in case you want tio further expand on your post.

The very obvious implication of the post (obvious to most people of even average intellect) is that I am requesting peoples opinions or experiences that they have had which are similar to my own.

smileysurfer

You sound like you just want a pat on the back for being an alcoholic, you even sound proud of yourself, Alcoholism is serious and ruins families/ lives / relationships! i suggest you get help before it ruins your life too!

Zaph

JohnGalt wrote: »

The very obvious implication of the post (obvious to most people of even average intellect) is that I am requesting peoples opinions or experiences that they have had which are similar to my own.

And that's fine, I have no problem with that. However as a poster who has a chequered history on Boards I had to be sure that for once you were being on the level.

NewFrockTuesday

The fact that you are so flippant about it is encouraging. If you were labouring under the duress of having to work, function and live being a full blown alcoholic then, I can promise you that there is no way on Gods green earth that you would have written that post. Youd be screaming for help.

Enjoy your early stage alcoholism. Have a blast. Come back and drop a note when youre soiling your bed, puking up the food you try to eat but your burning stomach wont hold onto it...when youre trying to sign your signature on a document, but you cant cos youre shaking too much. Tell us all about how you enjoy never being able to warm up, always feeling ill with withdrawl, how lonely it is. The stupid things you do when youre pissed, the injuries you inflict on yourself. The ever present feelings of shame and mild horror. The nightmares. The decreasing hope and black despair.

You havent a clue. Dont compare it to a f****g cheeseburger.

axer

JohnGalt wrote: »

I have been an alcoholic for a while now, I can't be sure exactly when it started but I was definitely a full blown alcoholic when I started in college two years ago. My family keep trying to stop me drinking and all my friends tell me they are worried about me. I don't understand why these people can't just leave me alone and let me live my life the way I want to. Many of them are smokers and unhealthy eaters who don't exactly have a healthy life style and yet I don't criticise them. I think that society has created a lot of overly negative images around alcoholism, and many of these things are accurate, but I think that I should be left to do what I want without having friends questioning me and telling me how to live my life. There is no reason why I this behaviour is any less acceptable than smoking or eating ten cheeseburgers a day.

because they care? you've got to know that alcoholism is a serious problem.

Zaph

julien69 wrote: »

I think you are right.There is nothing wrong with being an alcoholic,dont let other people put you off drink.A pint a day keeps the doctor away they say.Although i could be a little biased as i own a pub and an off license:D.

julien69, may I refer you to the charter, specifically the part dealing with unhelpful posts. You might want to read it carefully before posting here again.

star-pants

Everything in moderation. Smoking, unhealthy eating, drinking all fall under this.
They can all do short/long term damage yes.
Drinking affects your personality, your behaviour, overeating doesn't have the same effect. You can lose weight, and eat healthily again. But you can't rebuild your liver.

They 'wont leave you alone' because they care and love you and want the best for you in life. And can't bear to stand by and watch you slowly destroy it. If I had a friend who was smoking like a trooper, or drinking like a fish, or constantly getting takeaways/fatty foods, I would say it to them because I care.

johndoe77ie

Lets all raise a glass to John...

smileysurfer

Deepsense wrote: »

The fact that you are so flippant about it is encouraging. If you were labouring under the duress of having to work, function and live being a full blown alcoholic then, I can promise you that there is no way on Gods green earth that you would have written that post.

Enjoy your early stage alcoholism. Have a blast. Come back and drop a note when your soiling your bed, puking up the food you try to eat but your burning stomach wont hold onto it...when youre trying to sign your signature on a document, but you cant cos youre shaking too much. Tell us all about how you enjoy never being able to warm up, always feeling ill with withdrawl, how lonely it is. The stupid things you do when youre pissed, the injuries you inflict on yourself. The ever present feelings of shame and mild horror. The nightmares. The decreasing hope and black despair.

You havent a clue. Dont compare it to a f****g cheeseburger.

+ 1
Couldnt agree more! very well said!!

thebman

jim o doom wrote: »

eh - it just means they are worried about you and don't want to see you hurt yourself through drink. Sure it's a bit hypocritical if they are harming themselves through addiction..

BUT you don't see people ending up in a gutter due to burger addiction or cigarettes - Class A drugs and alcohol - yes, bugers and cigarettes.. no.

Also - when you stop drinking - your liver repairs itself fairly sharpish - but if you don't give your liver that break to fix itself, you can end up dead a lot younger than the average "fatty" or smoker. My OH's mother died in her early 40's thanks to alcoholism.

Hell I like the drink myself and was at it heavily for years; now I just take it easy and have a few pints - life is there to be enjoyed and there's more to it than getting drunk.

On top of this, being drunk can lead to endangering others or cause you to lose your job if you have one etc... since it affects your performance at these tasks the next day after you've stopped drinking.

Also if your an alcoholic, you may also be the type that takes pain killers to avoid the hang over the next day. These are also bad for your liver so your hitting it twice, once with the alcohol and once with the painkillers so its a matter of how long it can last that abuse.

I had a friend who was an alcoholic. He was drinking a bottle of wine and a lot of whiskey (sometimes other stuff) a night and he'd drink beer on top of that sometimes too. I never told him what to do. I did however constantly take the p*ss out of him about how drunk he was and so did all my friends until he woke up that this wasn't the way he wanted to live his life.

The only person to change for is yourself. So you have to think about your live and where it is going and decide if this behavior is in your best interest. The people trying to get you to stop are people that think it isn't in your interest and most of the others just don't care about you enough to get involved in this mess. Very few people will condone your behavior except maybe other alcoholics.

As for them smoking or eating a lot of crap, everyone has their own problems to sort out. Doesn't mean you can't try to sort out yours. Some people have social problems they need to sort out too. Nobody can help anybody else with these problems, they have to want to change themselves.

irishgrover

JohnGalt wrote: »

The very obvious implication of the post (obvious to most people of even average intellect) is that I am requesting peoples opinions or experiences that they have had which are similar to my own.

fair enough, if you are looking for opinions

• alcoholics tend to be a pain in the arse to be around. Over time their behavior often (though not always) tends to degenerate.
• There often become more aggressive when drinking
• When drunk they tend to had impaired physical and mental abilities
• Due to their impaired state there are more likely to harm themselves and others around them.
• Personal hygiene can become an issue and let's face it, people don't like being around smelly people.

So it's probable that your friends family are concerned for you and want you to seek assistance before your situation becomes worse.
It's also possible that when you drink you are , relative to what you are as a sober person, not as nice, or enjoyable to be with or whatever..

beth-lou

Well if you want the opinion of someone who is living with two alcho's in her family, I can tell you it is a horrible situation to be in. Alcoholics are selfish, manipulative and cause a lot of hurt and devastation in a family. They are unreasonable, destructive and generally self obsessed.

You may have realised that you are an alcoholic, but you are a long way from recovery or anywhere near there. Your first post is classic alcoholic behaviour, trying to justify your drinking with others behaviour.

You seem comfortable with the idea of being an alcoholic, and perhaps at the moment you are supported in your habit. Perhaps you still live at home, your friends are still putting up with you, your family are still trying to fix you. Well that won't last forever, and then you will find it a very lonely existence, by which time the drink will have twisted your mind and your problem will be something you blame on everyone else.

When you take responsibility for yourself, you might have some hope of recovery. But at the moment you are on a slippery slope and rock bottom is a pretty miserable place to be. You are young, and can have a good life. Try to deal with your problem before it gets any worse.

LegacyUser

JohnGalt wrote: »

I have been an alcoholic for a while now, I can't be sure exactly when it started but I was definitely a full blown alcoholic when I started in college two years ago. My family keep trying to stop me drinking and all my friends tell me they are worried about me. I don't understand why these people can't just leave me alone and let me live my life the way I want to. Many of them are smokers and unhealthy eaters who don't exactly have a healthy life style and yet I don't criticise them. I think that society has created a lot of overly negative images around alcoholism, and many of these things are accurate, but I think that I should be left to do what I want without having friends questioning me and telling me how to live my life. There is no reason why I this behaviour is any less acceptable than smoking or eating ten cheeseburgers a day.

I kind of agree with you. What defines an alchaholic? Someone who drinks a lot everyday or someone who is negatively effected by it? I enjoy being slightly drunk for the majority of the day most days as it makes me feel happier. It doesn't effect negatively(well no more so than excesive smoking etc..) me in any way and most people wouldn't even think I was drunk,just an ecentric character. If you can handle being an 'alcaholic' without ruining your life than by all means go for it. Don't let society tell you otherwise.

julien69

Ok sorry for my previous post,its just business is down and i was trying to encourage people to drink to beat the recession.Sorry Zaph:(

smileysurfer

julien69 wrote: »

Ok sorry for my previous post,its just business is down and i was trying to encourage people to drink to beat the recession.Sorry Zaph:(

What an unhelpful thing to say in the first place!
Yes encourage all the alcoholics to drink to benefit yourself! :mad:

digitalage

Heres a thread that will interest you, enjoy!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055508662

beth-lou

agreed wrote: »

I kind of agree with you. What defines an alchaholic? Someone who drinks a lot everyday or someone who is negatively effected by it? I enjoy being slightly drunk for the majority of the day most days as it makes me feel happier. It doesn't effect negatively(well no more so than excesive smoking etc..) me in any way and most people wouldn't even think I was drunk,just an ecentric character. If you can handle being an 'alcaholic' without ruining your life than by all means go for it. Don't let society tell you otherwise.

Come back in 10 years and tell us how happy you are then.

Beruthiel

digitalage wrote: »

Heres a thread that will interest you, enjoy!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055508662

Banned.
For six months because you're not needed in this forum.
B

beth-lou

julien69 wrote: »

Ok sorry for my previous post,its just business is down and i was trying to encourage people to drink to beat the recession.Sorry Zaph:(

You can't possibly have the brain power to run a business.

julien69

smileysurfer ive big overheads to pay so as long as there paid im really not bothered about where that money comes from Im not even making a profit at the moment.

thebman

JohnGalt wrote: »

There is no reason why I this behaviour is any less acceptable than smoking or eating ten cheeseburgers a day.

Okay had to come back to say this is a cope out.

It doesn't mean anything. You know if alcoholism is negatively affecting your life if you step back and have an honest look at what has been going on in your live and its up to you to determine if this is where you want to be in your life and if this will get you where you want to be in 5-10 years time.

If it isn't, then you want to change and if you still don't change, it is most likely because your afraid to, not because you can't or don't want to.

If it is where you want to be then nobody saying anything to you is going to change anything, is it?

Nevyn

julien69 banned for 1 week for repeatedly breaking the rules in the charter despite warnings.

Can we please gt back on topic if you have an issue with a post report it.

smileysurfer

julien69 wrote: »

smileysurfer ive big overheads to pay so as long as there paid im really not bothered about where that money comes from Im not even making a profit at the moment.

Thats in no way helping the OP tho!
Thats your own problem

pierrot

In my experience, denial is one of the main symptoms of alcoholism OP, and that sounds like denial. Do you actually want to wait until your friends and family don't care anymore?

Wagon

JohnGalt wrote: »

I have been an alcoholic for a while now, I can't be sure exactly when it started but I was definitely a full blown alcoholic when I started in college two years ago. My family keep trying to stop me drinking and all my friends tell me they are worried about me. I don't understand why these people can't just leave me alone and let me live my life the way I want to. Many of them are smokers and unhealthy eaters who don't exactly have a healthy life style and yet I don't criticise them. I think that society has created a lot of overly negative images around alcoholism, and many of these things are accurate, but I think that I should be left to do what I want without having friends questioning me and telling me how to live my life. There is no reason why I this behaviour is any less acceptable than smoking or eating ten cheeseburgers a day.

Booze it up all you like, it's your health man.

The only time it get's the need for people to really interfere is if you start treating them like ****e and cause problems. Any particular events cause this reaction from your mates and family?

JohnGalt

pierrot wrote: »

In my experience, denial is one of the main symptoms of alcoholism OP, and that sounds like denial. Do you actually want to wait until your friends and family don't care anymore?

Depending on alcohol to get me from day to day is just part of my life now and I am perfectly capable of living with it, what I can't live with is the constant barrage of nagging comments like you are ruining yourself, you are going to regret these years every day for the rest of your life. I don't know how to deal with this, as I have told my family and friends that if I do regret it then it is my own mistake just as their mistakes are their own and I should not have any part in them. Has anyone else every had to deal with a similar situation, and how exactly did they resolve it?

Nevyn

So you consider yourself to be a functioning alcholic and don't see your drinking as causing
any negative issues in your life other then people nagging at you about it ?

JohnGalt

Wagon wrote: »

Booze it up all you like, it's your health man.

The only time it get's the need for people to really interfere is if you start treating them like ****e and cause problems. Any particular events cause this reaction from your mates and family?

I failed a few exams at christmas and they were down on top of me telling me that my drinking is going to be my downfall. I had very good academic standards up until college and they have been a little bit inconsistent since then but nothing too terrible, plenty of my friends achieve worse results than me and they are not harassed by their parents in the same way. It is bad enough that I have to deal with poor results without having to listen to my parents and friends telling me that is my drinking that is causing the problem.

wicklori

I think your original post was wondering why people were trying to talk to you about your problem drinker instead of letting you get on with it.... Having watched an alcoholic die a long, slow, painful and early death I too would talk to anyone I cared about of they were a problem drinker.
That is why they won't let you get on with it....
You then asked how people who may have had a similar situation resolved it... If you continue to be a problem drinker, the alcohol will resolve it for you. It will control your life and get rid of everyone around you who cares about you-nagging stopped; problem solved....

Kirnsy

JohnGalt wrote: »

Depending on alcohol to get me from day to day is just part of my life now and I am perfectly capable of living with it, what I can't live with is the constant barrage of nagging comments like you are ruining yourself, you are going to regret these years every day for the rest of your life. I don't know how to deal with this, as I have told my family and friends that if I do regret it then it is my own mistake just as their mistakes are their own and I should not have any part in them. Has anyone else every had to deal with a similar situation, and how exactly did they resolve it?

i dont get you. you say you have a problem (alcoholism), then you post it in PI where posters tend to want help and advice, yet you act as if you dont want peoples help or advice?


get some professional help. if you really are an alcoholic, you won't be able to handle it.

NewFrockTuesday

I don't know how to deal with this, as I have told my family and friends that if I do regret it then it is my own mistake just as their mistakes are their own and I should not have any part in them.

This cannot happen while love for you exists. Your family and friends cant just switch off to what is an inevitable outcome of your drinking. Its utter torture on your soul to watch someone you love destroy themselves on a slow and long term basis with determination from their side to do what they want no matter how it hurts those they love.

Has anyone else every had to deal with a similar situation, and how exactly did they resolve it?

I might suggest that noone got that far without one of two conclusions.

Outcome one: Death.

Outcome two: Rehab.


There is no "resolving" it - your reslove request is not a request for help or a solution - its wanting to find a convenient way to be left alone to kill yourself without being "nagged".

tommyhaas

John, Its selfish attitudes like your own that have destroyed countless families in this country. The fact that you said you were in college, and that your family are worried demonstrates that despite the opportunities you have had in life (good family/education), you are happy to throw it all away. Personally, I don’t care about you, but I do have great sympathy for your family and friends. The pain you are putting them through now will only increase as time goes on and your alcoholism worsens. Not that it seems to bother you of course.

faceman

OP i have unfortunately too much experience than i would ever want in dealing with victims of alcoholism. You sound like some I know quite well.

Im sure you dont want to hear another person telling you the harmful effects of alcohol, you know it all already. No matter how much a grasp you have on your drinking and your day to day life, its pretty clear you are dependent on alcohol. Thats what alcoholism or any addiction is. Dependency. An alcoholic doesnt necessarily have to be someone who gets pi$$ed drunk every day.

If you cant consciously walk away from it, then some day you run the risk of someday becoming something more serious. Be it a broken home, an accident or illness. Thats why your family and friends are concerned. They care. From reading your posts, you dont seem to.

I would suggest attending an AA meeting. It may sound scary but its not. The great thing about the AA is its completely anonymous, you dont have even have to say your name. Its not about converting you to God as some people might claim. I brought a close relative to an AA meeting a few months ago. He was only going to humour me. He reckoned he was too cool, too in control to go anyway. He's been every week since. He realised that there were other people in a similar boat to him.

But unfortunately with alcoholism, me, nor any one else in your life can make the choice for you. You have to make the choice for you. Its not easy but by reaching out like you are now, you have taken a positive step.

Best of luck with whatever you chose.

thebman

JohnGalt wrote: »

I failed a few exams at christmas and they were down on top of me telling me that my drinking is going to be my downfall. I had very good academic standards up until college and they have been a little bit inconsistent since then but nothing too terrible, plenty of my friends achieve worse results than me and they are not harassed by their parents in the same way. It is bad enough that I have to deal with poor results without having to listen to my parents and friends telling me that is my drinking that is causing the problem.

If you failed exams at Xmas when you usually perform well in exams, it might not be a large leap to conclude that the alcohol contributed to the poor results.

Why do you think it didn't? Do you not care if you get through college? Why do you want to go through college? What do you want a degree for?

You won't be able to hold a job for long after college if you turn up drunk every day or hungover. The fact that your doing a degree would seem to imply you want your life to go in a certain direction or is this just a show for the family in which you do actually care about what they think of you and maybe you should consider their feelings a bit more.

Wagon

JohnGalt wrote: »

I failed a few exams at christmas and they were down on top of me telling me that my drinking is going to be my downfall. I had very good academic standards up until college and they have been a little bit inconsistent since then but nothing too terrible, plenty of my friends achieve worse results than me and they are not harassed by their parents in the same way. It is bad enough that I have to deal with poor results without having to listen to my parents and friends telling me that is my drinking that is causing the problem.

My results were all over the place in college too, i think most people's are. Then again, i was just lazy. How much do you drink on a daily basis?

beth-lou

[QUOTE=Deepsense;59388649



I might suggest that noone got that far without one of two conclusions.

Outcome one: Death.

Outcome two: Rehab.


.[/QUOTE]

And for many, a miserable few years in between.

John, don't fool yourself that being an alcoholic is always going to be this easy. All addictions start out easy, that's how you get sucked in.

In the next few years you will see your friends and family slowly slip away. You will be unable to support yourself, hold down a job, maintain relationships, your health will suffer and you will be all alone. The only people who will suffer you will be the publicans, bar men and other alcoholics.

The fact that you are aware of your problem and have no intention of dealing with it doesn't bode well for you I'm afraid. By the sounds of your situation you are still cosseted by your family and they unwittingly are actually enabling your alcoholism. It's not their fault, we've all done it, with the best of intentions. But be aware that that will change. My brother spent the last two years living on the streets because he had burnt every bridge there was to burn. The goodwill you moan about now will be something you desperately desire when you do hit rock bottom. But people will be reluctant to offer their support as you turned them away so many times.

Maybe try to see the bigger picture here. Nip it in the bud before you turn into a bitter and twisted old drunk who can't think rationally and has lost the ability to build their life back up. Do it now while you are young and deal with the issues that got you where you are now, I'm guessing there is something there that you are drinking to supprese.

I really hope for your sake that you will at least think about what people are saying to you here. A lot are speaking from exxperience and while they may not be agreeing with you, they do have your best interests at heart.

stovelid

I have a good friend at, by the sounds of it, a far more advanced stage of alcoholism. What is 'wrong' is that it is often a cumulative, evolving addiction, and for him: what started as his family and friends 'being worried' (about 8-10 years ago), became real concern a few years ago, and now means that the former are on the verge of leaving him for good.

smileysurfer

tommyhaas wrote: »

John, Its selfish attitudes like your own that have destroyed countless families in this country. The fact that you said you were in college, and that your family are worried demonstrates that despite the opportunities you have had in life (good family/education), you are happy to throw it all away. Personally, I don’t care about you, but I do have great sympathy for your family and friends. The pain you are putting them through now will only increase as time goes on and your alcoholism worsens. Not that it seems to bother you of course. Your a waster John.

A bit harsh, John your not a waster! In my opinion I feel you just havent realised that you may need help and the sooner you do that the better, for your own sake.If you continue the way your going there wont be a happy ending

beth-lou

John needs harsh.
Sympathy only enables the alcoholic.
I have no sympathy.

smileysurfer

beth-lou wrote: »

John needs harsh.
Sympathy only enables the alcoholic.
I have no sympathy.

Hes not asking for sympathy! Hes asking for advice.
And the sooner you get help John the better for you.

beth-lou

He's asking for people to agree with him and how to get his nagging loved ones off his back.

At the moment he is a waster. But a waster with potential. He does have the power to turn that around though. Problem is, he's not asking how to that. In fact he's saying he's no intention of changing. So he kind of is a waster. He's wasting his life.

cantdecide

My dad would say 'people think they're born being entitled to vices'. I agree.

JG, you're defending the indefensible. The longer as you're prepared to justify and condone your alcoholism, the shorter your life will be. If ruining the lives of others means nothing, then you deserve what you get IMO.

LegacyUser

Hi John Galt,

Ahhh the good ol 'defiant' stage eh?

'If only they would all leave me alone and let me get on with it'

.........give them time they will. Believe me they will, leave you alone to get on with it that is.

At the moment people are rallying around because they still think you can be 'fixed' or still believe you 'want' to be fixed.

It will take them a while to figure out you dont actually want their help, it will take them a while to realise they are wasting their time, energy and care on you.

Im sure you've told them plainly enough, but these pesky dry people, they just wont listen.

You'll need to really work on things to get them to desert you, lose control of your bowls etc Humiliate them and alienate them beyond human comprehension, give it time....

Then you will be gloriously alone, no pub will serve you and you can drink alone in your room all day...on the days you have cashflow that is...the rest of the days you will spend sweating like a pig and eyeing up Listereine bottles.

Good luck with that.