Drinking

LegacyUser

Hi,
Just wanted some opinions on this. I enjoy some pints at the weekend, as do most of my friends and it was always my experience through university and even into working that people meet up and go drinking for the night.

Its Ireland I guess, that's the social scene, the pub.

As it goes, I think I handle my drink well enough, I can have a good few pints and be "happy" but I wouldn't say I'm out of it drunk, I don't cause any problems or get violent or anything, probably a bit more chatty at most. Having said that I know my limit, I mean, I would never go out to drink myself into a coma and not remember what happened. I drink enough to enjoy myself on a night out but also be able to get myself home quite safely and soundly and no problems and go about my day the next day.

Anyway, this has been getting at me lately. My girlfriend doesn't drink a lot, just a few but no more as it makes her sick. Her friends are quite similar, they can make a single pint last anything up to 3 hours. That's ok and all but it bothers me when I go out with them. I don't want to be the one getting up and drinking 2 or 3 to everyone else's one. I feel I just come off badly as they are noticing. At the same time they just sit there and watch whats going on instead of just having a few drinks and having a bit of fun. I find it awfully boring.

But the other thing is this, if I do have a few more drinks than them then the next few days it will be all stories of "Oh, do you remember this..."... Now, nothing bad would have happened or anything but I get reminders of things I might have done or said and now it makes me really self conscious of drinking anything around them. I'm watching every word or action and asking myself i would do this if i didnt ahve a pint in me. But at the same time, if I was with my own friends and only had a few they'd be wondering why I'm so quiet!?!

People I know from elsewhere in life will have a few drinks, understand everyone was drinking and having a laugh and anything anyone did or said was just in fun over a few drinks, and not taken very seriously, but I feel so self conscious now that if I DID have a few more drinks than them and got chatty or something that instead of putting it down to just having some banter over pints, if like they are pointing out how drunk I was by saying something when in fact I wasn't really overly drunk at all.

Its like they don't understand the concept of a hangover either. I mean, I don't suffer bad but I like a sleep in and a good breakfast on a Sunday morning and then I'm right as rain but they'll organize to meet at like 8am for things the next day. If I am woken early and don't feel great my girlfriend is wondering whats going on, why am I so sick, what are the symptoms, should I get something in the chemist, do you need a doctor? And I am just sitting there telling myself... no, I was drinking last night, I just need my 8 hours sleep and I'll be right as rain! If she has more than a few she herself gets very aggitated about being sick all the next day, but she seems to think there is something wrong but sometimes I just think she's hungover but just doesn't really get it, she needs to just lie down but she will be up at the dawn worrying about her illness...

I don't really know what to think. I'm starting to think I must be way over doing it with drink but compared to most others I know, I dont drink all that much and its only ever 1 night a week but around them I am super consious of looking drunk or like I've had too much, its really starting to bother me.

evry1sm8

Hi Op,
I dont think there is really any over-doing it or not in this situation, its all about what individual people like, or how much suits them.
As you said, you dont drink yourself into a coma or anything so it all sounds pretty ok.
My suggestion though, would be this: why not only drink as much as your GF and her friends do when youre out with that group, and save more of the drinking for when youre out with your own friends?
Do you feel you would not have a good time with your GF if you drank less?
It would solve the awkwardness and after-talk problems for you anyway...

baby and crumble

Op, I'm not a drinker, and from my point of view, I'd be like your gf and her friends, making one or two drinks last the night. But most of the time i'd no more be keeping tabs on what someone else is drinking than the man in the moon.

You sound fairly sensible, not like a lot of people who go out drinking all weekend and don't understand people who dont. So you have a few options. You could not drink alcohol when you go out- you're still out in the pub, but without alcohol. You could do as your gf does and drink at the same speed. You could decide not to go out to the pub together with her friends as the no talking does sound fairly boring. Oryou could just keep going as you are and try and not feel like you're doing something wrong. Does she go out with your friends too?

The 8am Sunday morning thing does sound horrendous, but then I'm a big fan of weekend lie-ins! I think that's the part you cam be really firm on: you need your kip on the weekend, thats just how it is.

Do you do anything else at weekends op? I'd personally find going to the pub every weekend really boring, but then I don't really like pubs...