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Ireland's Drinking Problem

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  • 14-11-2011 11:35am
    #1
    Scanlas The 2nd
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,144 ✭✭✭


    The reason imo Irish people drink so much is due higher levels of nervousness amongst Irish people. People generally drink to feel good and get in a sociable mood. When you are nervous it is difficult and not enjoyable socialising. The government seems to think taxes are the solution to reduce the excess drinking. This is just treating the symptoms and not the cause. It could actually create new problems if people can't cure their nervousness due to lack of alcohol. I don't know why Irish people are more nervous than other nations, but the solution lies in teaching people how to relax and be carefree without alcohol.

    Maybe meditation should be taught in school or some other excercises which allow people to clear their heads of their thoughts and to be in the moment.
    Tagged:


«1345

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    #2
    Chuck Stone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,030 ✭✭✭✭Chuck Stone


    Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »
    The reason imo Irish people drink so much is due higher levels of nervousness amongst Irish people.


    Source?


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    #3
    problemchimp
    Registered Users Posts: 1,025 ✭✭✭problemchimp


    Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »
    The reason imo Irish people drink so much is due higher levels of nervousness amongst Irish people. People generally drink to feel good and get in a sociable mood. When you are nervous it is difficult and not enjoyable socialising. The government seems to think taxes are the solution to reduce the excess drinking. This is just treating the symptoms and not the cause. It could actually create new problems if people can't cure their nervousness due to lack of alcohol. I don't know why Irish people are more nervous than other nations, but the solution lies in teaching people how to relax and be carefree without alcohol.

    Maybe meditation should be taught in school or some other excercises which allow people to clear their heads of their thoughts and to be in the moment.
    You're my best mate!!!!!!!!!


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    #4
    StephenHendry
    Registered Users Posts: 1,146 ✭✭✭StephenHendry


    i agree with you scanlas, personally i'll be going a serious bender tomorrow for the ireland game and wednesday. i drink myself to wind down, im far more relaxed when i've had a few drinks and feel more confident chatting up girls after i've had a few drinks where as if i was sober , i wouldnt be as confident. what we have here and say the UK is a culture of binge drinking


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    #5
    admiralofthefleet
    Closed Accounts Posts: 15,515 ✭✭✭✭admiralofthefleet


    ok


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    #6
    pbowenroe
    Registered Users Posts: 467 ✭✭pbowenroe


    nerewf vdf]v gfbb g


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    #7
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,309 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    StephenHendry wrote: »
    i drink myself

    yuck


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    #8
    Iang87
    Registered Users Posts: 3,181 ✭✭✭Iang87


    I fail to see the problem part


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    #9
    foxyboxer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,528 ✭✭✭foxyboxer


    I don't drink to socialise. I drink merely out of boredom.


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    #10
    Halal Butcher
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17 ✭Halal Butcher


    Meditation's taught in the John Scottus school in Dublin, for one.

    The problem is that most schools here have a Catholic ethos which would never dream of allowing something as heretical as meditation to be taught to kids. They might learn to think for themselves.


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    #11
    MrStuffins
    Registered Users Posts: 19,155 ✭✭✭✭MrStuffins


    Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »
    Maybe meditation should be taught in school or some other excercises which allow people to clear their heads of their thoughts and to be in the moment.

    Amazing!

    With thinking like this you'll make it to the Dail in no time.


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    #12
    Immaculate Pasta
    Registered Users Posts: 1,663 ✭✭✭Immaculate Pasta


    Jeez you'd be pretty shite craic in the pub Scanlas talking like that.


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    #13
    Guill
    Registered Users Posts: 3,331 ✭✭✭Guill


    I agree OP, Whenever there is something on, i need to have a few in me to get going, especiallly if she wants me to dance.


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    #14
    MrStuffins
    Registered Users Posts: 19,155 ✭✭✭✭MrStuffins


    foxyboxer wrote: »
    I don't drink to socialise. I drink merely out of boredom.

    You sure you don't drink because you're nervous?


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    #15
    Dravokivich
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,360 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    Same can be said about the reasons behind people drinking tea or coffee.


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    #16
    MrStuffins
    Registered Users Posts: 19,155 ✭✭✭✭MrStuffins


    By the way OP, the thought that Ireland has a bigger "drinking problem" than other countries is a complete myth!

    We don't drink more than most of the big countries in Europe! It's a stereotype that we drink all the time.


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    #17
    Ghandee
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,653 ✭✭✭Ghandee


    Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »
    The reason imo Irish people drink so much is due higher levels of nervousness amongst Irish people. People generally drink to feel good and get in a sociable mood. When you are nervous it is difficult and not enjoyable socialising. The government seems to think taxes are the solution to reduce the excess drinking. This is just treating the symptoms and not the cause. It could actually create new problems if people can't cure their nervousness due to lack of alcohol. I don't know why Irish people are more nervous than other nations, but the solution lies in teaching people how to relax and be carefree without alcohol.

    Maybe meditation should be taught in school or some other excercises which allow people to clear their heads of their thoughts and to be in the momen    t.

    that we all like to get out of it and talk a load of bollix. :pac:

    FYP


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    #18
    Scanlas The 2nd
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,144 ✭✭✭Scanlas The 2nd


    Immaculate Pasta wrote: »
    Jeez you'd be pretty shite craic in the pub Scanlas talking like that.

    I'm not saying no one should drink, people will still drink even if they are completely relaxed and carefree , but it would be reduced significantly.


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    #19
    deman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,672 ✭✭✭deman


    +1 to what Chuck Stone said. I don't think the Irish are necessarily bigger drinkers than a lot of those from other European countries.


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    #20
    Chuck Stone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,030 ✭✭✭✭Chuck Stone


    When I get nervous I produce a special kind of saliva that hardens like rock. I use this special saliva to build a cocoon around myself in the corner of a room.

    Then when the nervousness subsides and I break my way out of my saliva cocoon.


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    #21
    starbelgrade
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,739 ✭✭✭✭starbelgrade


    Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »
    The reason imo Irish people drink so much is due higher levels of nervousness amongst Irish people.

    I'm not sure the reason for our drinking patterns are quite that simple.

    There's lots of facts & figures published by various groups on the subject, but it's easy to twist numbers & percentages to suit an agenda - which many interested groups seem to have.

    There is however, a decent paper on the subject called "Why do some Irish drink so much?" written by Liam Delaney, a Lecturer at UCD and Senior Researcher at the UCD Geary Institute.

    You can find it here if you are interested & have some time to spare:

    http://www.ucd.ie/geary/static/publications/workingpapers/gearywp200810.pdf


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    #22
    The_Wexican
    Registered Users Posts: 39 ✭The_Wexican


    People don't drink to help with their nerves, we drink to have a good time, let the hair down or whatever. Why do you say we are a nervous country? Also, I doubt meditation would do much. We often did it in 5th and 6th year and all it did was allow us to catch up on sleep we missed out on the night before.


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    #23
    The King of Moo
    Registered Users Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭The King of Moo


    I'm not sure that's the complete answer but it's definitely part of it.

    I think it's more about people being reserved and repressed generally, and a culture that mocked any manner of emotional openness.

    I think that's the reason many people drink, partly to allow them to open up, and partly to allow them to feel less awkward about not being so open.

    I think we have changed a lot and while that remains a part of our culture, we're now much more varied.

    Unfortunately that dependence on alcohol has carried on, even though we don't all really need it anymore.

    We used to drink partly due to emotional repression, and now we drink mainly because, well, that's what we do and always have done.


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    #24
    MrStuffins
    Registered Users Posts: 19,155 ✭✭✭✭MrStuffins


    Tell ya, next summer there will be a SHED LOAD of nervous drinking!!


    EURO 2012...... COME.. *hic*......... ON IRELAND!!!!! *hic*


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    #25
    Scanlas The 2nd
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,144 ✭✭✭Scanlas The 2nd


    Ghandee wrote: »
    that we all like to get out of it and talk a load of bollix. :pac:

    FYP

    Yea and when you are nervous you don't feel comfortable talking bollix. When you're relaxed and carefree sober you can talk bollix too and wouldn't want to drink as much as you would get a bigger quota of your bollix talk when sober.


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    #26
    MrStuffins
    Registered Users Posts: 19,155 ✭✭✭✭MrStuffins


    Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »
    Yea and when you are nervous you don't feel comfortable talking bollix. When you're relaxed and carefree sober you can talk bollix too and wouldn't want to drink as much as you would get a bigger quota of your bollix talk when sober.

    Scanlas, what are you basing this "nervous" stuff on?


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    #27
    Dyr
    Registered Users Posts: 23,246 ✭✭✭✭Dyr


    Nothing better than going out on the meditation with the lads


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    #28
    Chuck Stone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,030 ✭✭✭✭Chuck Stone


    MrStuffins wrote: »
    Scanlas, what are you basing this "nervous" stuff on?

    That's what we're waiting for...

    Nervously! :pac:


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    #29
    simonmln
    Registered Users Posts: 205 ✭✭simonmln


    Problem???...What problem?


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    #30
    MrStuffins
    Registered Users Posts: 19,155 ✭✭✭✭MrStuffins


    On the point of teaching meditation in schools, that's an option but the wrong one.

    I think we need to educate the public about the dangers of alcohol. We need to educate children about alcohol in schools. I was taught nothing in school about alcohol. I think this is part of the catholic school structure's tendancy to think "They shouldn't be doing that so we're not going to teach them about it".

    Some serious education is needed in this country.


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    #31
    leggo
    Registered Users Posts: 9,061 ✭✭✭leggo


    Go out in Ireland's major cities on any given night and compare it to other major European cities (not tourist ones filled with Irish and British people) and you'll see that we do have a much bigger culture of drink than many other places.

    While I see the social issues you speak of as a small reason for this, it's more a case of there not being as much to do in Ireland as elsewhere. The default for any night out is to go drinking and, while there are other options, they're either not of massive quality or too expensive.


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