Ireland's Drinking Problem

Scanlas The 2nd

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.

Chuck Stone

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

The reason imo Irish people drink so much is due higher levels of nervousness amongst Irish people.

Source?

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!!!!!!!!!

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

admiralofthefleet

ok

pbowenroe

nerewf vdf]v gfbb g

StephenHendry

StephenHendry wrote: »

i drink myself

yuck

Iang87

I fail to see the problem part

foxyboxer

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

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.

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.

Immaculate Pasta

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

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.

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?

Dravokivich

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

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.

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 moment.

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

FYP

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

MrStuffins

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


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

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.

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?

Dyr

Nothing better than going out on the meditation with the lads

Chuck Stone

MrStuffins wrote: »

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

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

Nervously! :pac:

simonmln

Problem???...What problem?

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.

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.

Scanlas The 2nd

The_Wexican wrote: »

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.

Yes people drink to have a good time, the more nervous you are generally the harder it is to have a good time sober. Drink will always make people more relaxed but the difference between how relaxed you are when sober and drunk would decrease and less alcohol would be consumed as it would have less value to people.

Teaching people to learn how to relax imo is the answer, how that's done on a national basis is another question.

MrStuffins

Chuck Stone wrote: »

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

Nervously! :pac:

Well, while I wait........

MrStuffins

leggo wrote: »

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.

This simply isn't true.

Scanlas The 2nd

MrStuffins wrote: »

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

Completely anecdotal from my own experiences, can't show you any proof.

Chuck Stone

MrStuffins wrote: »

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"..

Agreed.

There should be a health and well-being class or something along those lines.

Gingko

In general the Irish social scene is way too drink orientated. I come from a broken home myself, one of countless in Ireland from alcohol abuse. Delighted to see café culture finally getting a grip for those of us wanting more sincere socialising and the new drink driving laws are helping too.

One or two drinks in a pub enjoying the craic is no harm as long as it stays like that unfortunately for many it doesn't?

foxyboxer

The major reaction from people I've talked to following last Friday nights match was not "Yes, we've qualified for the Euros, go out there and compeeeeete!" but rather "Yes!!! Three excuses for a piss up next Juuuuuuune!!!"

starbelgrade

MrStuffins wrote: »

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.

The EU commissioned a report in 2006 on European drinking habits & while it found that we drink less than a lot of countries on a daily basis, that when we do drink, we drink substantially more than our European counterparts.

Link: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_272b_en.pdf

Scanlas The 2nd

starbelgrade wrote: »

The EU commissioned a report in 2006 on European drinking habits & while it found that we drink less than a lot of countries on a daily basis, that when we do drink, we drink substantially more than our European counterparts.

Link: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_272b_en.pdf

and when we do drink most it's usually when socialising when it makes sober people most nervous.

MrStuffins

starbelgrade wrote: »

The EU commissioned a report in 2006 on European drinking habits & while it found that we drink less than a lot of countries on a daily basis, that when we do drink, we drink substantially more than our European counterparts.

Link: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_272b_en.pdf

I suggest you edit that post.

This is AH. You're not supposed to use facts to back yourself up!

Shattered Dreamer

I'm really beginning to get sick of this whole anti-Irish sentiment when it comes to alcohol. I feel sorry for anybody who's life has been damaged from the effects of alcohol but sorry stop trying to ruin it for the rest of us by say every Irish person is a god damn alcohol because these cases are relatively isolated & this new government report about 1/2 children being in danger my alcohol is utter bullsh*t.

Given that we are a minority nation in the EU as much as I hate to say it we may need to start playing the discrimination card because most of the sentiment coming from the OP is based on stereotypical racism.

MrStuffins

MrStuffins wrote: »

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

I asked someone before and they told me it was nerves
i told them to try just for one evening to cope with the nerves without drink, at a party. they said after they'd had a great time and thanked me for pushing it
so i think there are cases where it is true

Scanlas The 2nd

Shattered Dreamer wrote: »

I'm really beginning to get sick of this whole anti-Irish sentiment when it comes to alcohol. I feel sorry for anybody who's life has been damaged from the effects of alcohol but sorry stop trying to ruin it for the rest of us by say every Irish person is a god damn alcohol because these cases are relatively isolated & this new government report about 1/2 children being in danger my alcohol is utter bullsh*t.

Given that we are a minority nation in the EU as much as I hate to say it we may need to start playing the discrimination card because most of the sentiment coming from the OP is based on stereotypical racism.

Just my honest observations, it that makes me a racist in your book then so be it. I've no problem with people drinking to enjoy themselves. Life is short and people just want to have a good time. From my experience it appears to me Irish people tend to be more nervous in social situations than a lot of other nations. I think that's why we resort to drinking so much.

Shattered Dreamer

bluewolf wrote: »

I asked someone before and they told me it was nerves
i told them to try just for one evening to cope with the nerves without drink, at a party. they said after they'd had a great time and thanked me for pushing it
so i think there are cases where it is true

True based on the opinion of one person you met at a party wow I'm convinced

Shattered Dreamer

Shattered Dreamer wrote: »

True based on the opinion of one person you met at a party wow I'm convinced

i didn't meet them at a party. i didn't say it was always true.
has all the alcohol fried your brain?

bluewolf wrote:

so i think there are cases where it is true

Shattered Dreamer

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

Just my honest observations, it that makes me a racist in your book then so be it. I've no problem with people drinking to enjoy themselves. Life is short and people just want to have a good time. From my experience it appears to me Irish people tend to be more nervous in social situations than a lot of other nations. I think that's why we resort to drinking so much.

What Irish people have you ever met? Apart from you met them at a therapy session designed to deal with nerves I don't know where you met them. And maybe I'm being harsh on you OP but if not racist you're definitely overly judgemental but your underlying sentiments are racist just fyi

Shattered Dreamer

bluewolf wrote: »

has all the alcohol fried your brain?

I think you may need to lay off the mocachinos buddy because all that caffeine has fried yours.....

Chuck Stone

We need a popcorn smiley.

MrStuffins

Shattered Dreamer wrote: »

Given that we are a minority nation in the EU as much as I hate to say it we may need to start playing the discrimination card because most of the sentiment coming from the OP is based on stereotypical racism.

Lol

Shattered Dreamer

MrStuffins wrote: »

Lol

Everybody else does it against us so f**k them why not:p