Thursday 10:15pm, RTE1, Under the Influence

hubba

Good luck to Des Bishop for the first airing of his TV documentary tackling Ireland's drinking problem this evening, tonight (Thursday) at 10:15pm on RTE1.

http://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/undertheinfluence.html

I have to admire him for taking this on. I believe he's already getting dogs abuse from certain quarters for putting this issue under the microscope.

We need more of these, not less. Having to explain and defend NOT drinking is a bad state of affairs in any culture. This programme, and others like it, should reduce the stigma (I hope!) and ultimately lead to a more rational and balanced relationship with and attitude to alcohol in Ireland.

anhedonia

hubba wrote: »

Having to explain and defend NOT drinking is a bad state of affairs in any culture.

Just look at how many threads started in this forum are about people asking about the best way to tell drinkers that they're not drinking, and suffer the least amount of abuse for this revelation.

Look at how many threads where people are worried that they'll be considered zero-craic because they dont drink.

Look at how many threads where people who have recently quit drinking have no idea how to meet other like-minded people.

This is just a shocking state of affairs. We're a pathetic joke of a race of people.

galwayhooker

Fair play to des for speaking the truth.As a non drinker it doesn't really bother me - I can still have a good night but am tired of people in Ireland always asking me why I don't drink and looking at me as if I were abnormal.
When I see what drunken people get up to at 2 in the morn it makes me realise why I have up drink

baileatha

Just watched this on RTE player. Fair play to Des for speaking the truth. I know from personal experience that challenging the drink culture in Ireland can spark a backlash from people so it takes balls to go on stage and talk about it truthfully. Just seeing the Fri/Sat night drunken scenes of people staggereing all over the place is really enough to keep me dry for today. Looking forward to the next episode now.

xzanti

baileatha wrote: »

JLooking forward to the next episode now.

Oh there's more? I thought it was a once off.. that's great.

celtic-chick

I think it's a four part documentary.Looking forward to tonight's episode.

buzzz88

I'm enjoying the documentary so far - the scene in tonight's show where he bought over €600 of alcohol in one go in a supermarket really made a great point about the availability of alcohol in this country - when he tried to add 2 packets of painkillers, the cashier said "sorry, I can only sell you one packet of those". Absolutely ridiculous!

Well done (and thanks) to Des for making the documentary - looking forward to the rest!

anhedonia

buzzz88 wrote: »

when he tried to add 2 packets of painkillers, the cashier said "sorry, I can only sell you one packet of those". Absolutely ridiculous!

In fairness paracetamol is actually more dangerous than the booze. Anything over 4000mg (8 tablets) is risking overdose, with overdose being very likely with doses of 10 grams (20 tablets). Your threshold for overdose would significantly decrease if your liver was already under strain, say from drinking the night before. Paracetamol overdose would be a horrific way to die, your kidneys and liver would fail and there would be nothing doctors could do for pain relief while you await the inevitable.

Still being able to buy such vast amounts of booze is farcical.

Janey_Mac

anhedonia wrote: »

Just look at how many threads started in this forum are about people asking about the best way to tell drinkers that they're not drinking, and suffer the least amount of abuse for this revelation.

Look at how many threads where people are worried that they'll be considered zero-craic because they dont drink.

Look at how many threads where people who have recently quit drinking have no idea how to meet other like-minded people.

This is just a shocking state of affairs. We're a pathetic joke of a race of people.

I'm a moderate drinker myself, and I wandered into this forum in idle curiosity one day, and I have to say that's one of the things that horrified me.

I think I've been very lucky in having a weird and wonderful group of friends who are very very accepting: at the same party you might have four or five not drinking (cos they don't or cos they're driving or cos they don't feel like it that night) four or five light drinkers, four or five heavier drinkers, a few who might share a joint, and the really annoying heavy drinkers wouldn't be invited.

I've only once faced the "but WHY aren't you drinking?" and I was furious about it. I was going out with work, and then on to meet friends. I didn't feel like drinking heavily so I had one alcoholic drink followed by a coke with work, leaving me with the option of having another alcoholic drink or two later on with my friends if I felt like it. I was asked why I wasn't drinking. I explained I'd already had one and wanted to take it easy. The answer wasn't accepted. I told them I was planning on going out with friends later so I was pacing myself. The answer wasn't accepted. I told them I was a total lightweight who would usually only have 2-4 drinks in a night (depending how long the night was) and the answer wasn't accepted.

I guess I have two points to make:
1. I do not envy any non-drinkers going through that. Fair play to all of yous who can avoid being ground down by it.
2. My weird and wonderful friends are proof that not everyone is like that. Keep trying and if you're lucky you'll find people who'll just accept that not everyone drinks, even in a party scenario.

Anyway, I'll butt out now as I'm really not who this forum is for or about, but fair play to yous.

TO_ARTHUR!

Great programme. Could anyone give a link to the fourth episode please, that's not on the rte player? Really interesting series...

the groutch

Janey_Mac wrote: »

Keep trying and if you're lucky you'll find people who'll just accept that not everyone drinks, even in a party scenario.

unfortunately they are in the vast minority.

which is one of the main differences for me between "friends" and family. my family will always stand by me, whatever decisions I make in life.

[-0-]

Just got the 4 episodes. Gonna watch them now.

Yellow2

I have to say I was not a great fan of Des Bishop prior to this series - I think it was his half irish/half american accent that annoyed me. However, he has gone to the top of the class in my view with this series.

There is a real need for Irish people of all generations to look at their drinking habits and behaviours. I have a drink problem myself which I am working very hard on and thankfully making progress. It is really difficult though. I do think that there is a genetic link and that alcohol reacts differently in certain people ie the way our body processes it is different which causes some people to become addicted to some degree early on. As a nation I think we have this genetic marker in a lot of our families.

[-0-]

Yellow2 wrote: »

I have to say I was not a great fan of Des Bishop prior to this series - I think it was his half irish/half american accent that annoyed me. However, he has gone to the top of the class in my view with this series.

There is a real need for Irish people of all generations to look at their drinking habits and behaviours. I have a drink problem myself which I am working very hard on and thankfully making progress. It is really difficult though. I do think that there is a genetic link and that alcohol reacts differently in certain people ie the way our body processes it is different which causes some people to become addicted to some degree early on. As a nation I think we have this genetic marker in a lot of our families.

I couldn't agree more. I met him in Tralee when I was in college and I had a bit of a falling out with him, however this series is brilliant work and it is something he should be really proud of. I think he dropped the ball when failing to mention you can buy booze in the pharmacies in the states yet the drinking problem isn't as big over here because it isn't part of culture that goes back to being poor and drinking alcohol as a form of escapism from that.

Still, quality work.