Being Drink Free in Ireland

lufties

Given the fact that a lot of the social aspect in Ireland revolves around pubs, I just wondered if the great peeps on this forum have carved a new life without the pub scene or still frequent with abstinance.

Living in Asia the expat scene is very much involved around booze, having lived in a few countries I find it sad and sorry to see older Irish expats finding solace spending days on end in the pub. In Ireland the pubs are cosy especially in Dublin, so I'd imagine hard to stay out of.

I'm off the drink literally a wet week but life is good so far, planning my life better and filling my time rather than moping around aimlessly. This forum has been fantastic in helping, long may it continue.:)

Sunnyisland

Yes, we are in charge of our lives now, not alcohol,IMPO I found to become truly content and happy in sobriety I had to change my mindset completely - and that took time - and acceptance. Yes, I must admit, alcohol appeared and to a certain extent DID seem to bring a release from worries, cares - it enhanced happy times and sort of rounded things off -- for a long time tbh - and I s'pose that's how 'normal' drinkers use it.

My acceptance came when I stopped looking back on those days and I could truly look at my relationship with alcohol in the bad years.
It took work tho -- and I work on myself daily. I have to remember realities, not myths - because contented happy drinking to me now would be a myth of gigantic proportions.

Ah yeah, I could probably drink 'normally' and fairly happily again for a month - or two -- but then...... inevitably --- and again this is my 'acceptance' - the re-introduction of alcohol would INEVITABLY lead me back to those dark days I experienced at the end of my drinking -- and imvho therein lies the delusion that 'moderators' indulge in -- THERE IS NO GOING BACK once we've crossed the line ---- I accept that, so drinking is a danger to me and I don't want it or crave it --- at all.

I am 52 and I can honestly truly say I have never been as happy as I am now - never -

Went a bit of topic there :-)

lufties

Hi Realies, Thanks for the reply. I'm 20 years your junior and am glad to hear an alcohol free life has led you to a happy one. i understand what you mean by 'happy drinking", nobody tells you that you'd better ease up on it only yourself. I reached a point of reflection recently and put things into perspective, saying to my myself if I carry on like this I'll never achieve much in the line of financial gain, have a family/wife/girlfriend. It sounds dramatic but i know it to be true.

Soon I'm moving to London, so that will be a real test IMO, but at least there's a lot of other things going on there beside boozing.

Sunnyisland

lufties wrote: »

Hi Realies, Thanks for the reply. I'm 20 years your junior and am glad to hear an alcohol free life has led you to a happy one. i understand what you mean by 'happy drinking", nobody tells you that you'd better ease up on it only yourself. I reached a point of reflection recently and put things into perspective, saying to my myself if I carry on like this I'll never achieve much in the line of financial gain, have a family/wife/girlfriend. It sounds dramatic but i know it to be true.

Soon I'm moving to London, so that will be a real test IMO, but at least there's a lot of other things going on there beside boozing.

Lufties there are thousands of ways of living a full and happy life without boozing,plan ahead, have a look what's in the area your going to,you can still go into pubs if you so wish,I have just left one and am now in a restaurant in Portugal :-) London is a vast city with so much to offer as I said get the plan be prepared, good luck.

Jurga78

When I moved to Ireland I was 2 months sober, I'm still here and I'm 6 and a half years sober now. So yes it is possible to be a non drinker in Ireland I can hear Irish people complaining that they drink too much, but they're not worse than where I came from.
When I was moving I was told things like - you'll drink on your first day, you can't run from yourself, etc. I didn't run from myself, but getting away from a drinking buddies to whom I wasn't able to say no, helped.
Good luck in London, if you have a thought of drinking try to wait it out, tell yourself that you'll drink tomorrow Than do the same thing tomorrow.

ne0ica

lufties wrote: »

Given the fact that a lot of the social aspect in Ireland revolves around pubs, I just wondered if the great peeps on this forum have carved a new life without the pub scene or still frequent with abstinance.

Living in Asia the expat scene is very much involved around booze, having lived in a few countries I find it sad and sorry to see older Irish expats finding solace spending days on end in the pub. In Ireland the pubs are cosy especially in Dublin, so I'd imagine hard to stay out of.

I'm off the drink literally a wet week but life is good so far, planning my life better and filling my time rather than moping around aimlessly. This forum has been fantastic in helping, long may it continue.:)

Having lived in Asia I concur. Really found Irish people to be total bores as they incapable of having a social life away from the pub whereas the Americans and Canadians could

beano345

Well done on the 6 and a half years!

lufties

ne0ica wrote: »

Having lived in Asia I concur. Really found Irish people to be total bores as they incapable of having a social life away from the pub whereas the Americans and Canadians could

true that.

KeefF

lufties wrote: »

true that.

In my line of work, a lot of opportunities have been highlighted to me in places such as Saudi Arabia. Would I be stone made to consider such a move at such an early stage of recovery?

beano345

KeefF wrote: »

In my line of work, a lot of opportunities have been highlighted to me in places such as Saudi Arabia. Would I be stone made to consider such a move at such an early stage of recovery?

Is alcohol not prohibited there?

lufties

KeefF wrote: »

In my line of work, a lot of opportunities have been highlighted to me in places such as Saudi Arabia. Would I be stone made to consider such a move at such an early stage of recovery?

I wouldn't go near saudi Keef, I hear Bahrain and Dubai are ok but I've never been. Personally,my new place of interest is Eastern Europe

KeefF

lufties wrote: »

I wouldn't go near saudi Keef, I hear Bahrain and Dubai are ok but I've never been. Personally,my new place of interest is Eastern Europe

I know people working in Dubai - they are constantly on the p*ss
Thanks for the feeeback by the way.