Why is Ireland so fond of drink?

mr_fegelien

actually don't think that's bad as I'm a heavy drinker myself but I wonder, where does it come from? We're in the top 10 countries in the world.

Is it cultural or simply a lot of disposable income coupled with ****ty weather.

Boom_Bap

the weather

Midnight_EG

Like the Tinkers, it's in our culture sure

the beer revolu

The English.
The Catholic Church

kneemos

It's not. A quarter of us are tee totallers.
Most others have a few at the weekends.

rossie1977

We are currently in 21st place worldwide per capita in alcohol consumption. Australia is ahead of us so clearly its not to do with weather

Deebles McBeebles

Ah we're not too bad really. I only drink to stave off the depression.

Because drinking is great and us Irish know how to enjoy ourselves!

up for anything

Because everybody accepts people being disgustingly drunk in public without turning a hair. No one even blinks when the Craic scale is used to rate a night out. Blacking out and not being able to remember a thing from when you began pre-drinking to waking up covered in vomit in a place you don't recognise is number one on the scale. The best night ever! :rolleyes:

Gwynplaine

Sher what else der to do?

Arghus

rossie1977 wrote: »

We are currently in 21st place worldwide per capita in alcohol consumption. Australia is ahead of us so clearly its not to do with weather

Well, in Australia it's very hot: sure what else can you do in that weather but drink?

In Ireland it's very wet: sure what else can you do in that weather but drink?

Bigbagofcans

Boom_Bap wrote: »

the weather

In good weather we tend to drink more, no? Cans in the sun :cool:

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

rossie1977 wrote: »

We are currently in 21st place worldwide per capita in alcohol consumption. Australia is ahead of us so clearly its not to do with weather

I’d be interested to know where we fall in the binge drinking table but that’s probably impossible to compile.

is_that_so

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

I’d be interested to know where we fall in the binge drinking table but that’s probably impossible to compile.

Yeah the nature of the binge means that sometimes there would be no data!

harry Bailey esq

mr_fegelien wrote: »

The weather. Don't go blaming the drink, you make your own luck.

Ush1

Immigrants, even when it was the bears I knew it was them.

Breener122

Because all the other fun drugs are illegal

harry Bailey esq

mr_fegelien wrote: »

actually don't think that's bad as I'm a heavy drinker myself but I wonder, where does it come from? We're in the top 10 countries in the world.

Is it cultural or simply a lot of disposable income coupled with ****ty weather.

Not once did you mention that lovely, mellow little level of drunkenness that comes halfway through a 'session' when your wiping everyone off the pool table in clinical fashion, the pints are flying and everybody's in good form. There's a reason people like getting drunk, it's fun.

BeerWolf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxvDCx-ILhk

the beer revolu

up for anything wrote: »

Because everybody accepts people being disgustingly drunk in public without turning a hair. No one even blinks when the Craic scale is used to rate a night out. Blacking out and not being able to remember a thing from when you began pre-drinking to waking up covered in vomit in a place you don't recognise is number one on the scale. The best night ever! :rolleyes:

This.
There is no shame in being fall around drunk - people think it's funny.
I love alcohol. I consume it pretty much daily but there are certain people that I know who I will avoid if they are drinking more than one or two.

I have a very close friend who I've known for years and I'm mad about, but I don't like seeing her fall over at parties, slur her words, be inappropriate, ect.
Basically, I don't like being around drunk people but for some reason being totally blathered is completely acceptable in Ireland.

SexBobomb

Because for the most part we love being sociable but we're very shy or repressed as a people (for the most part) therefore the drink oils the gears and gives everyone licence to spark up a conversation with a stranger or ask someone out or just make some more friends.

Mad_maxx

Our respect for alcoholics has declined significantly this past few decades.

When I was a kid in the eighties, local men with six kids and more who spent every waking hour on a high stool, were still viewed as decent respectable men in the community.

Perhaps that's more of a sign of the massive hypocrites we were than anything else?

mr_fegelien

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Our respect for alcoholics has declined significantly this past few decades.

When I was a kid in the eighties, local men with six kids and more who spent every waking hour on a high stool, were still viewed as decent respectable men in the community.

Perhaps that's more of a sign of the massive hypocrites we were than anything else?

I don't think alcoholics are stigmatized so long as they are "white collar" workers. I don't here people complaining about businessmen being addicted to alcohol.

But then again, drug stigma has gotten worse over the last 50 years. Doctors are now afraid of prescribing anti-anxiety sleeping tablets than they were when they first came out.

Sunny Disposition

The problems around alcohol are hugely exaggerated anyway. I had nine pints last night, on top of two glasses of wine I had with the dinner. Would do that four or five days a week, sometimes have a few more on the weekends. Not a bit of harm has it done me. Drinking 20 years now.

Dr. Bre

Cos it’s much more fun riding when locked

Thelonious Monk

Australians have the weather now but the white people there are of UK and Irish stock mostly so thats why they drink like us.

mr_fegelien

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

The problems around alcohol are hugely exaggerated anyway. I had nine pints last night, on top of two glasses of wine I had with the dinner. Would do that four or five days a week, sometimes have a few more on the weekends. Not a bit of harm has it done me. Drinking 20 years now.

presumably, you drink alone? being in public can amplify many of the negative effects of alcohol

Jimmy Bottlehead

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

The problems around alcohol are hugely exaggerated anyway. I had nine pints last night, on top of two glasses of wine I had with the dinner. Would do that four or five days a week, sometimes have a few more on the weekends. Not a bit of harm has it done me. Drinking 20 years now.

Having seen what long term heavy drinking does to people, I'd say your liver and looks tell a different story.

mr_fegelien

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Australians have the weather now but the white people there are of UK and Irish stock mostly so thats why they drink like us.

Thought Australia was experiencing the winter as it's in the southern hemisphere?

Feisar

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

The problems around alcohol are hugely exaggerated anyway. I had nine pints last night, on top of two glasses of wine I had with the dinner. Would do that four or five days a week, sometimes have a few more on the weekends. Not a bit of harm has it done me. Drinking 20 years now.

That's not going to do the long term health any good.

Greyfox

Dr. Bre wrote: »

Cos it’s much more fun riding when locked

Ah but have too much and the little man downstairs goes to sleep

Were fond of drink as its something at least 97% of people enjoy doing, pick any other activity and you'll have a far higher rate of people who would'nt be into that activity. its by a mile the most popular thing to do in Ireland. Alcohol is awesome.

patmahe

Real answer - for years we couldn't face up to real problems, don't forget how repressed Ireland was up to its very recent past. We are still not good at looking after our mental health so lots of people self medicate to deal with everything from work stress to real deep seated trauma they have chosen to bury deep. Its a coping mechanism

Over time this has become socially acceptable as most people understand it on some level and its also fun at the time.

The weather doesn't help, I recently planned a weekend away and on one of the days it just lashed rain, ended up sat in a pub drinking pints because there was nothing better to do.

Balanadan

I'd say most people fall into the categories of dry ****es or raging alcos.

Turquoise Hexagon Sun

patmahe wrote: »

Real answer - for years we couldn't face up to real problems, don't forget how repressed Ireland was up to its very recent past. We are still not good at looking after our mental health so lots of people self medicate to deal with everything from work stress to real deep seated trauma they have chosen to bury deep. Its a coping mechanism

Over time this has become socially acceptable as most people understand it on some level and its also fun at the time.

The weather doesn't help, I recently planned a weekend away and on one of the days it just lashed rain, ended up sat in a pub drinking pints because there was nothing better to do.

I think you are absolutely spot-on.

Alcohol disinhibits is enough to make us that extra bit sociable, the way we yearn to be by nature but feel that bit too shy to be a temperament. But this sort of thing, like all else, is influenced both by genes and opportunity. In Ireland it’s easier to be a drinker unless you are very self-confident in a social situation where everyone else has the benefit of being somewhat inebriated.

branie2

We make it.

mr_fegelien

mr_fegelien wrote: »

Thought Australia was experiencing the winter as it's in the southern hemisphere?

Most of the Southern Hemisphere is too far north to have much of a winter. Southern Australia’s current winter temperature are in the double figures and the top third is in the tropics. Only in Melbourne would you need a winter coat, and not a heavy one at that.

Edgware

Dr. Bre wrote: »

Cos it’s much more fun riding when locked

Except when the bird is very sloppy and gone past the gagging for it stage and starts crying

I'd be more interested to see stats on drunkenness (should they actually exist) as opposed to consumption. I mean you can consume one beer with breakfast, one with lunch/dinner, and a third with your evening meal seven days per week and never once be drunk. A lot of people would do this in central Europe. That's 21 pints per week. On the other hand you can throw back all 21 in one go which is a lot messier, probably more dangerous, and a lot more likely to happen in Ireland.

FatherTed

Nothing else to do and we're bored.

Ragnar Lothbrok

I'm going straight to the pub now. Thanks for the idea, OP

Sunny Disposition

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Having seen what long term heavy drinking does to people, I'd say your liver and looks tell a different story.

Nah, I’m grand, get a check up every year, actually in good nick. My diet would be quite good and I keep myself very fit. For a drinker I would have a takeaway only very occasionally, maybe one weekday and once at the weekend. Go for a long walk every Saturday without fail, doesn’t matter about the weather.

orourkeda1977

Go on the few pints

Beechwoodspark

My theory is that in a huge amount of locations around Ireland there is damn all else to do except go to the pub.

fmpisces

I blame this fella :D:D

Mad_maxx

mr_fegelien wrote: »

I don't think alcoholics are stigmatized so long as they are "white collar" workers. I don't here people complaining about businessmen being addicted to alcohol.

But then again, drug stigma has gotten worse over the last 50 years. Doctors are now afraid of prescribing anti-anxiety sleeping tablets than they were when they first came out.

Doctors in Ireland fret about prescribing anything stronger than paracetamol

Church on Tuesday

Lots of emotional repression and a general lack of confidence.

It's a sight to behold on any given week end night.

Capt'n Midnight

Genetics.

The Chinese that great bunch of lads boiled water to kill germs and it lead to tea which we are also top ranking drinkers of.


We used alcohol to kill germs and build up a tolerance.

JohnnyFlash

Getting pissed is great fun.

Ferajacka

I think it's easier to get than perscription drugs.

Edgware

When I am on the floor after pissing in my pants and lying in my vomit I realise its time to go n the shorts