Drink and debt

LegacyUser

hi guys

I know some of you may not think this is a big deal but i could do with some advice.

Im 24 and love partying the thing is i want to give up Drink Etc.
i dont think i am an Alcolholic but i find it extremely hard to go out an not drink,
at the moment i am in a lot of debt and would like to give it up for a while and try sort out some bills (im in arrears on my loans etc)

Does anybody have any advice on what to do e.g has anyone else been in this situation or can ya go out and have a good time without the expense of alcohol any advice would be apprieciated.

I have absalouly no willpower..

Thanks for reading

silly

try not going out....get a dvd or something, get some friends to come round? or get up really really early so by the time the evening arrives you'll be too knackered to go out, that worked for me a few times....seriously!
just for the sake of ur liver try and stay in every second weekend anyway to start with?

[Jackass]

I agree with silly, good sugestions....i would recommend not going out to pubs and clubs at all while you're off hooch, cause if you go, you'll defenatly drink...you even know you've no willpower...go out for food and cinema with the misses, or some mates at night instead.....nights in with a good flick or playstation will keep your mind off things, and try and get into the habbit of early nights, early mornings.....aswell as saving bundles of cash, you'll feel great, have lots more energy, better concentration and you'll loose a bit of weight (if you've got a beer belly)
Good luck

thafitz

instead of giving up drink, dont go to the pub and just invite friends to your gaf and drink a few cans. you can get a six pack of dutch gold for €7.50. not bad.

Chad ghostal

i wouldnt advise staying in every weekend, you will go mad.
Instead try and find something, away from drink, thats cheap enough..
in fairness most nights are cheaper than going on the booze..
You could try stuff along the lines of bowling or cinema and dinner or something similar,
so that your around loads of people and feel like youv actually done something..
staying in can get really depressing.

you're going to have to put some effort into finding things you enjoy that dont involve drink and that actually satisfy you..

or mix and match everyones suggestions with maybe only going out twice a month for a few months..

Rockiemalt

I gave up drinking one day last summer.. and don't have the best will power but since then I had 2 cans at oxegen while i was camping and thats it.. i still go to the pub, i jsut tend to drink pints of water or stuff

fade2black

All good advice. DVDS....bottles of stella for a euro a pop......Only you can answer the question regarding whether you have a drink problem. m presuming you dont. Just stop buying the silly things you're no doubt buying now!!!

Gillo

First make you leave the credit card at home, theres nothign worse than getting a bill and then having to pay for all those hangovers.

A guy I used to work with cut up his bank card, not his credit card but the actual bank-link card, he claimed he saved a fortune, it's a bit extreme but I suppose it depends on how bad your situation is.

I wanted to cut down on drink for other reasons and found that drinking none alcholic drinks is a good way to save money. Becks non-alcholic is decent tasting and also looks like you are still drinking so your friends won't give you stick (I know that relates to maturity, but you know what people are like ehen they are pissed). Anyway I found that I didn't spend as much when I was not drinking drink.

If you are quite worried about your debts, when not contact MABS, they are there to help and 100% confidental, unless you want your bank(s) to know.

hungryhippo

Hi
Just wondering what drink you have when out? Some drinks are a killer on the funds alright, and just aren't worth it. i.e. Are you buying double vodka and red bull for 11 euro a time. (like me, :rolleyes: )
Also, do you want to ease up on the booze for financial reasons or health/lifestyle reasons?
On a sidenote, whatever happened to those vodka shots/pouches that were introduced before Christmas? Remember the VFI were up in arms about them at the time because people could smuggle them into pubs so easily and not pay for a shot. Think they were supposed to retail at 1 euro in off licences. Haven't ever seen them on sale and none of my friends have ever bought them?

StupidLikeAFox

on that sidenote, ive seen them, friends have drank them (not a vodka man myself)

On topic, jus be a man, stand up to your friends, laugh off what slaggin they give ya, and go out and drink water

Karl Hungus

It's hard enough to only drink water when you're out in a pub, but suggestions of Cinema, Bowling and all really work.

DoctorEdgeWild

First things first, at least you have identified a problem in your life and are seeking ways to solve it. Fair play - if only everybody could see so clearly.

I better point out that I am a non drinker so my opinions are formed without experience and therefore might be less useful to you.

Instead of giving up going to the pubs/clubs and missing out on seeing some of your friends, just go and don't drink. Lack of willpower is bullsh1t. It's a phoney excuse in my opinion. You really want something, you just gotta do it. Don't over analyse or think about it too much. Simple fact - you wanna live debt free, you gotta cut back on expenses. Hanging out with your mates is fun regardless of how fked you get. Its gonna be weird for a while but not forever.

Giving up altogether seems a bit drastic but leave your money in your pocket for better occasions than "Oh, its raining, lets get p1ssed".

If you are gonna cut back, you could combine it with a full on getting fit decision. Join a gym or get some weights or a cord or do some running.

Finally, I have a great time going out very regulalry with friends that I wouldn't see other than down the local.

Hope any of this proves useful and best of luck too.

LegacyUser

Thank you for your replies its great to see that there are positve sides!

See i dont know how i manage to spend all my money i get a good wage but im contantly living in an overdraft and my money seems to be gone in a matter of days.

For instance got paid on the 25th (monthly pay) and all i have left is 60 euro one of my loans did not get paid but everything else is sorted all i can remember is that i went out on Saturday and spent about 130 quid and that was it even sitting in i seem to spend loads of Cash and i dont know where it is going.

I feel like im in a big hole and that i will never get out im only 24 but i feel about 50 with all my worrying i just keep thinking that i'll be blacklisted and i'll never get a mortgage etc.....

not many of my mates do the staying in thing they all love to go out so when i stay in for ages i feel like i never see them hence i start worrying that they wont wanna be mates with me , mad i know my brain is a weird one!!

i think i will have to gillos advice and cut up my bank card has anyone else tried this?

Thanks for Listening!

Victor

If you need to, talk to www.mabs.ie about the money.

Find a less expensive pass-time than drinking. Rent a DVD a night.

Have a pint of water between every pint of alcohol.

You might also do the Alcholics Anonymous test. http://www.aa-uk.org.uk/publications/areyou.htm

shivface

blackcurrant! my non drinker friend drinks it and just tells everyone its mixed with cider if they start annoying her

Swaneck

You need to sit down with a pencil and paper and work out where your money is going. Be honest with yourself. How much do you get in a month and where does it go?

Do you know anyone you can speak to personally about money, someone you trust and who will keep a confidence?

If you are worried then and you know no one personally, then speak to the local citizens advice center.

You need to cut up your credit cards DO THIS NOW!

You need to prioritize your loans and pay off the high interest ones first i.e. credit cards.


If you think you have a problem with drink well IMO you properly have. Find another hobby/pastime that does not involve getting locked.

If you think you friends would not respect your decision to stop drinking or cut back, well what kind of friends are those?

Drink is a very beguiling drug. It will pull you in and make you its slave. Cut it out.

Your current behavior is making you unhappy and you have decided that you need to change. I think that is a very good first step. You need to set yourself realistic goal and write down how you are going to achieve these goals.

sceptre

help me! wrote:

at the moment i am in a lot of debt and would like to give it up for a while and try sort out some bills (im in arrears on my loans etc)

Does anybody have any advice on what to do

I owe a lot of money to the bank at the moment. I don't really like this, hence I've taken a year out of college and I'm working my ass off to repay it. Because of the amount of time I'm working (trust me, it's a lot) a few people are doubtless pissed off that my contact has become sporadic or in some cases very very sporadic. That's a pity and it annoys me but at the moment I'm balancing one girlfriend that I'd rather like to keep, one job that I'd rather like to keep for the required duration and one large debt that I'd like to get rid of. Luckily I don't drink all that much (which is just as well as if I owed a shedload of cash and I drank a lot I'd feel like a wally).

Hence, here's my advice: stop drinking. Or at least substantially stop drinking and get your finances under control. If you /can't/ stop drinking then you definitely have a drinking problem. Frankly if you're having memory blackouts, you've already got a drinking problem but that's only my opinion. When you can't stop (if you can't stop) it'll become your opinion too. You know what the problem is and you sort of know what the solution is. Put the two together and get yourself out of the hole you reckon you're in.

$lash

Don't give up ... cut down instead - life is all about compromise