Pandemic and alcohol..

Yes, perhaps opening the DIY shops for noon essential purchases would present another avenue for people.

I hit it hard enough for the first week or two but I’ve cut back again. Bad habits.

I'm drinking way less. I've had one beer in five weeks.

I was far more of a pub drinker than a home drinker. So I don't really feel the urge to drink while at home, even now.

I feel better physically not to be drinking every week.

I wondered about it in the early days, maybe I should crack open a beer every now and again. But I didn't feel the need to force it and I thought getting into a habit of boozing at home wouldn't be great, considering what is going on.

My housemate is drinking more or less everyday. Not to the point of getting smashed, but he's reliably polishing off a couple of cans on his own. I don't really see the point.

I still work so can only drink weekends and even then it's not much.
So no, I am about the same as before batflu.

At a population level alcohol consumption is down 6% year on year.

At a personal level I am drinking more frequently - glass of wine with dinner - but with less 'big nights out' at gigs, parties, or work events with free bars.

Overall it is probably the same quantity, just distributed differently. And quality has gone up a notch cos I'm not paying pub prices.

Had a small bottle of Belgian beer with dinner. 1 unit in it. That was first drink in a week. I actually love a glass of wine but my tolerance has disappeared so it’s not worth it. It’s getting to the stage now where we aren’t opening a bottle cos it takes so long to drink. I used to drink a lot more. Can’t blame the pandemic it’s definitely age.

I find I'm drinking less but stronger and more crafty stuff and for cheaper, probably evens out to be the same amount of physical units of alcohol

humberklog wrote: »

Way less. Way, way less. I'd be one for the pub and it would've been 3, 4 or 5 nights a week. Now I've drinks on Friday evening at home and I meet friends once a week in Stephen's Green that sometimes ends up back in someone's house.

What we do in the Green is bring a nagan of whiskey and a flask of coffee. Then buy a take-away coffee and keep topping it up. It's nice to get out and see friends as before the restrictions I would've been very sociable.

But I definitely won't go back to my previous drinking habits when pubs re-open. I feel a lot better, lost weight, started sea swimming and cycling and as I'm 51 that's probably what I should be doing.

Pub twice a week in the future and take it handier and leave earlier.

I'd also be in the pub 3 or 4 nights a week. Usually either 3 or 4 pints watching a match once or twice, and a night or two out with colleagues or friends.

I always thought it was a bit of a silly distinction, but I've never drunk at home. Always seemed a potential slippery slope. The minimal effort of going to the pub and having to come home after, plus the psychological distinction between drinking in the pub vs not drinking at home seemed like a good idea. Over the years I've often bought a slab of cans for people coming over and ended up pouring half of them down the sink 6 months later because it literally would not occur to me to drink at home on my own.

The first week of the first lockdown I bought a few bottles. They sat there for three or four weeks until one of Leo's announcements sent me over the edge - it was one of the film quotes that seemed totally incongruous before we found out it was all a joke to him, not sure if it was the Terminator or Gandalf one.

Never really looked back after that. Whatever about a few pints on a Wednesday in a pub, wasn't that regularly I'd think at 2am that sure one more won't make that much of a difference, help numb the next day when all I have to do is make it a few hours to lunchtime, nap for an hour, then get through the afternoon. And that's drinking alone at home, not nursing a beer with a social buzz around. But that was most of last May, November, and a few other times. And I know other people the same.

I'd hope that eventually some semblance of normality might be the impetus that shocks me out of it, but certainly Holohan's "virus hates alcohol" statement was blackly funny, considering this is the closest I've ever been to pure alcoholism. On balance, I think I'll just about get out of it after all this, but I know not everyone will.

I was drinking a little more in April/May last year but have cut it back again. Reckon I'm drinking a lot less than I used to before all the COVID stuff started.

Consensus seems to be people drinking less and certainly less binge drinking.

It however doesn't stop the temperance movement bemoaning the 'Ocean of alcohol pouring into Irish homes' who in the same press release admitted in their own analysis of revenue data that the volume of alcohol consumed was down 6% last year. They are 'very disappointed' by a reduction? That's like the Road Safety Authority saying they are disappointed in a reduction in road deaths.

https://alcoholireland.ie/alcohol-consumption-data-2020-disappointing/

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/wine-sales-surge-in-past-year-amid-bar-and-restaurant-closures-1.4507455

Make no mistake, the do-gooders of the world will never stop and whilst prohibition is not going to be contemplated, watch out for campaigning to raise the minimum price in the near term - I'd guess within weeks of it's actual introduction.

This time last year, during the first lockdown it didn't really bother me at all. I was drinking but only now and again. Took up exercise, DIY around the house etc.. I was working then right thru to Xmas and as others have said I'm a pub drinker so when they where open I was going afew nights a week.
This lockdown has been completely different. I'm not working and after seeing the family at Xmas, I had it really hard in January, basically unable to get out of bed.
I actually don't know where the last 3 months of my life have gone. It all seems so pointless.
I know I'm drinking way in excess of anything "normal" but I literally just can't get the motivation to rectify it.
As an example, I didn't sleep well one of the nights last week, woke at 5am and was drinking by 6. I couldn't tell you how many I had, near a slab anyway.
I've always liked a drink but never like this volume, I'm just suffering really badly with the whole situation at the minute and can't seem to "get it together" , I'm struggling daily tbf.

volono wrote: »

This time last year, during the first lockdown it didn't really bother me at all. I was drinking but only now and again. Took up exercise, DIY around the house etc.. I was working then right thru to Xmas and as others have said I'm a pub drinker so when they where open I was going afew nights a week.
This lockdown has been completely different. I'm not working and after seeing the family at Xmas, I had it really hard in January, basically unable to get out of bed.
I actually don't know where the last 3 months of my life have gone. It all seems so pointless.
I know I'm drinking way in excess of anything "normal" but I literally just can't get the motivation to rectify it.
As an example, I didn't sleep well one of the nights last week, woke at 5am and was drinking by 6. I couldn't tell you how many I had, near a slab anyway.
I've always liked a drink but never like this volume, I'm just suffering really badly with the whole situation at the minute and can't seem to "get it together" , I'm struggling daily tbf.

Hang in there man, it's tough but this will eventually end.

Gave it up for Jan, and off it now again until exams are finished in a few weeks. Feel so much better without it and get a lot more done in general.

It’s very easy to get into this cycle but not looking after personal hygiene is a warning sign. Do try to address it sooner rather than later. There are things you can do now to address the job situation. ( I’m unemployed too and just started a six week course) a bit of structure can definitely help. Take care.

Over the course of the year I would have drink less overall, but probably more frequently.

I have had some periods of sobriety with a big uptake in exercise parallel to that, which was a lot easier during the bright summer months. But since October and the 6 months of lockdown and dark evenings etc, it's a lot harder so often find myself having a couple drinks on a Saturday or Sunday night just to try and make it feel like a weekend as currently WFH & lockdown makes the days just merge into one. There is nothing else to distinguish the days apart.

I wouldn't be a big house drinker anyways, much prefer a pub. I go the pub for the chat & craic really, not the drink. Pre-pandemic, I would probably go to the pub 1 or 2 days every other weekend having 10 pints each visit, whereas now it's more 6 bottles if there is something good on the TV or a decent bit of sport on.

Spirits consumption is nearly wiped out, can't really justify opening them at home for one person to drink it and having mixers going stale.

fits wrote: »

It’s very easy to get into this cycle but not looking after personal hygiene is a warning sign. Do try to address it sooner rather than later. There are things you can do now to address the job situation. ( I’m unemployed too and just started a six week course) a bit of structure can definitely help. Take care.

Well more a sign of being that hungover you can't be bothered, which no matter how bad of a night it was previously over the years I always had something to do the next day regardless so you just got up , ready and out etc. I'm trying to organise the job situation , hopefully shouldn't be too long after lockdown for it to be sorted out. The structure part is massive tbf. . I wasn't even sure what day it was this morning. It's just been one long blur.

FlubberJones wrote: »

Drinking a lot more and 100% related to the lockdown, I drank a lot less when the pubs were open, as I liked to just sit back and relax there and didn't have a near endless supply like I do at home.

Pretty much I take one day a week off drinking then have at least two or three a night. It relaxes me and allows me to chill when otherwise I get incredibly frustrated and angry at the whole situation.

THIS. IS. ME.