Cocaine Destroying Rural Ireland

I was out couple nights over Christmas and didn't see any trace of it.

Yea another option ,probably not 100% fool proof though.

It's fairly bad now unfortunately. When I say the majority I mean lads in their 20s and 30s. I don't drink and wouldn't be in the pub very often at all, but I've seen it myself in a small pub in town. I was shocked and tbh it's worrying as my lads are near the teen years and it's a lot more accessible than when I was growing up. I never even seen it until I was in my twenties and that was at a house party.

I was an everyday smoker and functioned fairly well but it wasn't healthy and even for people it suits I think over consumption will cause issues. I'll have 1 or 2 at the weekend if it suits but with 3 kids sometimes it just doesn't suit. I do know lads that still smoke daily and seem to function fairly well, but if they don't have weed they then can't function as it's a necessity to them now.

Like yourself I've never really been around cocaine and wouldn't really find myself in situations where it's readily available. In the small town I grew up in it was unheard of, but a huge proportion of men were alcoholics. My own parents spilt because of alcohol and I've seen the devastating affects it has on a family. If anything my experience showed me how important it is for me as a father to be a good influence on my lads and to try and guide them into the right decisions. Something I never had growing up and probably responsible for a few of my little mistakes growing up.

I think you must be very out of touch if you're surprised at drinking at the Christmas Leopardstown festival. Majority of that age group don't go for the racing it's the for the day out with friends that includes drinking.

However studies have consistently shown the younger generations of today are drinking far less than the previous ones. You may not see this anecdotally at an a horse racing event as I have said majority are there for drinks and to see mates but it's well researched.

https://www.statista.com/chart/30783/alcohol-consumption-by-generation/

I wouldn't say that it's sad though just because it doesn't match with your beliefs on alcohol.

Was at Leopardstown races over Christmas , couldn’t get over the amount of alcohol been consumed , one time at the races people drank a few pints in the Bars which is fair enough but this Christmas the bookies area was full of primarily young men holding pints and not much better in the parade ring 

"One time at the races people drank a few pints"….The 'races', especially big race meets, have a long association with large amounts of alcohol being consumed. Given it is also over the Christmas, it's always been extremely popular.

You're either equating it to a race meet in the 50's where a 'few pints in bars' were consumed or you're making it up. I know which one I'd bet on.

A saying I heard in the US years ago:

"A snort of cocaine made me feel like a new man. The only problem was that the first thing the new man wanted was another snort of cocaine!"

a fair point i cant deny , but i dont think i'm causing that rather the prohibition creating the black economy.

I cant change the world by my abstinence. Some parts of the world are just sh1teholds if the Afghan warlords werent making heroin they'd be doing something else as would el chapo and his crew.

Maybe the insta - huns shouldn't buy fast fashion cos of the slave wages in Bangladesh and on we go…