why do Irish people drink so much?

lufties · 06-12-2014 01:50PM #1

So I went out last night to meet some friends of a friend, they were a group of Irish girls. It brought back memories of how I used to go out to get drunk when I lived in ireland. I felt so uncomfortable amongst the group, they were boring and not very mannerly. They were just interested in getting pished. I had a few myself and a few laughs.

Sometimes I think the drink is a cover up for opening up, one thing I noticed about this group of gals is that none of the appeared authentic and engaging. Its a shame but reminded me of how I've changed in recent times.

RobYourBuilder · 06-12-2014 01:54PM

Dear diary......

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 06-12-2014 01:54PM

**** all else to do and best way to get some girl to let you **** her. Same as in a lot fo countries. Slash thread.

Sand · 06-12-2014 01:55PM

We don't really. France, Austria, Estonia and Germany all drink more per capita than the Irish do. Its just they don't go on and on and on about drinking and having the craic. Whereas we allow a drinks company to use the country as part of their brand identity.

darkpagandeath · 06-12-2014 01:55PM

We are in the middle for alcohol consumption in the EU so should it not be why do Europeans drink so much ?

MarkAnthony · 06-12-2014 01:57PM

It's a general repression IMHO, primarily sexual repression. People essentially want to go out and feel good. Drink helps with that at the time but it also allows people to open up and be friendly but also shag about with an excuse.

There is still this massive catholic stick up people's arse in this country. You can see it in people's attitudes to all manner of things. In France/Italy even Germany you can go out, have a few drinks, chat to a few girls and if you like each other you might have sex. You wake up in the morning both go on your merry ways (without a hang over that would stun a bull) and no one bats an eyelid.

Here you need the cover of OMG I was so drunk otherwise you're a sober slag, which apparently is worse than being a drunken one. Why we can't just realise we're all the same and just looking for a good time I've no idea but there we go. It's one of the main differences between the Scots and the Irish IMHO; in Scotland you get drunk and do something bad its worse than doing it sober. Here it's an excuse - I could never get that.

My 2 cents - Not that I'm complaining I'm the same in some regards, but as you get older, settle down you simply grow-up.

To address the above ref alcohol consumption it's not how much we drink, its how we drink it. The French and Italians will drink over the course of afternoon and evening usually with a mean or two. In Ireland we drink from 10pm to 3am probably with a nagan at home before we get to coppers.

Grayson · 06-12-2014 01:59PM

Because it's fcuking awesome.

Chancer3001 · 06-12-2014 01:59PM

The weather is cat.

If it's lashing rain all you can do is go cinema or bowling or drinking.

First two are minus craic.

Third one is the most craic ever and you might get to have sex.

That's why

Realt Dearg Sec · 06-12-2014 02:02PM

Because we aren't as sparkling and witty and interesting and evolved as the OP. I mean, I assume that's what you're getting at anyway.

Nermal · 06-12-2014 02:02PM

Sand wrote: »

We don't really. France, Austria, Estonia and Germany all drink more per capita than the Irish do. Its just they don't go on and on and on about drinking and having the craic. Whereas we allow a drinks company to use the country as part of their brand identity.

He doesn't mean drinking wine with dinner. Irish, British, Scandinavians and some Eastern Europeans constantly drink to get plastered and think it's hilarious and fun. The rest of Europe doesn't.

Carpe_Noche · 06-12-2014 02:04PM

Why do English people drink so much?
Why do Russian people drink so much?
Why do Polish people drink so much?

It's not a nationality issue, it's a people issue - and it doesn't apply to all of us either.

lertsnim · 06-12-2014 02:04PM

lufties wrote: »

So I went out last night to meet some friends of a friend, they were a group of Irish girls. It brought back memories of how I used to go out to get drunk when I lived in ireland. I felt so uncomfortable amongst the group, they were boring and not very mannerly. They were just interested in getting pished. I had a few myself and a few laughs.

Sometimes I think the drink is a cover up for opening up, one thing I noticed about this group of gals is that none of the appeared authentic and engaging. Its a shame but reminded me of how I've changed in recent times.

I am sure I have encountered such groups in other countries too. It's not always just Ireland.

chicorytip · 06-12-2014 02:05PM

Sand wrote: »

We don't really. France, Austria, Estonia and Germany all drink more per capita than the Irish do. Its just they don't go on and on and on about drinking and having the craic. Whereas we allow a drinks company to use the country as part of their brand identity.

Excellent point.Add the U.S. to that list.

catallus · 06-12-2014 02:06PM

Nermal wrote: »

The rest of Europe doesn't.

Yes they do; they're always getting shít-faced.

Looking at it from-the-outside-in it is pretty obvious that we feel guilty and subservient due to being conquered and pillaged by our nearest neighbour for the best part of 1000 years.

So we beat ourselves up every chance we get; it is classic victim behaviour.

lufties · 06-12-2014 02:06PM

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Because we aren't as sparkling and witty and interesting and evolved as the OP. I mean, I assume that's what you're getting at anyway.

Straight on the defensive. .well that speaks volumes.

amdublin · 06-12-2014 02:06PM

I'm Irish. I don't drink that much.

Grayson · 06-12-2014 02:07PM

amdublin wrote: »

I'm Irish. I don't drink that much.

Try harder then :P

Realt Dearg Sec · 06-12-2014 02:08PM

Nermal wrote: »

He doesn't mean drinking wine with dinner. Irish, British, Scandinavians and some Eastern Europeans constantly drink to get plastered and think it's hilarious and fun. The rest of Europe doesn't.

This is another myth that you read often on boards and it's total ****e. Go out in Barcelona, not a tourist area, any Friday night, it's mobbed with young kids of sixteen or so drinking till they puke. That habit doesn't disappear in their twenties. I've seen how French people drink, it isn't a glass of wine at dinner, it's a shot of good knows what at morning, lunch and dinner, all day, which is absolutely not healthy.

The difference between Europe and us isn't that they don't binge drink. It's that they don't have large platoons of the Craic Nazis roaming around looking for ways to feel superior to everyone by ****e talking about how terrible and uncultured and unhealthy we are because we don't want to spend our weekends eating quinoa and watching Grays Anatomy.

Grayson · 06-12-2014 02:09PM

lufties wrote: »

Straight on the defensive. .well that speaks volumes.

To be fair you started by saying that people who drink aren't open and engaging. You set the tone of the conversation before there was a single reply.

And in defense of the poster you're replying to, they were making a joke. You weren't.

K.Flyer · 06-12-2014 02:09PM

To answer the thread question,
Its because a lot of Irish drinkers feel that they are under some sort of obligation to fulfil the reputation that the Irish are a bunch of knuckle dragging pi$$ heads.

NoviGlitzko · 06-12-2014 02:11PM

Chancer3001 wrote: »

The weather is cat.

If it's lashing rain all you can do is go cinema or bowling or drinking.

First two are minus craic.

Third one is the most craic ever and you might get to have sex.

That's why

This in a nutshell. Then theirs the likes of me who has a girlfriend for many years but still goes out to get ****faced anyway.

downonthefarm · 06-12-2014 02:13PM

Because smoking pot hasn't been made legal yet

lufties · 06-12-2014 02:15PM

MarkAnthony wrote: »

It's a general repression IMHO, primarily sexual repression. People essentially want to go out and feel good. Drink helps with that at the time but it also allows people to open up and be friendly but also shag about with an excuse.

There is still this massive catholic stick up people's arse in this country. You can see it in people's attitudes to all manner of things. In France/Italy even Germany you can go out, have a few drinks, chat to a few girls and if you like each other you might have sex. You wake up in the morning both go on your merry ways (without a hang over that would stun a bull) and no one bats an eyelid.

Here you need the cover of OMG I was so drunk otherwise you're a sober slag, which apparently is worse than being a drunken one. Why we can't just realise we're all the same and just looking for a good time I've no idea but there we go. It's one of the main differences between the Scots and the Irish IMHO; in Scotland you get drunk and do something bad its worse than doing it sober. Here it's an excuse - I could never get that.

My 2 cents - Not that I'm complaining I'm the same in some regards, but as you get older, settle down you simply grow-up.

To address the above ref alcohol consumption it's not how much we drink, its how we drink it. The French and Italians will drink over the course of afternoon and evening usually with a mean or two. In Ireland we drink from 10pm to 3am probably with a nagan at home before we get to coppers.

Absolutely very accurate post..I found it hard to put into words. Last night it felt like there was an uncomfortable vibe in the air, a kind aggressiveness..I love the feel good factor of a few drinks too, sometimes when talking to irish people I've met for the first time, im afraid to share my thoughts and experiences for fear of being abused or thought of as thinking I'm above them. These girls were all from dublin and certainly had notions of themselves, as soon as I opened my mouth with my country accent I got the glazed over look. Why can't we just have a normal night out with the theatrics.

NoviGlitzko · 06-12-2014 02:15PM

K.Flyer wrote: »

To answer the thread question,
Its because a lot of Irish drinkers feel that they are under some sort of obligation to fulfil the reputation that the Irish are a bunch of knuckle dragging pi$$ heads.

I don't know if your being serious or not, but do you really think people would be bothered to go out and spend a lot of money just to fulfill that reputation? People pop out 'cos they want a good time - it's just Irish people like too have too much of a good time. :pac:

RobertKK · 06-12-2014 02:16PM

They drink so much because some of us don't drink alcohol and they are just making up for people like me...who drinks a lot of tea...

Venus In Furs · 06-12-2014 02:18PM

Because it's enjoyable.

Realt Dearg Sec · 06-12-2014 02:20PM

lufties wrote: »

im afraid to share my thoughts and experiences for fear of being abused or thought of as thinking I'm above them.

That doesn't seem related to drink though. You certainly do seem to think you're better than these women you were out with, so...

Grayson · 06-12-2014 02:21PM

RobertKK wrote: »

They drink so much because some of us don't drink alcohol and they are just making up for people like me...who drinks a lot of tea...

Because I don't drink tea. Thank you for drinking my share of the tea.

I wonder who the dozen or so non coffee drinkers who subsidise my habit are.

downonthefarm · 06-12-2014 02:21PM

Because smoking pot hasn't been made legal yet

Grayson · 06-12-2014 02:22PM

Venus In Furs wrote: »

Because it's enjoyable.

I will admit that as much as i enjoy drinking, the 12 pubs terrified me.

catallus · 06-12-2014 02:22PM

downonthefarm wrote: »

Because smoking pot hasn't been made legal yet

Is there an echo in here? :pac:

why do Irish people drink so much?

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