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Booze Thread

I'll state right up front this is extreme case so don't get too frightened but it is something to watch out for.

So I think I've stated elsewhere that heavy drinking is what killed my mother in January last year at the age of 57. She would polish off probably the best part of a cheap bottle whiskey most nights and would pretty much start form when she got home from work or at weekends afternoon onwards unless she was out. Both myself and my sister tried to have a frank conversation with my parents about it in our 20's but it fell on deaf ears simple because they didn't wake up and have drink and never felt like they needed a drink. So Chirstmas 2 years ago my Mum isn't feeling well whilst drops in to Minor Injuries Unit, she hadn't been feeling great for a few weeks and a year previous had gone through a cancer scare that required radiation but was in remission and she was no longer taking anything for it. She gets taken into hospital for observation and its soon found that her liver is doing really badly as this is her first scare the doctors basically tell us its not good but with proper aftercare they expect her to pull through all we really talk about is if she'll be able to leave hospital for Chirstmas. Should also say a lot of this is what I was told second hand I was working out in Canada at the time and the family made a decision not to tell me until I came back on the 20th. Unfortunate things don' get better and they deteriorate rapidly on Christmas Eve to the point she is admitted to the ICU and for the first time her mortality is talked about and were giving 60% chance to survive. Still things initially go well in ICU and on Boxing Day I had long conversation with the doctor and because this is her first scare he expect her to pull through and the discussion is mainly about given her a support plan to stop drinking when she is able to come home. He does mention that an ICU trip he wouldn't expect until something like 3rd scare which is why I put caveat up top. Unfortunately after that things basically deteriorated for a month and she passed away by the end January.

Now some stuff on this my Dad quickly went for a checkup on his own health and was found to actually to be pretty fine, he was twice the size of my mother but its another indicator more was going on with Mum than anyone fully understood along with the fact doctors would of expected her to present multiple times before we hit this stage. I'll always be a bit frustrated with transplant rules in this country as Mum wasn't allowed as she had not shown she wouldn't carry on drinking, which is a bit hard if the first time you present to doctors it kills you (thanks George Best for that one).

Still I'll always say to people watch your regular drinking its usually fine if your social drinker and not going out that often. My sister barely drinks (never really did beforehand) and I pretty much am a Gin drinker currently but I'll have possibly 6 glasses a week maximum (only ever 2 in one night) which equates to 12 units a week (I drink doubles which I do measure and they are 1-1.2 units per shot).

To add to Tallshport my experience is non-social drinking settle down a lot more in the 30's age group but that could just be my social bubble.
 
Erdinger Pint Glass

Erdinger Pint Glass https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06WWDL71L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_oX0YFbBF0QENT?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

yeh worth getting one if you really enjoy the Weiss biers. I've got this one from Eridinger. The bulge at the top holds the head. But bit difficult to wash the bottom as it's so narrow.

Also got a Weihenstephaner 500ml glass as well.
Do you know of anywhere that sells larger glasses for a reasonable price? It strikes me that 68ml of space isn't sufficient to accommodate the head from a 500ml bottle poured in one. IIRC I found 660ml glasses somewhere, but they were either heinously expensive or out of stock.
 
Good to share experiences.

I do remember Ncurd and that is such a tragic story. It must have been very painful for you and your family to lose her like that. We are all adults here at the end of the day and have a choice to make, but when it gets to that level of drinking it is a disease and no amount of trying to persuade her to stop would make a difference. I hope you don't blame yourself for it. This liver specialist is saying how quickly it can deteriorate, which sounds like what happened in your mum's case?

Scroll to 5 mins 50 secs of below video.




Growing up as an ethnic minority in this country I have seen both sides of the drinking and non-drinking culture in this country. Neither of my parents' drink and my sister doesn't either; so family wise I didn't come from a culture of drinking per se. But growing up I would drink to fit in and certainly binged on nights out well in excess of 6 units, but not so much now. I may have a beer mid-week and then a few at the weekend, but certainly under 14 units now.I am very moderate now compared to a lot of my friends and only really beers; not into spirits or wine. Don't know if having the Asian flush gene has stopped me from being a heavy drinker - basically, I don't have the enzyme in my liver to process alcohol properly like a lot of Southeast Asian descent, which leads to getting a red face quite easily. But it doesn't stop me from enjoying a beer and just make sure I line my stomach with food or drink with a meal.

But yeh remember a mate at school telling me his parents would regularly polish off a bottle of wine each night during the week. And then more at the weekend, which I found quite shocking at the time because worked out that they would easily be polishing off 100 units a week on a regular basis and whether that was reflected in a lot of white middle-class families. My best friend's grandmother died from alcoholism. And he was a heavy drinker at Uni he would estimate drinking around 80 units a week back then. But now settled down with family so probably not so much now.
 
Do you know of anywhere that sells larger glasses for a reasonable price? It strikes me that 68ml of space isn't sufficient to accommodate the head from a 500ml bottle poured in one. IIRC I found 660ml glasses somewhere, but they were either heinously expensive or out of stock.

May wanna check out Drinkstuff https://www.drinkstuff.com. But yes, also amazon. I got the Wiehenstephaner glass from Beautiful beers.com. So check them out and also Beers of Europe, but they sell out quite a lot.
 
Those stories are so sad...Poor Ncurd and Tallshort :( ..
Me personally, I talk more about alcohol than I actually drink it I think. During last 3 months I drank once a bit of honey rum and recently one bottle of beer (thanks to the Alpha Bro who "seduced" me with that photo of German beers :rolleyes: ) .
Most of female Polish colleagues and friends of mine (single girls) drink quite a lot of beer during the week, I'd say. Started to go out with them when I just moved to Poland and.. stopped after a few weeks. Couldn't even look at beer for around a year after that experience and still can't drink beer more than once per month ,maybe I "overdrank" it.
During some events/office parties I usually prefer to drink vodka. For some reason I get drunk quicker with wine and champagne than vodka, can't explain it
 
I hope you don't blame yourself for it.
I don't I have a lot of complex feelings about it all as I think anyone would but ultimately there is little I could of done. I won't be watching the video though I have no desire to deliberately make myself upset. I watch my drinking and so does my wife and take deliberate attempts to not make it a habit.

On white middle-class families absolutely or in certain social circles family members and their friends were all heavy drinkers as well and was just the norm. I've also only had one friend who definitely had a problem in what most people would consider an issue. They didn't go tee-total but just got into a stable relationship and that stabilised their drinking.
 
Good to share experiences.

I do remember Ncurd and that is such a tragic story. It must have been very painful for you and your family to lose her like that. We are all adults here at the end of the day and have a choice to make, but when it gets to that level of drinking it is a disease and no amount of trying to persuade her to stop would make a difference. I hope you don't blame yourself for it. This liver specialist is saying how quickly it can deteriorate, which sounds like what happened in your mum's case?

Scroll to 5 mins 50 secs of below video.




Growing up as an ethnic minority in this country I have seen both sides of the drinking and non-drinking culture in this country. Neither of my parents' drink and my sister doesn't either; so family wise I didn't come from a culture of drinking per se. But growing up I would drink to fit in and certainly binged on nights out well in excess of 6 units, but not so much now. I may have a beer mid-week and then a few at the weekend, but certainly under 14 units now.I am very moderate now compared to a lot of my friends and only really beers; not into spirits or wine. Don't know if having the Asian flush gene has stopped me from being a heavy drinker - basically, I don't have the enzyme in my liver to process alcohol properly like a lot of Southeast Asian descent, which leads to getting a red face quite easily. But it doesn't stop me from enjoying a beer and just make sure I line my stomach with food or drink with a meal.

But yeh remember a mate at school telling me his parents would regularly polish off a bottle of wine each night during the week. And then more at the weekend, which I found quite shocking at the time because worked out that they would easily be polishing off 100 units a week on a regular basis and whether that was reflected in a lot of white middle-class families. My best friend's grandmother died from alcoholism. And he was a heavy drinker at Uni he would estimate drinking around 80 units a week back then. But now settled down with family so probably not so much now.

I think for me it was a generational/cultural thing. Becoming a teenager in the late 80s early 90s meant that drinking on park benches was very much seen as the thing to do. Alcohol was easily available as corner shops didnt have a problem selling 15 year old a couple of bottles of cider and a packet of fags. Also my parents were publicans. I then went in the army at 16 and the British Army has (when I was in) a massive drinking problem. If the Soviets had attacked during the cold war they just had to time that attack to a Friday night and most the the British Army in Germany would have been hammered. Also the 90s were the golden time for clubbing and 18-30 holidays were the aim of the game was to get as drunk as possible while also trying to get as many sexual partners as possible and from experience the two ambitions don't mix very well!

When I left the army I went straight into the Rugby club mentality of tours and after game boozing so its always been a part of my life. I try not to think of the money I have wasted on booze over the years and I have some very good memories but also some very bad ones and I sometimes wonder how I'm still here!

Luckily my eldest is 15 now and his generation has a completely different mind set. He likes to go to the gym and would rather sit on his playstation than hang around parks drinks cheap, gassy cider Also there is a lack of clubbing night life now which I dont think is a bad thing given some of the crazy stuff I remember from 90s that used to go on.
 
I don't I have a lot of complex feelings about it all as I think anyone would but ultimately there is little I could of done. I won't be watching the video though I have no desire to deliberately make myself upset. I watch my drinking and so does my wife and take deliberate attempts to not make it a habit.

On white middle-class families absolutely or in certain social circles family members and their friends were all heavy drinkers as well and was just the norm. I've also only had one friend who definitely had a problem in what most people would consider an issue. They didn't go tee-total but just got into a stable relationship and that stabilised their drinking.
Yeh no worries. Totally understandable.
 
This could have been timed better lads, I saw it yesterday desperately hungover and have Christmas nights out today and tomorrow to boot.

I don't have a whole lot to add, I found @Tallshort 's post interesting. I was similar at 15, rugby and playstation was about all I got up to but then I definitely struggled a bit with drinking in college in first year and again on Erasmus, very hard to find a balance with it and living away for the first time in my life and anxiety followed. (which I now have very much under control) Don't know what advice I could give for a parent to prevent it, I was warned of the dangers but it fell on deaf ears. Be wary of he gives up the gym I suppose, getting back to rugby and into the gym after three years off was huge for me.
 
Yeh never easy with Xmas. Are pubs/gatherings of more than 6 still allowed in Ireland ATM Alpha?


 
Yeh never easy with Xmas. Are pubs/gatherings of more than 6 still allowed in Ireland ATM Alpha?
No, there's a lot of booking 2 or 3 tables in the same place going on though. I'll admit to being very irresponsible with covid this week, in Law School here as part of a training contract and it's notoriously social. We've been locked down for almost the entirety of it so a lot have decided just to have one proper week of it this week. Not that any of this is an excuse but it is what it is.
 
I then went in the army at 16 and the British Army has (when I was in) a massive drinking problem. If the Soviets had attacked during the cold war they just had to time that attack to a Friday night and most the the British Army in Germany would have been hammered.
You were performing military service in the FRG?
 
I meant West Germany. :) You mentioned the Cold war,Soviets, the British Army in Germany and that you went in the Army when you were very young. But I just counted that you were probably too young that time to perform military service there,hmm

Just curious
 
I meant West Germany. :) You mentioned the Cold war,Soviets, the British Army in Germany and that you went in the Army when you were very young. But I just counted that you were probably too young that time to perform military service there,hmm

Just curious
I arrived in Germany in 94 after the cold War but the British army in Germany had a very destructive drink culture that stemed from the boring days of the cold War. If the Soviets had decided to invade Western Germany in the 80s they should have waited until a Friday night and hit the British sector.
 
@Tallshort haha, thanks, I misunderstood your previous message :D but it was interesting anyway
My father was earlier there, right during the last years of the cold war, but he was performing military service in the East Germany
 
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Jus ordered some mead for Christmas, absolutely love the stuff but it's deadly, it's just so easy to get through tons of it even though it's in sherry glasses.
 
there was a hoax going around Wales last week that alcohol sales were going to be banned , due to thw covid , I speny over £200 panic buying, just found out I will be working over Christmas , guess what most prezzies I will be giving this year will be.
Tinnies and tinsel
 

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