# Alcoholism in Spain?



## Sirtravelot (Jul 20, 2011)

Would you say alcoholism is a big issue in Spain? Just curious.


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

I wouldn't know if this is a big issue or not, but I have noticed that for some time now all alcohol adverts on TV have a 'warning' about drinking responsibly at the bottom right of the screen. So I guess someone thinks it's a problem.

We do have a couple of regular drunks in our village, but no one seems to pay them much attention.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

The main problem with alcoholism in Spain atm is the young and underage drinking. When you move over you should mke sure you're not near a botellón area
If you search "botellón" you'll find some threads about drink and young people - and some heated discussion I seem to remember!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...nking-problem-spain.html?highlight=botell%F3n

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/la...r-british-v-spanish.html?highlight=botell%F3n


These may help??


Jo xxx


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Depends on your definition of alcoholism.

Many people whose drinking habits qualify them for that description would be horrified to be so labelled. Therre is a huge difference between the functioning alcoholic and the drunk in the gutter. Both could be decribed correctly as alcoholics since it's the addiction and the level of consumption that are important.

TBH, most of the people I know in the UK and a few Brits I know in Spain drink too much. That doesn't mean they were unable to hold down jobs -on the contrary, most were professionals and high earners - or that they were aggressive, anti-social nuisances. But they couldn't imagine a day where they wouldn't consume more, much more than the sensible limit.

Most of the professional women I worked with kept a bottle of white wine in the fridge and would reach for it the moment they got home from work....'to unwind'.

I think that as a society we are hypocritical about the abuse of alcohol....it's our legal drug of choice and is a hugely profitable industry for both government and producers.

So from my admittedly limited experience I would venture the opinion that British immigrants bring their drinking habits with them to Spain, habits they can afford more easily to indulge because of the relative cheapness of wine and spirits.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Yes - I think alcoholism is a problem in Spain.

I see people in bars drinking aguardiente at 6 in the morning before driving to work. I see people drinking the best part of a litre of win with their lunch in the venta and going back to work driving or operating chainsaws or brushcutters. This appears to be normal behaviour. Sadly the young people also seem to be catching the British habit of bingeing as well.


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

mrypg9 said:


> Depends on your definition of alcoholism.


That's why I found the question difficult to answer.

Youths (and some older people) who go out clubbing once or twice a week, exhibit uninhibited behaviour, and throw up on the street may or may not be alcoholics.
Some would say that in any case they are at the top of a slippery slope to alcohol dependency, but others would say they are not.

The 'village drunks' I mentioned _are_ dependent on alcohol. Some would say that the few guys who sit in the local bar well into the early hours of the morning are also alcohol dependent, but they are usually single and probably lonely, so who knows? And of the fiesta goers who end up plastered, or the Saturday night revellers here who enjoy themselves very loudly and exuberantly, some may be alcohol dependent, but many others will not be.

I also agree that there is considerable hypocrisy about the use of alcohol - in Spain and _especially_ in the UK. 
The warnings alone make one think that all drinkers are the next group to be targeted as undesirables and to be taxed highly accordingly.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

There's a big difference between alcoholism and binge drinking. Of course both of them exist in Spain. But the guy who drinks aguardiente for breakfast isn't necessarily an alcoholic. It isn't seen as a problem because people have always done that (they do it here too.)

Traditionally, being drunk in public other than on public holidays is considered unmanly, and unforgivable in women. This attitude is still strong amongst the older generation but of course things are changing.

I'm glad there is increasing awareness of alcohol-related problems. No doubt the government will be under attack for trying to regulate drinking behaviour, just as it was for the smoking ban.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> There's a big difference between alcoholism and binge drinking. Of course both of them exist in Spain. But the guy who drinks aguardiente for breakfast isn't necessarily an alcoholic. It isn't seen as a problem because people have always done that (they do it here too.)
> 
> Traditionally, being drunk in public other than on public holidays is considered unmanly, and unforgivable in women. This attitude is still strong amongst the older generation but of course things are changing.
> 
> I'm glad there is increasing awareness of alcohol-related problems. No doubt the government will be under attack for trying to regulate drinking behaviour, just as it was for the smoking ban.


to me, an alcoholic is someone who _can't function without alcohol_

it is however, quite likely that they would appear to function perfectly 'normally' _with _alcohol

so the guy (or gal) who starts every day with aguardiente, has copious wine in the middle of the day & finishes the day with some other alcoholic beverage & yet not appear drunk in public or anywhere else _is_ quite possibly/likely an alcoholic - it would become clear only when they try to function _without_ the alcohol


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> I'm glad there is increasing awareness of alcohol-related problems. No doubt the government will be under attack for trying to regulate drinking behaviour, just as it was for the smoking ban.


I have no problem with any government trying to do something about excessive drinking, when it actually occurs. What I do have a problem with is when governments take advantage of this by using a public health campaign as a means to increase taxes.


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## Guest (Mar 4, 2012)

{Insert $Coin where value=tuppence}

I would agree with most of the posts here. There are quite a few local drunks in our village and quite a few Brits in that mix. About ten days ago, around the San Blas Fiesta, I was walking my dogs at around 11pm, bitterly cold wind from North and light snow. I came across a guy on the edge of village lying on the ground. When I approached him, he got up, fell over a few times and staggered off _away _ from the village. 

Luckily, I spotted someone driving slowly around looking for someone, three guesses who. Anyway, the guys mate in the car (very drunk too) and I eventually got the drunk into the car and off they went.

The guy was wearing jeans and a shirt, with temperatures around zero, without the windchill, so who knows what the outcome could have been.

Last week, I was walking to the Stanko around 9am and one of the Brits was staggering up the alley toward the Coviran. He absolutely reeked of Brandy and pee. Nine o´clock in the morning! 

As for me, I`ve gone the other way. Since being here, my drinking has dropped off considerably. I rarely drink anything other than Covi`s finest own brand beer and then I have at least a few days a week where I simply don`t drink. Having been married to a violent alcoholic many years ago, the illusions around booze have changed for me and I go out of my way to avoid people that drink too much. My best mates wife is sometimes prone to scary outbursts of madness when she`s had too many. We haven´t spoken in almost three months because of the last time she did her thing. 20 years of friendship, potentially, down the pan...

So for me, some peoples inability to control their drinking and their sometime subsequent awful behaviour has impacted my life and continues to destroy relationships.

That`s what I think about alcholism...
Sucks doesn`t it?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Solwriter said:


> I have no problem with any government trying to do something about excessive drinking, when it actually occurs. What I do have a problem with is when governments take advantage of this by using a public health campaign as a means to increase taxes.


I'd rather they tax cigarettes and alcohol (non essential items) than bread, milk, water, electricity (essential items)


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Yossa said:


> {Insert $Coin where value=tuppence}
> 
> So for me, some peoples inability to control their drinking and their sometime subsequent awful behaviour has impacted my life and continues to destroy relationships.
> 
> ...


Yep


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Yossa said:


> So for me, some peoples inability to control their drinking and their sometime subsequent awful behaviour has impacted my life and continues to destroy relationships.
> 
> That`s what I think about alcholism...
> Sucks doesn`t it?



I'm the same, alcohol ruined my childhood, my alcoholic father was an embarrassment and a disgrace. I rarely drink and I'm not keen on drink culture, which is actually why I like Spain, altho the Spanish do drink, they dont tend to become lairy or uncontrollable - yes, I'm sure there are exceptions, but in general,they dont let it rule and destroy them.

Jo xxx


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I'd rather they tax cigarettes and alcohol (non essential items) than bread, milk, water, electricity (essential items)


So would I. (And I have no problem at all with the concept of paying tax as a means to fund essential services by the way).
What I do not like is hypocrisy.
If a government wants to raise taxes at the expense of alcohol drinkers, why not just come out and say it, rather than slowly building up to it with campaigns to show us how bad alcohol is for us.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Solwriter said:


> I have no problem with any government trying to do something about excessive drinking, when it actually occurs. What I do have a problem with is when governments take advantage of this by using a public health campaign as a means to increase taxes.



I suppose I ought to have a firm view as to what Governments should do...but tbh I'm not sure what I think.

My OH doesn't drink. Period. She is Glaswegian and has seen what alcohol can do to families. When you live with a teetotal person you become more aware of your own drinking. 

When I was younger I definitely drank too much. I cut down then my consumption rose as a direct consequence of working for my Union. The alcohol culture amongst trades unionists and politicians of all parties is mindblowing. I have seen the bar at the Grand Hotel Brighton full of drunks -literally full of drunken people in various stages of inebriation - during TUC. Ditto at Party conferences. It's very difficult not to get drawn in.

Getting older saved me. I just couldn't handle the hangovers. Now when I go to the occasional Conference I tend either to find a quiet restaurant and dine alone with a book propped against the cruet or if I go mob-handed I stick to a long drink like Magners (which gets diluted with all the ice in it) so I'm on my first drink while the others are on their fourth glass of wine.

I'm not sure I want the Government prescribing my or anyone's lifestyles. Yes, I know that the NHS spends money and time on treating drink -related diseases...so put up taxes. Alcohol is a luxury anyway and, like cigarettes, certainly isn't something the less well-off should be spending money on. 

But I'm not so sure about direct intervention, such as minimum pricing (although taxation would affect price levels) or restricting opening hours.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Solwriter said:


> So would I. (And I have no problem at all with the concept of paying tax as a means to fund essential services by the way).
> What I do not like is hypocrisy.
> If a government wants to raise taxes at the expense of alcohol drinkers, why not just come out and say it, rather than slowly building up to it with campaigns to show us how bad alcohol is for us.


But does increasing prices actually cut down on alcohol abuse? Evidence from some Scandinavian countries, which have very high taxes on alcohol would indicate not. Why should "sensible" drinkers (like me ) be penalised because of binge drinkers?

I think cultural change will come from within the peer group, not through government policy. Once it becomes deeply uncool to puke your guts up, things will change.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> Alcohol is a luxury anyway and, like cigarettes, certainly isn't something the less well-off should be spending money on.


What???? 

I can't believe you said that.


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> But does increasing prices actually cut down on alcohol abuse? Evidence from some Scandinavian countries, which have very high taxes on alcohol would indicate not. Why should "sensible" drinkers (like me ) be penalised because of binge drinkers?


I doubt very much that increasing prices cuts down on abuse. My argument is simply that the _perception_ that it will becomes a 'justifiable reason' for price increases when governments are looking for a way to increase taxes..



Alcalaina said:


> I think cultural change will come from within the peer group, not through government policy. Once it becomes deeply uncool to puke your guts up, things will change.


Good point.
(and the one reason I've never been any good at binge drinking. I hate puking my guts up.  )


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> What????
> 
> I can't believe you said that.


Neither can I


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Its a problem all over the world and Spain is no different. I'd love to see the data on drinking habbits in the ex pat community...I'd imagine booze consumption would be a lot higher than a UK average for many who retire to the sun.

Don't forget drug use is on the increase in Spain, especially amongst the young and unemployed.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Alcalaina said:


> But does increasing prices actually cut down on alcohol abuse? Evidence from some Scandinavian countries, which have very high taxes on alcohol would indicate not. Why should "sensible" drinkers (like me ) be penalised because of binge drinkers?
> 
> I think cultural change will come from within the peer group, not through government policy. Once it becomes deeply uncool to puke your guts up, things will change.



Tax on things that are bad for us can either act as a deterrent or simply be a way of putting money into the government coffers Either way, its how it is! Sensible drinkers (if there is such a thing) will have to grin and bare it IMO

As for cultural changes, I agree, putting high tax on things doesnt stop it. The problem is deep rooted. You have teenagers and young adults who not only want to be like their mates, they're also dogged with insecurities and confidence issues, which alcohol takes away. As for throwing up, IME thats a badge of honour and the more your throw up, the better the night was (even when they cant remember!!)

And back to the original question. I dont think theres as much binge drinking in spain amongst those who live there, altho the costas during the holdiay season...............???!!!


Jo xxx


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Alcalaina said:


> What????
> 
> I can't believe you said that.


Why??? Surely it's common sense. If you are short of money you spend on essentials: food, clothing, fuel. Alcohol, cigarettes...all these non-essentials come last if at all.

If you are short of money you have to learn to forgo some things. That's a fact of life. You prioritise. When I was a child I never went without decent clothes, a warm home and good, ample food. There wasn't anything left over from my mother's meagre wages for **** and booze.

When I first joined the Labour Party in North London our MP was Joyce Butler, a good old-fashioned type who believed that drink was the curse of the working-classes. No alcohol was served at our festive gatherings -I admit they were a bit dull. I was brought up with that opinion.....drink and tobacco were luxuries most people had to do without.

When I was teaching I used to get exasperated with parents -usually mothers - who complained at having to pay a couple of £ towards a museum trip but had the inevitable packet of Benson and Hedges clutched in their hands.

It's obvious to me and I would have thought to anyone that if money is tight you spend it on essentials not luxuries (and I would class cigarettes and alcohol as luxuries - they certainly were in most less well-off households when I was a child) and if you have money to spare then and only then do you indulge.

Since when has the ability to drink and smoke been a fundamental human right regardless of whether you have surplus income to spend on such non-essentials


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

mrypg9 said:


> Since when has the ability to drink and smoke been a fundamental human right regardless of whether you have surplus income to spend on such non-essentials


Perhaps it could be a new political ploy.
Allow those with plenty of money to drink and smoke themselves into an early grave and then the have nots take over the world? 

But on a more Spanish note...
Drinking wine is much more part of the culture here for all social classes.
And, as buying a cerveza in the local bar will get you a large, _free_ tapas meal, cutting out the cerveza wouldn't really be helpful.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Solwriter said:


> Perhaps it could be a new political ploy.
> Allow those with plenty of money to drink and smoke themselves into an early grave and then the have nots take over the world?
> 
> But on a more Spanish note...
> ...



But that is a different topic which isn't related to my point.

And going without isn't a question of 'haves' and 'have nots'. When I said 'the less well-off' that description can apply to many people in many different ways. When I was newly divorced and a single mother I bought a fairly modest terraced house. Paying the mortgage, feeding and clothing myself and my son even with his dad's contribution meant that for a few years I simply couldn't afford alcohol, cigarettes -that helped me stop smoking - or even a holiday apart from a trip to see my mum.

It's about priorities. Less well-off people rioted for bread not booze or Benson and Hedges!!

Would anyone really march for 'the right to drink and smoke' as a fundamental, inalienable human right? Alcohol and tobacco are drugs, albeit our society's drugs of choice and approval. 

As for the 'haves' i.e. us being able to drink and smoke ourselves to death.....could it not be said that making cheap booze and **** available in plenty to the less well-off helps quieten them and keep them in their place?

When the less well-off in England began to organise themselves in Trades Unions and the Labour Party, for many people drink was a great evil. I grew up in that atmosphere. 'Respectable' working people didn't go to the pub, never got drunk and the working man only afforded himself the luxury of his 'smoke' when all the essentials had been paid for.

I still retain vestiges of that puritanical outlook. I enjoy a glass of good wine because although Ican now afford it to me it's still a luxury. One that I would forgo if I couldn't afford to pay the rent, heating bills, buy food etc.

If all that's meant by emancipating people from want is to give them the chance to get drunk and smoke no wonder Governments get away with murder. In my view access to quality public space, education, health care and the arts...these are the essentials, not Alcopops, Carlsberg and Benson and Hedges...


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> Since when has the ability to drink and smoke been a fundamental human right regardless of whether you have surplus income to spend on such non-essentials


I regard it as a fundamental human right to be able to decide what to spend my own money on. 

My nightly glass or two of wine is precious to me, but I can easily live without new clothes, make-up, trips to the hairdressers etc. On the other hand some people regard getting their legs waxed as essential expenditure ... :juggle:


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Alcalaina said:


> I regard it as a fundamental human right to be able to decide what to spend my own money on.
> 
> My nightly glass or two of wine is precious to me, but I can easily live without new clothes, make-up, trips to the hairdressers etc. On the other hand some people regard getting their legs waxed as essential expenditure ... :juggle:


But you aren't in a position where you have through sheer necessity to choose between what is truly essential...food, shelter, clothing, heat...and what you would like to spend your money on.


I'm talking about people who just don't have the luxury of choice. And I'm not saying it's a good thing, I'm just saying that's how it is when money is tight. As I said to Solwriter, acceptance of a fact doesn't entail approval. 

Now....I could say I don't believe you wrote that first sentence.....I don't think it is or should be a fundamental human right to spend your money on whatever you decide for many reasons. Surely basic family survival needs come first?

Should people be allowed to spend money on personal weaponry? On any kind of anti-social behaviour? Should they be allowed to spend their money on private education to gain advantage in life for their children? Or to go private (in a NHS hospital now thanks to Tory reforms) so as to queue jump?

I wish I had enough spare cash so that OH and I could go to Sicily for a week. We watched a BBC 4 programme about its art and culture and we really want to go there.
But we can't afford it unless we give up something we can't really contemplate giving up...like paying the rent, for example.

I think one of the curses of our society is the 'I want it all and I want it now' culture....bloody free market again


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

jojo said:


> And back to the original question. I dont think theres as much binge drinking in spain amongst those who live there, altho the costas during the holdiay season...............???!!!
> Jo xxx


I don't think binge drinking is reduced to the Costas and the holiday season at all. 
There's not just one word or expression for this in Spanish, it depends on the region. One of them is _hacer litros_. The expression botellón is widely used however, and although it doesn't specifically refer to binge drinking, it does describe groups of young people consuming large amounts of alcohol, with the difference being that a botellón is always outside.
There have been/ are incidents all over Spain - Sevilla, Códoba, Madrid, Salamanca, Vitoria, Valencia... Nowadays some local councils actually give an area over to botellónes, especially in the fiestas, with the idea that if they confine them to one area the aftermath will affect less people. However, in some places they are held in central plazas which are surrounded by residents. Can you imagine what's it's like to be living in a square that every single weekend is filled with hundreds of people until ?? what time in the morning and what it's like to pick your way through bottles, piss, sick and ??? the next morning? That's what used to happen in several places in Madrid. I think the idea's worn itself out a bit now due to the above actions taken by local governments.
I don't know why, but even though there are laws against drinking in the street, where you can buy alcohol and at what time you can buy it, the people who practice botelloning are rarely arrested and, the botellón may well be policed therefore making it a safer form of entertainment for everyone???????


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

mrypg9 said:


> But that is a different topic which isn't related to my point.
> 
> And going without isn't a question of 'haves' and 'have nots'. When I said 'the less well-off' that description can apply to many people in many different ways. When I was newly divorced and a single mother I bought a fairly modest terraced house. Paying the mortgage, feeding and clothing myself and my son even with his dad's contribution meant that for a few years I simply couldn't afford alcohol, cigarettes -that helped me stop smoking - or even a holiday apart from a trip to see my mum.
> 
> ...


But as Alcalaina has said, one person's need is another person's non essential.

Don't get me wrong. I understand your argument completely. But I do not like the idea of _anyone_ deciding for me what is essential and what is not.

You see, once it is decided exactly what people should be buying for their families each week, it is a relatively easy step to telling them they must buy certain foods, buy their children certain clothes, books, etc.
(And what would you describe as 'the arts' These mean different things to different people and is still related to choice and personal preference)

But your argument could take us back to when the poor were not expected to have a choice about anything, simply to do what they were told.

I know this false element of 'choice' is related to the consumer society we find ourselves in and all the horrors that has produced.
But as you have said yourself, there is no going back, only forward.

(and I've just seen your answer to Alcalaina, but I'll carry on and post this anyway )


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Can you imagine what's it's like to be living in a square that every single weekend is filled with hundreds of people until ?? what time in the morning and what it's like to pick your way through bottles, piss, sick and ??? the next morning?


Sounds like somewhere I used to live in the UK.... 
But I really didn't think things were as bad as that in Madrid and other major cities (although I could have guessed, I suppose).
Guess I need to get out more (or not  )

Its good to get different points of view on binge drinking from people living in different Spanish communities.
Thanks for the eye opener.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> But you aren't in a position where you have through sheer necessity to choose between what is truly essential...food, shelter, clothing, heat...and what you would like to spend your money on.


I have certainly been in that position in the past and I'm not _that_ far off now! But my point was that I wouldn't want someone deciding on my behalf what is essential and what isn't (and neither, I suspect, would you). 

Anyway, I'm off now to spend the rest of my pocket money getting tanked up on thimblefuls of lager, as the last night of Carnaval beckons ... :cheer2:


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Alcalaina said:


> I have certainly been in that position in the past and I'm not _that_ far off now! But my point was that I wouldn't want someone deciding on my behalf what is essential and what isn't (and neither, I suspect, would you).
> 
> Anyway, I'm off now to spend the rest of my pocket money getting tanked up on thimblefuls of lager, as the last night of Carnaval beckons ... :cheer2:


Enjoy

You have kindled a thirst for a cool copa of fino.....talking about alcohol makes me want to drink it

No, I wouldn't want someone else deciding what is essential...but neither of us needs someone to tell us, because we *know.* Neither of us would piss off down the pub and leave a baby crying for milk. (A rather Victorian image, that)

My point which I made rather badly is that sometimes needs must come before wants and our consumer-oriented society, whilst no bad thing in itself, sometimes prioritises the 'must' over the 'should'.


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

mrypg9 said:


> Neither of us would piss off down the pub


That's a very gutteral utterance from an educated, refined, and cultured lady like yourself Mary.

I'm not rubbing off on you am I?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

XTreme said:


> That's a very gutteral utterance from an educated, refined, and cultured lady like yourself Mary.
> 
> I'm not rubbing off on you am I?


I think she was getting into the role, otherwise known as "method acting"


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

This thread has made me think twice....Merlot or Shiraz...went for the Shiraz in the end. I'm watching The Woman In Black later on the ridiculously large Sony TV I bought (probably after drinking too much) so I shall prepare nibbles and open a bottle of good Port to go at while watching the film.


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## Guest (Mar 4, 2012)

Oddly enough, I went to one of our local bars today. First time since New Years Eve. Personal choice, not some holier-than-thou-malarkey -mainly watching the pennies. I had a brief natter with a middle-aged English chap I vaguely know and watched him down four large red wines to my single bottle of beery suds over the course of 45 mins. He then got in his car to drive 400M home. Staggering around like a teenager at a school disco whilst attempting to open his car door. 

Pitiful. Utterly pitiful

Thing is, this chap is extremely well educated, polite and all the other jazz, but is a habitual drinker and, on occasion, a messy one at that. I felt embarrassed for him as he glugged his wine. From what I could see, there was no pleasure involved, more a case of get it down tout suite to get maximum affect of alcohol vs oxygen intake. Pitiful.

Part of me feels sorry for him. Then I remember my ex-Wife and like Jojo, my alcoholic father and all feelings of pity vanish and I simply think "jackass".

Contrary to popular belief (IMHO), there is no such thing as a "happy drunk". They might be "happy", but chances are their actions/behaviour are making others unhappy. 

Don`t get me wrong, I`m a professional cad and total party-animal, but I prefer to retain a modicum of control and always keep my whits about me. 

Mostly.

Ish...


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

Not a lot I can add to this.....except I don't drink! Absolutely no alcohol whatsoever!

Now I know exactly what you're thinking.....he's a recovering alcy! 
I've lost count over the years the number of times I've been asked "How long have you been on the wagon"....or off the wagon, whatever it is.....and "How long have you been clean?"

You know the truth? Not that I should be obliged to have to give reasons to people _why_ I don't touch alcohol.

The reason is I'm a chronic migraine sufferer and alcohol is a trigger for me.....and for the wife as well.
One drop of alcohol....however small, could see us incapacitated for days with serious vision impairment, vomiting, and a head that feels as if it's going to explode.
No....it's not a hangover....I couldn't drink enough alcohol to get a hangover before the attack came in.
To put it simply....alcohol to us is like Kryptonite to Superman, and we have to be very, very careful that somebody doesn't do anything stupid around us like slip a short into an orange juice. Cos that will make us very, very ill.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I think she was getting into the role, otherwise known as "method acting"


I'm afraid I take after my peasant grandmother. Crude and vulgar. At home my language is vile. I'm honestly trying to improve but you can take the girl out of the streets .....


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