Interestingly, last summer when my missus was away with our daughter at her parents' dacha, I found myself drinking loads on my own. Not getting ratted or anything, but usually a couple of cans of really good craft ale after work every night, occasionally three or four. Plus a takeaway. I love cooking, but doing it for myself I just find boring and depressing. Posh takeaways, like sushi or Italian sourdough pizza, but takeaways nonetheless. Waking up every morning to be greeted with the student-esque sight of pizza boxes and empty cans was a real eye opener as to how my life would quickly end up looking if I wasn't married. I tried to convince myself that it was ok as the 8.5% tins were from the local micro brewery rather than Tennants Super and the pizza boxes weren't from Domino's, but if we're being honest it doesn't make a right lot of difference when it all boils down to it.
Positive thoughts that Mrs Shenk gets to come home and enjoy those football trips again. MS is a horrible disease.
I’m definitely drinking a lot less this second lockdown, previously me and the Mrs were having a few beers most nights but now it’s just a couple of beers and a shared bottle of wine on a Sunday afternoon.
Not touched it for well over five years - never will again. The closer I got to 40, the more absolutely hellish the next day would be, and I am talking about two pints with a pub meal, not ten pints and no food. I was always a lightweight, and so I just gave up. And emotionally, I can swing to being pretty depressed - booze doesn't help with a stable mood. Another reason to stop.
I voted for 14-30 but I'm on the lower end of that. It's definitely gone up since COVID. It went up alarmingly on monday night, we had a socially distanced 6-person gathering in our friends' garden to celebrate my birthday on tuesday. I was blathered...
I've had a couple of proper zoomathons with my mates, with the corresponding "zoomover" the next day. When your next drink is sitting in the fridge it's much more difficult to exercise any measure of self control, compared with actually walking to the bar, ordering it, and paying bar prices.
It was brilliant just to sit with friends, have a drink, a good chat and a laugh. It got a bit cold after the sun went down but nobody seemed to notice it for some reason...
Before Barnsley play, win, draw or lose. During Barnsley winning, drawing or losing and after Barnsley winning, they've drew or lost
Haven’t had a drink since New Year and it just doesn’t bother me,even the wife is now on non alcohol gin and wine.I used to like a couple of good shots of whiskey at night but just don’t miss it and we are sleeping better.
I'm similar. Since lockdown we've been keeping some of the independents going with deliveries to the door. Pre covid we might go to a local taproom midweek and have 2 or 3, and then on a weekend wander somewhere and maybe have 3 or 4 but nothing in between the rest of the week. Now, (literally prior to this week) I'd have a drink every day (just one) with some days two if we were splitting one and maybe 3 on a Saturday. So at the weekend (after yet another abnormal blood test) I decided to have some rest days which my body was accustomed to a year ago, so not had a drink since Sunday evening which I'm fine with.
Easy with no pubs open and with it being the autumn . So wasn’t bothered about missing having a few beers outside
To be honest mate I put a brave face on it but if I was drinking as well as being locked down like the last three months, I think I'd be in an even more difficult place. Getting the motivation to do my job is difficult enough lately without having a hangover. I'm literally going days without seeing anyone at all and even then it's the cashier at Farmer Copley's/Morrison's. I've cleared half of my beer fridge in giveaways to people (it's more of a fridge and then five cupboards - I'm not joking), but as one of the biggest social drinkers I know it's quite alarming how much I've cut back. Saying that I had one of my worst hangovers ever after THAT Brentford game. I can see that happening again when the games start to really, really mean something. The business end of the season demands a beer or ten.
Happy belated birthday wishes mate. Hope you had a good one. My birthday is in August. Hopefully I will be able to normally celebrate in a pub.......but I’m not holding my breath on that one.
I did three months dry in the initial lockdown. When football returned I went back to the odd drink the night before a game and the evening after a game. It’s been like that since. I drink much less than I used to as I’ve got older. The hangovers are torture nowadays. Not had a beer since the Wednesday game. Might have a few tonight to watch Poland match.
What's your situation Loko? As far as I know your other half is American. Is she in the US right now?
Dry since Christmas Day. Missis and me open a bottle of Champagne and have it with Christmas Dinner. Haven.t had a pork pie since last night either
I’m between the first two (but much closer to the first than second). I go months and months between drinking and then when I do I’d never have more than one glass of wine/one can/maybe two single barcardis and Diet Coke if in the house, in fact I often ask Will to share a can with me if I’m having one. If I’m out on a night out I might have 3 maximum before I start to feel paranoid and stop drinking, it just totally ruins a night out for me. Without a drink I’m the life and soul of the party, as soon as I’ve had more than one I start questioning if my actions are because of the drink and I become boring and miserable. I’ve never been able to relax into being drunk, I’ve always got the sober me in my head too and it feels like I’m arguing with myself all night so I’d rather just not bother. I also have a rule that I will never drink if not in a happy mood, I don’t want to have one when down and feel better and make it a habit to drink to chase problems away. I hate how expected it is to drink though and the peer pressure that goes with it, especially when people keep buying you drinks to force you when you’ve already clearly said no. They soon stop when I put it down on a table and tell them I’m not drinking it though (although then you get others saying you are ungrateful and mean until you give them it and they’re happy again). The amount of times I’ve had to ask bartenders to put my Diet Coke in a glass they serve vodka and coke in, or quietly bought a mocktail is unreal.
Attitudes are shifting on this big time. The growth in the no/low alcohol category is off the charts, the options for those not wanting to drink are better, the number of people being mindful of how much they drink has increased, and the younger demographic coming through are more interested in a photo online with a green juice outside a gym than being in a nightclub with a jaegar bomb (as an example). Appreciate if you don't go out very often you won't have experienced that, and even less so in the last 12 months of lockdowns, but 'grown up' and great tasting no/low alcohol options are more available than ever in pubs and restaurants that allow you to abstain from alcohol but still be inclusive of your group. Obviously that relies on the group not having draconian attitudes to drinking, but the times they are definitely a changing.