Comments on: An alcohol free existence

By: john

john — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:52:35 +0000

steve
Have been looking at the idea of emigrating but college and work commitments have put that on hold for the time being what really gets me is that all the women i have come across have all looked at me differently when i tell them i dont drink

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:13:03 +0000

Hi John,
I have thought long and hard about a solution. A way to socialise and meet people without alcohol, but sadly i just can’t find any. The fact is Ireland has a huge drinking culture which leaves the non drinkers amongst us feeling isolated and unaccepted. I recently heard a man on the radio saying that any Irish man who says he doesn’t enjoy a pint should be in a monastery. It’s this attitude that really annoys me. Non drinkers are not freaks. We are not all boring celibate dry shites who can’t enjoy ourselves. I am tired of been called a dry shite just because i don’t enjoy going out to see a bunch of guys getting battered. It’s just not my scene and plenty of people feel the same. Now there are lot’s of people out there who say there are many alternatives to the pub such as the cinema, bowling etc, but these are not great places to meet people. Not in Ireland anyway. In countries like the U.S and Canada it is common to meet and ask people out in public places other than pubs, but we are not like that in Ireland. The problem is these other social activities usually revolve around alcohol anyway. A group of people may go to the cinema or a restaurant but then decide to go to the pub afterwards. I recently went on night out with some work mates. We went to a bowling alley which i thought was a great idea but i was shocked when i realized that most of the people were all ready pissed before they set foot in the bowling alley. They had been in the pub earlier. Every social event revolves around alcohol. There is no avoiding it. So you see it just doesn’t work. There is no way out of it. The only solution i can think of is to emigrate to a country where there is less emphasis on alcohol. A place where everyone is accepted. I would like to move to Canada one day. Its a place where there is something for everyone. I would like to get out of here anyway because a non drinker in Ireland is about as much use as a condom machine in the Vatican.

By: john

john — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:55:31 +0000

steve
Just taught i would respond to your comment what you say is dead right as a result of this your confidence hits rock bottom as you cannot meet any new people as all social outings are centered around drinking just wondering if you had any suggestions on how to rectify this situation that the mindset within ireland has presented up with

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:24:37 +0000

Its not easy been a non drinker in Ireland. As a non drinker myself i have been ridiculed as a freak, a dry shite, as tight as a camels arse in a sandstorm, (I don’t see the logic here), that’s like saying someone is tight because they don’t smoke. That’s a choice you make, it’s nothing to do with the money. Now i used to drink, i tried it for about a year and i just got fed up with it. I was not enjoying it so i just stopped. Ever since then i have become a social outcast. Its almost impossible to meet new people now, and i find myself slowly losing touch with my friends. Just what other options are there for the non drinker in a Country where binge drinking is the norm?

By: janine

janine — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:32:58 +0000

Hi John,
You might be interested in the Non Drinkers Group. Most of the events are Dublin based and the group has its own message board at boards.ie. The website address is http://www.nondrinkersgroup.com/

By: john

john — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 09:03:14 +0000

hi guys. Unfortunatly everything you say about irelands love of alcohol and absolute disregard of all us disadvantaged souls never to have enjoyed alcohol is true just wondering is there any societys clubs etc. Apart from the pioneers operating out of leinster region where like minded people can come together and enjoy social outings without being hounded to drink

By: Sara

Sara — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:17:07 +0000

Hi All,

Makes for very interesting reading! I am researching a newspaper article on people who don’t drink in Ireland and would love to talk to as many of you who are still on the wagon (I realise that this thread is over a year old but am hoping some of you still check it)

Thanks,

Sara

By: janine

janine — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:05:40 +0000

Hi Puss in Boots,
I see what you mean about the big drought blog now being password protected. However, a quick Google suggests that the same Markham (I hope!?) is now blogging at http://expad.ie/ and believe it or not is actually over working in Oz at the moment!
As a non-drinker myself I know what you mean about people treating you like a freak. I did not realise drink was as big a deal in Australia. I think it gets easier as you get older. Now I’m in my late 20s *sigh* I find I don’t care as much what people think. I don’t drink - get over it!

By: Puss In Boots

Puss In Boots — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 22:07:54 +0000

I know this post was written in 2005, but I was wondering, if you get notice of this comment somehow, if you could ask Markham to contact me. I would like to read his blog, but it’s invite only, and there is no contact information for him. I’m a non-drinker and have been forever and am interested in how his non-drinking experience went in Ireland, where the drinking culture sounds very similar to here in Australia. I know I get treated like a freak when people find out I don’t drink, so I was wondering what sort of reactions he got.

Thanks!

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 09:42:33 +0000

John, that sounds like a great idea! In travelling around the world I got to see that the egyptians have it down to a tea, quite litterally! The meeting places are tea shops where they sit outside the shop and chat, they smoke pipe or sheesha and chill out and hang out. A very nice way to spend socialising and not a drop of drink! I gave up drink 4 months ago and have seen my health improve drastically. Would love to hear of a new evening tea joint where the drink taps are replaced with tea bags!