Category: Social Life

Bigger wine glasses are making us drink more

0 Comments
Social Life

Are bigger wine glasses encouraging us to drink more?

Yes, according to a study carried out by the University of Cambridge

They found that people drank nearly 10% more when they drank from larger glasses. They’re not sure why, but think it might be because our view of what we’re drinking changes and we drink faster.

 

Wine glasses are getting bigger

300 years ago the average size for a wine glass was just 65ml, now your average glass size is 450ml which is a massive 500% increase.

Most of this increase occurred in the 1990’s.

Wine varies in alcohol strength but assuming 12.5% alcohol, a 100 ml wine glass would be one standard drink.

So the old smaller wine glass was less than one standard drink. But now if you fill your average 450ml glass with wine, you’re drinking three standard drinks from one glass of wine.

 

Wine glasses design

Wine experts believe the shape of wine glasses influence the taste of the wine.

For example, a wider glass is suggested  for red wine as it strengthens the smell of the wine and  a narrower glass is advised for white wine to keep  the white wine  cold.

I took a look at my own glasses and found my small champagne flutes hold 200ml.  but the red wine glasses come in at a shocking 640 ml. I knew these glasses were big. I just loved the design when I bought them but never copped the quantity they hold.

 

Just one glass and I’m binge drinking

So a full glass of these 640ml monsters and I’m binge drinking. I’m  also encouraging my friends to binge drink whenever they visit because one glass is never enough.

Binge drinking is six or more standard drinks and  these glasses hold six standard drinks.

Now we never fill up these glasses totally, but even if we only half fill them, two glasses in, we’re binge drinking and creating likely health problems for ourselves  in the future.

 

A quick tip to reduce your drinking

So, I think I’m going to have to stop using these glasses. It seems to be hard to find smaller wine glasses though. So maybe we’ll just use the champagne glasses and accept the differences in taste. None of us are wine experts anyhow.

If you’re trying to cut back on your drinking, why not measure out the wine glasses you’re using at home and see what size they are.

It might help to drink from a smaller glass and put the wine bottle firmly out of sight and reach of the chair you’re sitting in.  That way any time you want a refill it’s more of an effort to get out of the chair and this slows down your drinking.

If you’d like more   quick tips on reducing your drinking click here

 

PS Know your Bottle sizes as well

The quarter bottle of wine, (187 ml) you buy in the pub is nearly 2 standard drinks depending on the alcohol strength.

The standard bottle of wine (750ml) from the supermarket or off licence can range from six to eight standard drinks.

Interestingly in England some of the supermarkets are now selling bottles which have just  single servings of sparkling wine as reported here

 

 

Alcohol free social events becoming popular

0 Comments
Social Life

If you’re hanging out with friends who drink a lot, alcohol free social events might be just the ticket. I wrote here about how I ended up with a hangover because of pressure to drink and the research shows we tend to follow our friends behaviours.

 

 One won’t hurt

But if your whole social scene is about drinking with friends, it’s difficult to cut back on the drink. How often have we heard?

“One won’t hurt”

Or “you’re no fun without drinking”

Or arrived back at the table to find another yet drink beside your already full glass.

Or as Sinead found when she stopped drinking

“Are you pregnant?”

The pressure to drink from friends can lead to us drinking more.

 

A social life without drinking is difficult

So having a social life without drinking can be difficult, and as Irvine found he was much more creative when he did n’t live in Ireland, because he drank less. But things are changing.

 

Alcohol free social events becoming popular

Alcohol free events can be useful to get you started in developing a new social life without the hangovers and meet a new bunch of friends who like you want to drink less.

And no, it does n’t  mean joining AA. A whole new alcohol free social scene is developing in Dublin and is moving throughout the country.

Some examples include

 

Funky Seomra

Funky Seomra has alcohol free dance events in Dublin, Cork and Galway. Over 37,000 people have attended events so far. They have no events planned at the moment, but sign up for their newsletter  to hear about their next event.

 

Sober Slice

Sober slice can be found here. They welcome all types of people, male, female, Irish, International and the aim is to do fun activities sans alcohol.

They do everything from Yoga, interactive cinema where the audience gets to direct the story and board games.

 

Club Soda

Well established in England, Club Soda is a mindful drinking movement which has many Irish members.

Dublin member Kathryn is hosting their very first lunchtime event in Dublin on the 3rd of September. More details here

Now it can be intimidating going to these events on your own, but the very nice Club Soda people will arrange to meet you in advance so you don’t have to walk in to the venue on your own.

Their website has great help on managing your drinking –everything from low alcohol beers and wines to drink suggestions. Worth checking out. You can also sign up for their newsletter here.

 

Irish culture is changing

Irish culture is changing, alcohol free social events are  now becoming popular.  So you don’t have to become a social outcast if you want to reduce your drinking!

Finally check out our anonymous  free online course to see if you’re a social drinker or if you’re drinking in a way that will harm you.

Irvine likes a couple of beers, but can’t live in Ireland as it’s too difficult

0 Comments
Personal stories, Social Life

Irvine Welsh the celebrity film director of Trainspotting likes a couple of beers. He’s in the news again because he’s just produced a new novel “The Blade Artist” and a sequel to his famous movie Trainspotting.

In an interview with the Sunday Business Post, Irvine recounts his time spent taking a range of drugs and six happy years living in Dublin.  He apparently spent a lot of time flushing drugs down Dublin toilets. Trainspotting fans kept giving him drugs as the film is about drugs! At that stage after three transitions he was no longer taking drugs.

 

 Irvine likes a couple of beers

Irvine is  now into healthy living, he works out and eats well. Except when he’s in Dublin or Scotland. He finds when he’s in Dublin or Scotland he drinks too much. And he gets less work done.

He told the interviewer

“In Chicago when friends say “Let’s go out for a couple”  They mean a couple of beers, as opposed to a couple of days. They mean two beers and then you go home.”

 

Binge drinking is normal in Ireland

Irvine’s views are supported by the research. According to the Health Research Board we have the second highest rate of binge drinking in the world. Over 75% of the alcohol we drink is drunk in a binge drinking session.

 

What can we do to reduce binge drinking?

First, be aware of the number of drinks which are binge drinking. Six  standard drinks or more as you can see in the image below.

couple of beers

 

Second, sit out a round, make every second or third drink a glass of water.

Third, choose drinks which have less alcohol in them.  For example Low alcohol beers or wines with less alcohol.

You can find plenty more tips on reducing alcohol harm in our free online course here.

 

Yeah, I’m happy with my place in life

So Irvine now lives in Chicago, it’s

“… Great for me, because it means I get on with more work and drink less”

And he says he’s happy with his place in life.

“If you’d offered it to me back then, I’d have taken it”

 

We’re losing out

So Ireland loses a great talent because our culture does not accept normal drinking as a “couple of beers”.

Wonder how many other great talents are wasted because we’re drinking too much?

 

You can see the full interview with Irvine here. (Subscription required)

Three reasons we feel we’re missing out when we drink less

0 Comments
Social Life

We’ve all felt it when we’ve tried drink less. We feel like we’re missing out on something, or we’re the odd ones out.  We’re not normal, or why can’t we drink like everybody else? A major reason why we feel like this, is the influence of the  society we live in. The alcohol industry has created what experts call an “alcogenic” society where too much drinking is normal and a number of myths about drinking exist.

 

Myth one:  Drinking alcohol is normal

Because of big alcohol’s brilliant and creative marketing we are brainwashed into thinking people who drink are sociable, happy, healthy and attractive.

Big alcohol also sponsors major sporting organisations such as the  IRFU in their efforts to link alcohol with sports and success.

drink less

While the government tried to ban alcohol sponsorships in the draft public alcohol bill, big alcohol put so much pressure on politicians this provision was taken out. The watered down bill has still not been passed despite years of debate.

 

“IRFU are sponsored by the heroin industry”

You probably are outraged by this headline and image.  Unlike alcohol, heroin is illegal. Yet according to respected experts   the overall most harmful drug to us  is not heroin but alcohol.

drink less

Yes, alcohol is more harmful to people than drugs like heroin, marijuana etc.  We look down on people smoking joints or using heroin but because of big alcohol’s marketing we think it’s ok to drink a drug that is far more harmful to us in order to feel like we’re connected to other people and  part of society.

 

Myth two: People who drink too much are social deviants

Big alcohol wants us to believe that only a small number of people abuse alcohol. Homeless people, people living on park benches, people with mental health issues.  Not ordinary people like you and me.

In Ireland however, the majority of people (54%)  who drink are actually harming their health.

less drinking

By creating this image that if we can’t drink less, we’re social deviants, big alcohol makes us feel that we’re the problem rather than the real problem being the relentless marketing we’re subjected to making us think drinking alcohol is normal every day activity.

As explained here, the reality  is big alcohol needs heavy alcohol users to be profitable and they  hide this fact.

So we’re encouraged to drink too much and then when we try to cut back, we feel like we’re social deviants thus making it more difficult to drink less.

 

Myth three: People who don’t drink or drink less, don’t matter

Big alcohol want us to believe that alcohol is mainly consumed by hip, attractive and healthy adults. People who don’t drink or drink less are not part of society or our culture or are not healthy.

They produce reports stating people who drink less are less healthy. But because of bias in the comparison groups where they select people who have given up drinking for health reasons e.g. diabetes, these reports are incorrect and misleading.

Yet even in Ireland, nearly one fifth of our population don’t drink at all, but we don’t hear much about these people. Very  common beliefs about people who don’t drink is they are  pregnant, or  are no fun,stuck up  or look down on people who don’t drink. Or  to use that really awful term they  are  “recovering alcoholics”

 

How can I avoid feeling like I’m missing out when I drink less?

There are a number of ways to do this, but here’s three quick tips.

First, keep reminding yourself that your tipple of choice is really toxic and used in everything from cleaning dirty car engines to getting rid of  smelly feet. See more details on alternative uses of alcohol here. If you keep reminding  yourself alcohol  is toxic, eventually alcohol will feel less attractive to you.

Second, keep reminding yourself that far from being a social deviant, you’re an  intelligent person who is ahead of their time and the way society thinks. Remember when it is used to be ok to physically hit children, lock them away in institutions  and no one batted an eye lid?

In the future we will look back at how we accepted too much drinking as normal with the same horror and wonder how we let it go on for so long.

Third, keep reminding yourself of all the positive benefits of drinking less. You’ll look better, you’ll have more energy, and you’ll have more time to do other things you enjoy because you’re not sleeping off hangovers. If you’re not sure what your benefits from drinking less are you can use our course here to find out or check out this blog post.

You can find out more about the  evidence that  big alcohol creates myths  to make us drink more here.

A smile is a better friend then a glass of champagne- despite what social media says

0 Comments
Social Life

Social media encourages us to drink

In today’s cultural phenomenon of media, the portrayal of alcohol has a wide spectrum of influence. From the celebratory champagne drunk by Leonardo Dicaprio in the Great Gatsby to Bridget Jones drowning her sorrows in wine. The presence of alcohol has always been visible in film and television, with associations relating to celebration and grief and several other trials and tribulations within life. However the growth of social media, enabled the drinking of alcohol to become widely accepted.

 

We now believe drinking alcohol is a normal way of living

Alcohol became part and parcel of a celebrated life. Social media has helped to  create a belief that success and happiness are in some way bound to alcohol consumption not only within the forum of Hollywood movies but as a life accessory.

 

Reality has become skewed

People have constant access to the daily existence of others, an angled, captioned, filtered existence. Reality has become skewed. A fleeting moment of perfection. Social media has allowed  and encouraged a groomed portrayal of life as fun and flirty, full of laughter and alcohol. This association could lead some to connect good times only with the consumption of alcohol.

 

A world of pretence which makes us believe we’re lacking

Of course, alcohol is and can be consumed as part of good times and enjoyment of life. But social media has facilitated a world of pretence where an image can create feelings  we are lacking. An ever moving world where the fun is always happening NOW and if you are not there, you are not part of it.

 

Success is measured by our online presence

Success has become an object measured by an online presence.  A world we are now beginning to realise can cover and hide a multitude of emotions. The face value of a picture should not be held in esteem as an insight into the life of another person. Their social media presence is not a realistic image of the life they really live.

Of course, the advantages and benefits of social media are obvious and important to remember. However it is also important to realise the world we see through the eyes of social media is posed and artifical.

 

A smile is a better accessory than a glass of champagne

We see the moments of joy, not the moments of sadness, we see the celebration, the clink of champagne flutes, not the headache and empty purse the following morning. For as much truth as you see, there is much lacking.

It is necessary to understand that success and happiness are multi-faceted and that a 2d image is not a portrayal of a 3d life. A real smile will always be a better accessory than a glass of champagne.

 

Editor’s Note

If you’ d like to know more about advertising messages you might find this post interesting.

Ten top tips to avoid Christmas hangovers

0 Comments
Social Life

Even if you  want to avoid Christmas Hangovers, “social pressure” to drink from friends or others can make it hard to cut back or quit.  We’re all familiar with Mrs Doyle “Ah go on, go, go on”.

 

christmas hangoversHow often have we heard

“Sure one little one won’t hurt. It’s Christmas”.

Only to wake up the following morning with a horrible hangover and the day ruined.

So here are 10 quick tips to make sure your Christmas is hangover free.

 

1. Recruit supportive friends

If you have supportive friends who know you are trying to avoid Christmas hangovers you can choose to tell them your plans in advance so they’ll support you. I’ve found this tip really useful. Now all my friends ask before they refill my  glass.

 

2. Say nothing and take the car

You can decide to say nothing and simply take the car so you have to say No.  Then you can say you can’t drink  because you’re driving.  The downside of this is you can end up driving everybody home which can take hours!  So again have an excuse ready, if you want to avoid always being the taxi driver.

 

3. Bring your own bottle

These days it’s more acceptable to bring your own drink  to Christmas house parties.The range of nice alcohol free or low alcohol drinks is increasing all time. You can now  buy them in supermarkets like Lidl. There’s  alcohol free mulled wines available.

You don’t  have to tell people your tipple of choice is low in alcohol. So there’s less social pressure as people see you drinking alcohol. You can check out a review of  these low alcohol drinks at ClubSoda here.

 

4.Plan how you will say no

When you know alcohol will be served, it’s important to think about how you will say no.

If you expect to be offered a drink, you’ll need to be ready to deliver a convincing “no thanks.” Your aim is to be clear and firm, yet friendly and respectful.

Avoid long explanations and vague excuses, as they tend to prolong the discussion and provide more of an opportunity for you to give in.

 

5.How you say no  helps

Be confident. Don’t hesitate, as that will give you the chance to think of reasons to say yes.

Look directly at the person and make eye contact.

Keep your response short, clear, and simple and stick to” I” statements.

It’s a good idea to plan a series of responses in case the person persists.

For example

“No, thank you.

No, thanks, I don’t want to.

No thanks, I’m still getting over my  office parties christmas hangovers“.

  

6.Try the broken record strategy

You can also try the “broken record” strategy. Each time the person asks you to drink, you can simply repeat the same short, clear response. You might want to acknowledge some part of the person’s points maybe something like… (“I hear you…”) and then go back to your broken-record reply or “I hear you, but no thanks”. And look if words fail, you can walk away

 

7.Make sure you “own” your decision to say no to Christmas hangovers

How you think about any decision to change can affect your success.  Many people who decide to cut back or quit drinking think,

“I am not allowed to drink”

as if somebody else were imposing rules on them.

Thoughts like this make it easier to give in. It’s important to challenge this kind of thinking by telling yourself that you are in control, that you know how you want your life to be, and that you have decided to make a change.

Also think about all the lovely benefits  you want.  For example,those horrible Christmas hangovers the next morning will be a distant memory.

 

8.Make sure you respect your decision to say no

You may worry about how others will react or view you if you make a change. Again, challenge these thoughts by remembering that it’s your life and your choice, and that your decision not to have Christmas hangovers should be respected.

 

9.Practise saying no

At Christmas, eveyone over 18 is expected to drink or be seen as a Christmas Grinch. Many people are surprised at how hard it can be to say no to drinking at Christmas. You can build your confidence by scripting and practicing your lines, much like an actor.

First imagine the situation and the person who’s offering the drink. Read it aloud to get really comfortable with your phrasing and delivery.

Also, consider asking a supportive friend to role-play with you. Ask someone who would offer real pressure to drink and honest feedback about your responses.

 

10. Act like you’re the boss

Remember you’re the boss of you. You are in charge of how much information you want to share with people around you and what and how and when you want to share it.

You don’t have to justify not drinking or not having that extra drink.

We hope these tips help you to avoid those Christmas hangovers.

It can be a really difficult time.  All the pressure to be happy.  Giving thoughtful gifts from your shining home. To have the  perfect family situation and loving relationships. Who would not want to drink to get away from  that pressure?  If like some of us, this is you, we  found Lucy’s tips here really helpful.

If you would like more practical drinking  tips to reduce Christmas handovers, please click here.

We wish you  a relaxing peaceful Christmas with no Christmas hangovers.

Top tips to handle the Christmas office party

1 Comment
Practical tips, Social Life

Here we are again at Christmas office  party season – a time met in equal measure with excitement and a slight sense of dread. There can be very few people out there who haven’t at some point in their past slightly regretted their alcohol intake at a work Christmas “do”.

 

You serenade the crowd with a chorus of “Last Christmas”

Something about the occasion causes everyone to relax their inhibitions. The excitement of season, the novelty of mixing with colleagues outside of the office environment and before you know it you’ve had one glass of prosecco too many and are serenading the crowd with a chorus of ‘Last Christmas.’

I’ve been that soldier and whilst it’s a common enough occurrence, it’s not something I personally want to repeat. So how to approach the looming Christmas invites?

 

Don’ t go under duress

Firstly, I think it’s important to remember that it’s OK to say no, if you don’t want to go – parties are supposed to be fun, so you don’t want to be there under duress.

 

Top tips for the Christmas Office party

If you do want to go though, here are a couple of tips to help limit the alcohol intake.

  1. Start off the night with a soft drink. I find that the first drink can often be the one that really goes to your head, particularly if you haven’t eaten. So starting off with a soft drink helps set the pace for the evening.
  2. When having a soft drink, have it in a fancy glass with ice and lemon.
  3. Stick to a drink your’re  familiar with – now is not the time to start drinking fancy cocktails if you’re not used to them.
  4. Try non-alcoholic cocktails if you want to join in the festive fun – anything with Cranberries is a perfect festive alternative.
  5. Don’t get caught up in drinking rounds, stick to your own pace – good advice at any time of year, but particularly in the excitement of the office party, when you’re mixing with people you wouldn’t normally socialise with.

 

Finally, enjoy it – at your own pace! Happy Christmas.

 

Editor’s note

For more tips on enjoying your  drinking without harm click here

You’re pregnant, my friend screamed when I stopped drinking

0 Comments
Personal stories, Social Life, Uncategorised

I stopped drinking

I stopped drinking around April of this year. Apart from the big lifestyle change itself, one of the toughest aspects of the whole process was that people noticed… And wanted answers.

 

Are you pregnant?

“Are you pregnant!?!?”  One friend shrieked, in a voice that was much too loud for the restaurant we were in.  Others did the awkward ‘ohhh‘ followed by a tentative inquiry as to why. My solution?  It was to be as honest or vague as I felt my relationship with that person warranted. Overall though, some small degree of honest communication usually worked, even if it was just “Health Reasons.”

 

My best friends became non-alcoholic drinks

Social circles do get smaller when you quit the drink, and I dealt with this by offering other ways of keeping those bonds.  My best friend became non-alcoholic drinks during this period. There’s a sense of inclusion to drinking, and with non-alcoholic ciders, I could sit around with my friends while they’ve got their wine.

 

I’m not throwing off the vibe of the group

The best part? I still feel like I’m not throwing off the vibe of the group by being the only one without ‘a drink’.  But this can make it easy to cheat, I devised a new strategy. In some cases, offering alternative ways to socialise showed that I was interested in seeing these friends, but in a way we could all enjoy. I’m happy to report that most of them responded positively to it.

 

Good people were supportive

All in all, I found that people were wonderfully willing to accept and support me.  And if some were pushy or unsupportive instead, I sadly had to realise that they were not the best people to have around me at the time.

….And I’m pretty sure the wait staff in that restaurant still think I’m pregnant.

 

 

If you’d like to find out more about non-alcoholic drinks please click here.

Can’t Cope Won’t Cope Aisling and Danielle in trouble

0 Comments
Social Life, The big picture

Can’t Cope Won’t Cope is the new Irish comedy drama from RTE2. It features 2 Cork girls, Aisling who works in finance and mature art college  student   Danielle. The girls hit the town on a regular basis to block all their problems  out.

The first Can’t Cope Won’t Cope episode has events many of us will be familiar with.

 

Aisling vomits on her blouse

Aisling is hung over when her dislikeable boss (wow Amy Huberman) puts her under pressure to do better and Aisling ends up vomiting in the toilet and over her blouse.

The following night she deserts her friend Danielle for a one night stand and has unprotected and unenjoyable  sex in what turns out to be the house of her boss.

She ends up in the chemist (again) for the morning after pill but tells the chemist she won’t go on the pill or use condoms because she only goes out with

“nice clean boys who have jobs and she’s not that kind of girl who sleeps around”

 

Danielle is told her work has no meaning

Meantime Danielle is struggling. Her tutor says her art work has no personality. Danielle has talent, but because she does not know what she wants her art work to mean she’s struggling. Is alcohol stopping her from really using her talent?

Initially, the girls appeared to me to be very unlikeable. But then in Coppers, you see them rescuing a young Asian man from humiliation because they don’t like bullies. Although the girls are funny and  witty,  overall I found it sad. You know the girls are heading for a train wreck.

 

Aisling and Danielle are typical problem drinkers

In Can’t Cope Won’t Cope, Aisling and Danielle  show  the most common kind of person with an alcohol problem. Not a homeless person drinking from a brown paper bag, shouting abuse at passer’s by, but intelligent, working, kind, people just like you and me.

 

Maybe my teenagers will be ok after all

What’s interesting on the twitter chat  ( #cantcopewontcope)  is how many people did n’t see  the alcohol abuse problem.

 “Surprisingly accurate when it comes to non-Dubliners living in the city in their 20s”

“20something flashback! Maybe my teenagers will be grand after all”

Yeah, if they don’t get liver disease, which has tripled in recent years!  (Click here for more details)

The odd critical comment was

“Well that was shit. Just about Irish women being brats, drunk and rough”

 

Let’s ignore our alcohol abuse problem

So far there’s been very little Twitter debate on our alcohol abuse problem. The fact that over half of us who drink, abuse alcohol. In the  programme most of the main characters drink heavily. Apart from one person who is seen as boring as she bounces up and down on her bouncy office desk seat!

drinking socially

 

I’m not  surprised.This weekend the Irish Hospital Consultants association call for 6 extra hospitals to be provided.  Not a  mention of the fact that we have the equivalent of nearly two Cork University Hospitals occupied every single  night by people with an alcohol abuse problem.

There are some rare notable  exceptions. For example, Cork medical consultant Dr Orla Crosbie who features in our video.  However in general, medics seems to ignore alcohol abuse. They don’t offer help to people- even when they end up in the hospital emergency department as Lucy writes here.

Check out this Medical Independent Article shown below which shows doctor’s casual attitudes to drink.

can't cope won't cope

 

Of the 1.5 million people who abuse alcohol only 8,000 people actually receive help according to official records. No mention that alcohol abuse is one of the biggest drivers of  cost in the healthcare system.

Next time, you’re waiting with a loved one on a hospital trolley, remember  you would not have to wait if we took alcohol abuse seriously and provided effective help.

can't cope won't cope

Can’t Cope Won’t Cope shows we live in an alcogenic society

We live in what the experts call an “alcogenic” society. A society which values and praises alcohol. Allowing us to be surrounded by alcohol marketing and then dismissing those who run into trouble as if  it’s their own fault.

So if you’re feeling cut off and isolated because you have an alcohol drink problem, remember you’re not alone. Click here to find out how we can help you (no personal details or credit card needed).

You can catch up on past episodes of Can’t Cope Won’t Cope here and it continues on RTE at 9.30 Monday evenings.