Wagons Roll
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I haven’t had a drink since Tuesday 20th April, when I had two pints at the King’s Wark, and haven’t enjoyed a ‘proper’ drinking session since three days earlier than that. (That was Tomfest, for those that were in attendance)
This brief period of abstinence is not due to any new found sense of piety or temperance, it’s simply down to a course of weapons-grade antihistamines the doctor has put me on. However it has given me a glimpse into how my lifestyle would change if I were to strap myself into a comfortable seat on the wagon in a more committed fashion.
When I gave up smoking around five years ago I found that it was relatively easy to quit by simply not telling myself that I’d “given up smoking”. Instead I decided to simply stop buying cigarettes on a habitual basis, and told myself if I ever felt like a cigarette I could have one. This decision was made easier by returning home from living in India and having to make the adjustment from paying 60p a pack to more than a fiver. That was enough of a shock to the system to securely underpin my decision. I found that avoiding the psychological pressure you can put yourself under by insisting on a rigid and steadfast regime of abstinence and telling yourself that you’ve “given up”, coupled of course with that sudden stratospheric cost increase, was enough to discourage me from continuing with the habit.
Not that I’m planning any sort of similar strategy with the booze, I was born in a pub and have continued merrily marinading myself for the 35 years since; but I might carry on behaving myself for a little while longer after my course of tablets finishes next week. My wallet is certainly appreciating the break, and waking up without a hangover each weekend morning has been a pleasant novelty, too.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been to plenty of gigs, a couple of meals out in restaurants, quiet encounters with drinking partners in pubs, and friends’ rowdy birthday celebrations, and remained ‘dry’ throughout. There is however, a point during a heavy drinking session when the rest of the party attain a certain altitude you simply can’t reach while sober, and you either leave and go home or assume the sensible, and quite boring, ‘designated driver’ role.
The thing is, I don’t actually mind the fact that drink is an ever-present spectre in the cultural space that I inhabit, I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Nevertheless, the enforced change of pace, a brief “walk on the mild side” if you will, has been an intriguing experience.
Dying for a pint though.
I think it’s quite interesting how much time we all, (and by all, i mean most of the friends i have) spend either in a pub, or at a gig drinking or drinking at house parties or dinner parties. Having been dubbed “Edinburgh’s premiere booze band” by someone i can’t remember (ironically), I would personally find it very difficult to go as long as Dylan has without drinking. Even our weekly rehearsals seem to dissolve into drunk shouting eventually, albeit enjoyable drunk shouting.
Having said that, I did spend 10 months sober whilst incubating the wee man, so it just goes to show what incentive can do.
Well done to you sir.
Habitual drinking is such a strange thing. I have recently been put on an enforced program of moderation by my doctor, right before I go on tour, and the thought occurred “well that is simply impossible”. I don’t even particularly enjoy the boozey tour life-style but you just get in the habit. Which, I suppose, is wrong-uns.
So Dylan was 100% sober at Sneaky’s on Saturday night? Well blow me down I’ll be damned…
I know, Nick, it’s hard to tell isn’t it.
I used to drink rather a lot. Until I met Creature. Living with her means I dont feel the need to booze it up. I mainly boozed in order to go out, look at girls, imagine what it would be like if I ever talked to them, never talk to them and go home in a haze of regret and resignation to a life alone. This means that when I DO booze with the band it’s ok as it’s a one or two off.
The annoying thing is that I have not lost any weight. I do eat a lot more cakes now which doesnt help that much.
It feels good not boozing, like Dylan says, the novelty of waking up without a hangover. For me though its a novelty that isnt wearing off. Because it’s fucking amazing.
Christ, I might start doing some exercise. Fuck. I HATE exercise.
I like drinking alcohol, mainly because it improves my conversation skills and makes me sound much funnier, in addition to making me appear more attractive to the opposite sex.
I also hear that it has medicinal qualities, and helps slow down the aging process.
Bart becomes attractive to the opposite sex? What a wondrous liquid!!
What about being attractive to the same sex? I must admit that once you have had a beer or two Bart the way your eyes are magnified by your spectacles gives me the ‘orn!
Very owl-like.
A bit like this…
http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab158/crackedtopicpics/romero_old.jpg
I like the continued theme of me being compared to my heroes.
From here on, I think I should only ever be compared to one of my heroes.
Can everyone make a note of this?
Noted.
You also remind me of …
http://www.clevelandleader.com/files/rickymartingay.jpg
I’ve just listened back to the recording of the show me and Ali did for Fresh Air radio on Saturday, and in my bewildered state of stagefright, I did indeed state that Bart had a “beautifully sunny hairstyle“.
How do you embed links like that? I wanted Bart to click on the Ricky Martin picture without knowing it was a Ricky Martin picture. That way the hilarity would have been magnified ten-fold.
I probably would have guessed it’d be Ricky Martin anyway, since we were discussing my heroes.
And I was most amused that the picture had the file name: rickymartingay.jpg
I was also amused by the file name. I guess they had a picture of him BEFORE he was gay and they didnt want to get confused.
Yeah, this was the earlier photo:
rickymartinNOTgay.jpg
Was anyone else shocked when Ricky Martin came out?
I mean – all his songs are about girls: ‘She Bangs’, ‘Un Dos, Tres, Maria’, his heartfelt duet with Christina Aguillera ‘Nobody Wants to be Lonely’…
It just make no sense.
No sense make it.
Though in hindsight, perhaps “La Vida Loca” was his way of expressing confusion and frustration at having to maintain the pretense of heterosexuality in his songwriting and public persona, whilst keeping his true sexuality hidden from the press.
That really must have felt like he was living the “crazy life”.
Stop it now. STOP. IT.
Wait, what? Ricky Martin’s gay?
No surprise that Bart’s in his band though – he’s in everyone else’s.
DO you wanna be in my band, my band, my band? DO you wanna be in my band?…..oh yeeeeaaaah.
Love you Bart.
Bart – have you ever said “no” to anyone who asks you to be in their band?
Leave me alone.
And for the record, I’ve never been in Ricky Martin.
Oh. Is he a Ginge-O-Phobe then? The bastard.
I wouldn’t know.
Since may hair is the colour of the sun.
Gingo-phobe or gingo-phile?
Which are you?
Hair the colour of the sun? Is that what Ricky whispered softly in your ear?
My biggest problem with not drinking is the alternative – over-priced soft-drinks from the mixer that give you a furry mouth after two glasses.
I was charged GBP£2.70 for a coke in the Pear Tree the other week, at that price I might as well be drinking a pint of Tenants. And they wonder why folk drink and drive.
What’s the alternative? I’d happily take a cup of tea, but they tend to switch those machines off after about 7pm.
The only other alternative is tap water I guess. But that’s rubbish and makes you look cheap in front of ladies. I don’t want them to know the truth! Not yet anyway.
It’s a rigged deck. Can’t win!!
I agree completely about the over-priced soft drinks and the lack of alternatives.
I was in the Voodoo Rooms a couple of weeks back – a place that’s pretentious, arrogant, stuck-up pig-wank of a dive at the best of times* – and got charged something like £3 for a glass of post-mix coke. Fucking bandits.
I’ve tried a few non-alcoholic lagers, and they’re still very hit-and-miss, despite some improvements since the revolting potions that were first introduced onto the market in the 1980s.
Beck’s Blue is actually quite palettable, it’s not quite as nice as the regular 5%ABV Beck’s, but I’ve drunk lager with alcohol in that tasted worse. Last night I was drinking something that revelled in the rather swish and sporty name of Bitburger “Drive”, which also wasn’t too bad. Furstenberg Frei is another one that’s acceptable enough.
Regrettably, the official Song, By Toad pub, the King’s Wark, only stocks Kaliber, which has such an utterly revolting flavour I imagine it can only be realisitcally compared to the taste one might encounter with the enthusiastically licking of Michael Moore’s perenium.
And they’re not cheap either. They may be £1 to 50p cheaper than their boozy equivelants, but that’s still a lot to pay for a small bottle of pop, considering the product isn’t subject to the same taxes as alcoholic drinks.
*The opinions about the Voodoo Rooms published here are about the bar itself, and are not intended to reflect upon the excellent gig and club nights that make their home there, or their promoters.
I need to look up these non-alcoholic beers some time. Other than a brief, desperate dabbling with alcohol free Becks in North Africa, it’s not something I’ve tended to consider.
Tap water really is the best alternative, but unless you’re ordering it in a round with several expensive and/or severely alcoholic beverages, it does tend to make you look like some sort of loser.
Maybe Edinburgh needs a temperance bar…
http://www.mrfitzpatricks.com/
Ginger beer. Can be nursed happily for a whole round, tastes of something other than sugar, rarely dispensed via the evil mixer fountain. On the downside, most pubs only have it in those crappy little Schweppes mixer bottles.
Agree on Ginger Beer, Gary.
Had a pleasant evening at Leith Tape Club last Thursday over a couple of bottles of Bundeberg Ginger Beer..
Fuck I really do need that pint.
Listen to me! Ginger beer for fuck’s sake.
Exactly, Dylan. That cirrhosis won’t develop on its own now will it.
Dont listen to them Dylan. Keep it up.
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