Next week, we enter Christmas week or the “holiday season” as our friends across the Atlantic say, in case they offend somebody. I don’t particularly like Christmas to be honest and on Christmas day, I’ll head out on my bike for a training spin, just like any other day. We’ll miss dad this year and about 3.00pm, we will all say “it’s as far away now as it ever was” after dinner is finished. He said that every year, so in his honour, we will keep a small tradition alive.
I don’t mean to be a killjoy or a Grinch, lots of people enjoy it, so I hope you all have a great time and that Santa brings lots of wonderful presents. No, what I dislike about Christmas is the overindulgence, the corporate greed, the retail madness and the un-necessary pressure placed on parents. Times are bloody hard in Ireland for lots of people, Christmas doesn’t help. On the other hand, as one person said to me, you have 12 months to prepare for it, it doesn’t arrive unannounced. That’s easier said than done, when keeping a roof over your head is your primary concern and the ESB bill takes precedent over the newest Xbox or Play station.
Then, there is the Irish association with alcohol. I’m based in a radio station for a few weeks, so I’m a little more tuned into events and happenings than normal.
A local Garda Superintendant came into the station a few days ago. It’s a regular slot and he has lots of advice for listeners about crime prevention and so on. This week, he spoke about drink driving detection rates, which have skyrocketed by up to 200% and how the Gardaí will have to deal with alcohol related issues over the next few weeks.
I spoke with one of the staff members at the station and he had a good take on the drink driving detection. He wondered if it says a lot about our previous levels of detection, that it is only occurring now and he also wondered how people can still be so stupid to take the chance and to actually drive when over the limit.
I also listened in as our elected representatives debated in our national parliament, about tightening up on drink driving legislation. It’s simple “DON’T EVER DRINK AND DRIVE”. Ironically, our leaders “work” a few meters from their own “members bar”. In over 35 years in the workplace, I have never seen a bar for employees, so the Dáil Bar is wrong, close the damn thing now.
A lady came into the studio yesterday, talking about the effect that alcohol can have on mental health, a “sobering” interview if ever there was one (please excuse the pun). She gave details of the various assistance that is available to people.
Now, there is nothing quite as enjoyable as going out with your friends, a family treat of tea out on a Sunday evening, maybe a glass of wine in front of the telly, as the winter weather hammers the window. It’s one of life’s little luxuries, enjoyed by millions of people all over the world. So, what happens when normal, becomes less than normal?
I stopped drinking just over two years ago, after getting a bit of a fright from it. My drinking pattern went from the normal few pints with my friends to a little bit more (actually quite a bit more, if I am to be totally honest). Stopping drinking was easy, staying stopped was where I noticed a bit of a problem.
You see, Irish society and alcohol are firmly intertwined together. Take a look for a few moments and you will agree with me. Celebrations, good times, bad times, you name it, there is one common denominator. I was part of that train and I loved it, every bloody second of it. Play a really good gig, get the crowd rocking, and walk home feeling 12 feet tall, there is nothing like a few glasses of wine to relax. Complete the Ring of Kerry or the much harder Sean Kelly Tour, a few pints afterwards makes it all worthwhile. Worked hard all week and over the weekend, a few jars on a Monday night is just what the doctor ordered. Xbox night with the lads, all you will hear is the pop of another beer being opened over our headsets. That’s life, that’s good, that’s what it’s all about. Has anybody noticed anything in those last few sentences? I’ll tell you, everything is plural, no such thing as “a” glass or “a” pint; it’s all a “few”. That’s where the problem manifests itself.
Alcohol is insidious and that’s what makes it scary and something to be very careful with. It will tell you all is okay and that a few pints never hurt anybody. Then, when you decide that you wish to take a break from it, it doesn’t like to let go or allow a clean break. That’s where it caught me out, as I found that it was much more involved in my life than was healthy and that I was comfortable with. Making the break was like a very messy divorce, as my insidious bed mate played hard. To this day, more than 2 years later, it still scares me and I would be very reticent about allowing it into my life again.
I can only pity a person that is in the hard grip of alcohol or worse drugs. If it was that hard for me, what must it be like to face the horrors of addiction as the person inside screams for help and the monster consumes their lives and every fabric of their existence. As onlookers, all we see is the monster and that monster will drive the person inside to any lengths to keep it happy and satisfy its cravings.
There are people getting ready at this very moment, 2.30pm on a Saturday afternoon, to head out on the town tonight. Some will enjoy a few drinks; they will have fun and will look back on tonight as the best night out they ever had. On the other hand, some will have too much. The harsh reality is that there will be incidents all over Ireland this weekend and as we head into Christmas week. People will get involved in trouble, people will get caught drink driving, and A&E units will be over-run with the fall out. The Gardaí will stand at the coalface, picking up the pieces as lives and livelihoods are destroyed.
That’s the reality of it lads, I haven’t said one thing that isn’t true and well you know it. Enjoy yourselves, but please be careful with alcohol and remember these words. Alcohol is widely referred to as “cunning, baffling and powerful” and those are quite possibly the truest words I have ever written.
If you feel that you may have a problem speak to somebody and remember that your GP will give you wonderful advice.
Have a great, safe and Happy Christmas. For all the readers of these blogs, can I just take this opportunity to thank you very much for all your support over the year, it means a lot.
The Unknown Bike Rider 