Let's Go The Opposite Way.

[cyberfarang]

I have a severe acid reflux problem and if I drink a glass of beer within 5 minutes it becomes like a boiling mass of molten lava inside my stomach, which is a great incentive to cut down on the alcohol consumption.

[micmichd]

I only drink a beer occasionally, and I'm happy I never have a hangover.

It really annoys me when I see people from my neighbourhood rushing from one shop to another for morning whiskey.I know that many of them have personal or social problems (wife lost eg), but drinking your worries away is not really helpful. Anonymous alcoholics say the social disgust you experience from using alcohol must be harder than anything else, then you're ready to stop it. So, I never give any money to anyone in the morning whatever excuse they come up with. But small tasks and a promise to pay for it in the evening. In some cases it helps.

[LC 100]

I drink and enjoy it....

[mogo51]

I nearly never drink alcohol. We are not compatible and is a downer after the buzz . Sure I like a cool beer , but there is no real beer in Thailand and it is too expensive. Alcohol is over taxed here as well in many other countries and I hate taxes.

I can't stand drunks , the secret drunks as well as the loud , puking , aggressive ones.

' 'I never nearly drink' is the same as being nearly pregnant?????

[mankondang]

"To drink, or not to drink, that is the question".

William Shakespeare.

(In the Stratford Upon Avon Arms)

[Deli]

Why should I drink ?

[Farangdanny]

"To drink, or not to drink, that is the question".

William Shakespeare.

(In the Stratford Upon Avon Arms)

You mean the 'White Swan', aka The Dirty Duck, not far from Shakespeare's birth place and the theatre. Had many a good drink in there !!!

[Canuk23]

I am a light drinker only drink on special occasions, never get drunk I like to have all my faculties

had a few drunks in the family and didn't like them when they were drunk.

I dont have any problem with people that drink as long as they are not agressive.

Lost a friend to alcohol 2 years ago he was 56 use to drink a 40 ounces of rum per week

couldn't wait to take is retirement, once he did he only lasted 8 months and passed away from liver and

kidney failure.

And I have another friend 58 on the waiting list for a liver transplant, liked to drink about 6 to 8 beers a day.

So I like to stick to healthier drinks like Kefir, Kombucha, water and smoothies.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Canuk23

[soc]

Was a heavy drinker when l was in the Army, but only beer.

Except when l met Scottish soldiers & l tried to keep up with them drinking whiskey.

Bad mistake!.

Then in civilian life as l followed the construction industry & always enjoyed a beer or three.

But no-where near as much as in the Army.

About 18 months ago, l started to really put on weight even though l wasn't drinking or eating anymore.

And l was getting bad reflux when l slept. And a sore throat when l woke up.

A doctor put me on a savage diet (no alcohol) & l went from 107kgs down to 89kgs in just a couple of months.

l am now stable at 90kgs but am "resting between assignments, lol" as l intend to get down to 85kgs.

l haven't had any alcohol now for over a year.

l'll be honest.

l love the taste of beer & l do miss it, but its not a problem to go without it.

The reflux has gone & no more sore throats in the morning.

The doctor told me that my fat beer belly(now almost gone, ttl)was pressing down on my stomach & forcing stomach acid up my esophagus, causing reflux & sore throat.

All gone, l feel so much better, my sex life has improved & l am saving a ton of money.

l find that when l get the beer thirst, l can relieve it with icy cold soda water.

The sodawater here in Thailand is among the best that l have ever tasted.

[Scouse123]

A long time ago I used to have a few pints with my mates every weekend, but over the years I've been drinking less and less. A few years back I was down to like 2 beers a year, a small glass of single malt 2-3 times a year, and a shot of schnapps at christmas. Today I haven't been drinking any alcohol in two 2.5 years since I'm on a strict non-carb diet.

I really like both beer, whiskey and of course a nice frosty cold mojito , but I rather stay clear-headed than indulging in alcohol.... Life is too short to go about having a buzz in the evenings and headaches in the mornings.

Hehe,

I seem to be following your style!

I am on very low carb and high protein.However, I was quite a big drinker or social drinker ( I was very social! ) and enjoyed it with my mates.

Up in the sticks, I felt less inclined to drink as not many mates up here and found I was drinking for the sake of it. I tend to get guys calling on me to drink who live outside Thailand but come for extended periods either to bring their wives/girls home to visit family, who live with them abroad, or to visit girlfriends here for a month or six weeks. They get bored after a while, and liked to visit me to booze!!

Weight became a small problem as I can drink a lot and unfortunately for my wallet, it doesn't affect me very much (unlike others) with the exception of weight gain.

I stopped a lot more recently, in November last year, I just didn't fell like it. I had however, stopped twice for two month periods in 2015. No health reasons for stopping at all.I just woke up and stopped.

I also like a few cold mojitos and a few LARGE glasses of red wine when in Cambodia.

I like drinking but just decided I like to be slimmer more.

I have no problem with drinkers, teetotallers, reformed drinkers or piss-heads, however, I try to live by a rule (even when I was drinking), and that is never to attempt to force a person or embarrass them into drinking or indeed anything they do not wish to do.

[Shadychris]

I used to drink - and drink a lot up until about 10 years ago! I mean an awful lot 8 - 10 pints of Guiness a night at weekends plus shots, couple pints every lunchtime and 4 - 6 pints every weekday night. Often the weekend would start at Friday lunchtime and I would drink continually right through until 11.00pm Sunday night

Looking back I realise it was out of control. Cost me my driving licence on a couple of occasions, lost me a good woman, a business, damaged my health and ultimately an accident whilst sleepwalking (which I have only ever done when drunk) nearly cost me my life.

Not to mention the tens of £K I pissed up against the wall. Most sadly and regrettably was the worry, upset and pain I caused my mother. I have since found out that unknown to me at the time she visited AA herself - not because she was drinking - she is teetotal but because she was at a loss to know how to deal with the situation.

As is the case with a lot of things, our own self indulgent actions often have more bad effects on others than they do on ourselves. Even after nearly killing myself I slipped back into binge drinking again and only when I got pretty sick and the Doc gave a verdict of a damaged liver bordering on cirrhosis, with the option of 'stop now and it might recover' or 'carry on and you will be dead sooner rather than later' did I finally take a reality check.

I'm not teetotal now, I do drink maybe a couple of times a year - and when I do I still find I don't know when to stop and suffer the next day or two - so I consider myself to be a recovering alcoholic.

I'm lucky now that I have now realised that I don't actually have to have an alcoholic drink in my hand to enjoy myself or be sociable - and now when I do happen to visit somewhere where people are drinking I don't have to have alcohol just to 'fit in'. It also reminds me when I see those who have obviously had too much to drink, that as much as we all like to think that when we have had a few to drink we are nicer friendlier more interesting and amusing people, in fact the very opposite is the case!

As to what I think of others that drink - to be honest I don't give it much thought. Their lives - their choices, and its not like nobody knows the dangers. For sure if I saw a friend or one of my family letting their drinking get out of control I'd try to give them a wake up call, but at the end of the day as with any drug, it's the users themselves who have to actually want to be in control or stop. And lets face it, as much as regular drinkers don't like to admit it - alcohol is a drug, just like nicotine or cocaine. Once we are hooked on any of them we all say the reason we do it is because we 'enjoy' it. Nonsense - my first puff on a cigarette tasted vile and nearly made me cough my lungs up - but I persevered until I could deal with it and then I'm hooked. The first pint of bitter tasting beer - was that really so enjoyable - or the first ever whiskey or spirit that nearly scorched your throat out - was that enjoyable. Of course it wasn't - but all your peers and elders were all doing it so you persevered with it, and then you were hooked. And the last thing an addict wants to do is to admit that he is an addict and is hooked on something - so instead he will make excuses such as 'I enjoy it' or 'it helps me relax'.

So am I happier now as a (mostly) non drinker? - hard to say really as so much of my drunken period is a blur. I suspect that I was giving myself the illusion of happiness then, but at least I know for sure now the happiness I feel is reality and not drug induced. For sure I am healthier now than I was 10 -15 years ago, but perhaps most important to me now is that I know I am no longer a constant source of worry to my family.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Shadychris

[gemguy]

Many people loath other people that drink heavily or habitually everyday and those people that get drunk everyday.

Myself I do not drink ...but I used to...but not all too crazy drinking....but I also have some bizarre stories to tell involving drinking like many people who drink or used to drink........stories about silly ...funny ..stupid...dangerous...reckless...belligerent drunken behavior ......all meant in good fun.

I gave up the drinking because I had to more or less make a choice at one time based on what I should spend my money on here in Thailand as drinking all the time does begin to add up and more than you may take into consideration...so I was contemplating making a choice to spend money on 1 or 2 things..... but not both.

Drinking or womanizing....what will it be?????

I choose womanizing and never regretted the decision while I stopped drinking completely and not a drop for maybe 10 years.

But now, all these years later ( 30 years now ) how do you classify a person that has maybe 1 beer in a year or someone brings some wine and I have 1 drink of wine or one of those wine coolers provided by someone.

I do not miss drinking alcohol at all and fortunately is not on my mind....at all.

Also, I do not hang around all the time with people that drink while I can go to any of the same bars that everyone else frequents and I will be the only customer there drinking water while the girls think that is strange and often I am asked: "Why are you drinking water instead of alcohol"

Maybe a big part of it is based on having been around alcoholics and heavy drinkers and people that are drunk all the time while all too many of them are acting just plain stupid in a variety of ways that has you thinking you simply do not want to be around all the moronic alcohol induced drunken behavior and questionable conduct and often illegal conduct that can get you into just as much trouble or cause just as much trouble.

It is not only the alcohol that I decided to stay away from rather I realized the many people you get involved with while drinking and getting drunk all the time or all too often are just as detrimental in many ways and or unforeseen ways as the alcohol consumption can be.

So...I used to hang around with the drinkers and now I do not and do not drink while those drinkers I used to hang around with....most of them are alcoholics now and some have died from their excessive alcohol consumption.

Cheers

[DoctorG]

I do not call myself a non-drinker, but I have not had a drink in over 6 months. I just decided that that glass of wine with dinner was not really necessary.

If I happen to go to bar in the future I know that I will most likely have one beer, or maybe 2 if I am at a BBQ.

Not a non-drinker, just don't feel the need at this time.

[NoshowJones]

If I don't drink I cannot sing......... ..........Humanity loses out big time.......... ........

You mean if you do drink you can sing?

[NoshowJones]

I drink and enjoy it....

Nothing wrong with anyone having a social drink.

[1FinickyOne]

I also just never liked the taste of it - and I have no stigma about entertaining myself by ordering a club soda and nobody ever minds or even questions me... I can still go out to a bar and have fun w/o booze... on rare occasions I might take a pineapple and malibu... but sure do not have any need for it.

Others drinking does not bother me at all - until they get drunk, sloppy and stupid....

[villagefarang]

I never acquired the taste. I have no desire to control others but I simply will not allow myself to lose control. I am also obstinate and a bit contrarian. I simply refuse to do something I don’t like in an effort to fit in or gain acceptance. It has become a filter of sorts, with those who will not accept my not drinking being free to seek the company of others.

I prefer to talk with people over lunch or an afternoon coffee before they start drinking and I do not enjoy being around people who are drunk.

[1FinickyOne]

I have a severe acid reflux problem and if I drink a glass of beer within 5 minutes it becomes like a boiling mass of molten lava inside my stomach, which is a great incentive to cut down on the alcohol consumption.

Yo Cyber - go into any drug store and ask for omeprazole 20 mg - about 50 baht for two week supply and one pill a day should do it, no matter what you eat or drink... works for me - been on it near 20 years now...

[BuriramDevelopers]

don't like the feeling that alcohol gives. One beer does it for me

[dundas]

I don't hold alcohol very well, so that's a pretty good reason not to drink a lot of it.

I do enjoy a cold beer with dinner occasionally, and less frequently, a glass of wine. What other people drink is up to them, but socially I find it hard when I go out with friends to some of the BBQ places around, and everybody at the table starts drinking beer in the same kinds of quantities as they're eating the food. If I can, I'll avoid those places, if I cannot, I'll often volunteer to be the designated driver.

I probably wouldn't drink more than twice a week, and even then it's never more than a single bottle of beer. The rest of the time, it's water, coffee or tea for me. I don't drink Coca Cola or anything that's got sugar in it - I want to keep managing diabetes off my list of hobbies.

I reckon water is a pretty good beverage ... it's cheap, keeps me hydrated, and can be as refreshing as any other drink. Just as well I'm not a bon vivant.

Edited February 17, 2016 by dundas

[Shadychris]

Interesting,

I had been a very heavy drinker all my life, from the age of 17, when we owned an hotel with a public bar. It was just normal to drink with the customers. I am now 70 yrs. old and very healthy. Have regular health checks. Liver, Kidneys etc. are perfect !I was drinking five large Chiang Export and 3/4 very large whiskies every night. Five months ago, I quit, because I felt it would be better for me !! I just can not sleep. I have been prescribed strong sleeping pills, but when I stop taking them I still can not sleep. I will try one more month and if I still can not sleep, I will start drinking again and sleep like a baby again !!!

Please do not take this the wrong way, but you are already setting yourself up to fail by finding reasons to start drinking again. When I quit drinking I too struggled to get off to sleep for quite a while - I think it was 2 -3 months. Taking sleeping pills is not the answer - you're simply replacing one drug with another. Your body needs to learn how to fall asleep again by itself naturally instead of by means of a drug induced stupor. Do you really believe that your body is uniquely genetically different to the rest of us that you can only get off to sleep with the aid of a drug? I presume before you became addicted to drink you were able to go to sleep ok? Give it time - you can't stay awake forever!

Remember too that you have reached the age of 70 in seemingly good health in spite of being a heavy drinker - not because of it! You are lucky indeed that your liver and kidneys are in good order - although health checks in the way of specific blood tests will only show when serious damage is present. Stopping drinking will unquestionably be better for your health. Persevere at it, and stop thinking about reasons to start drinking again, instead of going to bed worrying that you aren't going to go to sleep ( which itself is likely to keep you awake) just lie there thinking about the positive achievement you have made by not giving in and getting smashed - maybe instead of counting sheep count the money you will be saving over the next 20 - 30 years ;-)

Good luck!

[Pink7]

I dont have many good reasons for NOT drinking..its just not a part of my life.. I do not drink or smoke and i enjoy healthy lifestyle. I also not judge those who drink, i think its up to each person how they want to live their life. I think its important for all to have the freedom to choose for them self.

Pink

[pgrahmm]

Interesting,

I had been a very heavy drinker all my life, from the age of 17, when we owned an hotel with a public bar. It was just normal to drink with the customers. I am now 70 yrs. old and very healthy. Have regular health checks. Liver, Kidneys etc. are perfect !I was drinking five large Chiang Export and 3/4 very large whiskies every night. Five months ago, I quit, because I felt it would be better for me !! I just can not sleep. I have been prescribed strong sleeping pills, but when I stop taking them I still can not sleep. I will try one more month and if I still can not sleep, I will start drinking again and sleep like a baby again !!!

Sleep deprivation is a symptom of long term alcoholism.....I use to know 2 corporate vice presidents that were brilliant - huge company - Chevron......These guys didn't miss a thing in their field = drove everybody crazy because they'd work during the after midnight to wee hours of the morning scrutinizing every detail......People that thought they were caught up or ahead in their work when they left the previous day found a whole new set of problems waiting for them in the morning.....And these guys were waiting for the answers - and not the type you wanted to make wait....

[luis888]

I've never had the inclination to drink, I can have a small beer or say a glass of sweet wine as a social thing with a friend ocasionally. Don't like the taste of any other wines, red or white. Have taste several wiskeys, all taste the same, not nice, I don't mind say 20% red wine and the rest coke, but only 1 glass, more than that I start getting light headed, so, I can go without booze. I can't stand loud and agressive drunks

[Farangdanny]

Interesting,

I had been a very heavy drinker all my life, from the age of 17, when we owned an hotel with a public bar. It was just normal to drink with the customers. I am now 70 yrs. old and very healthy. Have regular health checks. Liver, Kidneys etc. are perfect !I was drinking five large Chiang Export and 3/4 very large whiskies every night. Five months ago, I quit, because I felt it would be better for me !! I just can not sleep. I have been prescribed strong sleeping pills, but when I stop taking them I still can not sleep. I will try one more month and if I still can not sleep, I will start drinking again and sleep like a baby again !!!

Please do not take this the wrong way, but you are already setting yourself up to fail by finding reasons to start drinking again. When I quit drinking I too struggled to get off to sleep for quite a while - I think it was 2 -3 months. Taking sleeping pills is not the answer - you're simply replacing one drug with another. Your body needs to learn how to fall asleep again by itself naturally instead of by means of a drug induced stupor. Do you really believe that your body is uniquely genetically different to the rest of us that you can only get off to sleep with the aid of a drug? I presume before you became addicted to drink you were able to go to sleep ok? Give it time - you can't stay awake forever!

Remember too that you have reached the age of 70 in seemingly good health in spite of being a heavy drinker - not because of it! You are lucky indeed that your liver and kidneys are in good order - although health checks in the way of specific blood tests will only show when serious damage is present. Stopping drinking will unquestionably be better for your health. Persevere at it, and stop thinking about reasons to start drinking again, instead of going to bed worrying that you aren't going to go to sleep ( which itself is likely to keep you awake) just lie there thinking about the positive achievement you have made by not giving in and getting smashed - maybe instead of counting sheep count the money you will be saving over the next 20 - 30 years ;-)

Good luck!

Thank you. I am not looking for reasons to drink, I am happy not to drink, It was easy to stop, I like my squash mixture. I went to Psychiatrist, he explained that the brain needs reprogramming without alcohol, and gave me the necessary pills, said it would take 6 months. Guess I a being impatient trying to stop the pills sooner, don't want to get addicted.

[Shadychris]

I dont have many good reasons for NOT drinking..its just not a part of my life.. I do not drink or smoke and i enjoy healthy lifestyle. I also not judge those who drink, i think its up to each person how they want to live their life. I think its important for all to have the freedom to choose for them self.

Pink

That is very true. We should all have freedom of choice of how to live our lives.

The problem arises though when those 'freedom of choices' impact in a negative way upon others.

Sadly in the case of those who choose to lead a life where alcohol is part of their staple diet the impact on others is invariably negative, ranging from the mildly annoying at the least offensive end through pain and misery and right up to people whose lives are ended\wrecked by drunk drivers at the very worst extreme.

[Scouse123]

Interesting,

I had been a very heavy drinker all my life, from the age of 17, when we owned an hotel with a public bar. It was just normal to drink with the customers. I am now 70 yrs. old and very healthy. Have regular health checks. Liver, Kidneys etc. are perfect !I was drinking five large Chiang Export and 3/4 very large whiskies every night. Five months ago, I quit, because I felt it would be better for me !! I just can not sleep. I have been prescribed strong sleeping pills, but when I stop taking them I still can not sleep. I will try one more month and if I still can not sleep, I will start drinking again and sleep like a baby again !!!

Sleep deprivation is a symptom of long term alcoholism.....I use to know 2 corporate vice presidents that were brilliant - huge company - Chevron......These guys didn't miss a thing in their field = drove everybody crazy because they'd work during the after midnight to wee hours of the morning scrutinizing every detail......People that thought they were caught up or ahead in their work when they left the previous day found a whole new set of problems waiting for them in the morning.....And these guys were waiting for the answers - and not the type you wanted to make wait....

and your point is??

[Pepper1959]

I certainly like a good drink, West Indian rum or Japanese Saki, never together naturally, but hard to find someone who likes the latter and I think it is a sad situation to drink alone. So now it has come down to not drinking for health reasons, which is good as when I socialise it is always with Thais who simply cannot control themselves when the whiskey is out, since I always seem to be the one who pays. So, it allows me to be the designated driver and as some would drive with a belly full of liquor, I am glad that I am able to do this. Some how, Thais have not learnt the lesson of drink driving and death and planning ahead either with a taxi or designated driver for the evening.

[Farangdanny]

I have a severe acid reflux problem and if I drink a glass of beer within 5 minutes it becomes like a boiling mass of molten lava inside my stomach, which is a great incentive to cut down on the alcohol consumption.

Yo Cyber - go into any drug store and ask for omeprazole 20 mg - about 50 baht for two week supply and one pill a day should do it, no matter what you eat or drink... works for me - been on it near 20 years now...

You wasted a lot of money over the years. All these antacid pills are copies of 'Proclor', the original and expensive one. Eucid and Miracid are EXACTLY the same content of Omeprazole. Miracid costs 60Baht for 30 !!!! I used it with wonderful effect for 20 years.

[kinmaew]

I never drink much in Thailand because quite simply I am a beer snob only drink craft beers or good German if it can be found. ALL of the Asian beers make me sick I hate Lager so I would rather have just one or two and eat the lovely food and girls! (Well not eat them, you know.. well maybe a bit..and you know where..)