Don't fool yourself, alcoholic drink slows us all down

The column below appears in this week's INM Irish regional newspapers.

Michael Commane

I came across a great blog at the weekend. It's called ‘The Sober Journalist’. I hadn’t finished the first paragraph when I was totally enthralled, captivated with the writing. Brilliant. It just read so well. Clear, simple and wise. It’s that sort of writing that would inspire anyone to sit down and write. Positive too.

No, I’m fairly sure I am not an alcoholic though there is a drink issue that runs through the DNA of one side of my family.

It will be four years in July since I last took a drink of alcohol. It happened in a sort of muddled way, maybe even annoyance but these days I simply don’t drink alcohol. And yes, it is great.

Over the years I would give it up during Lent or Advent but as soon as Easter or Christmas came I was back imbibing and enjoying that glass of whiskey or wine or beer. It was almost like waiting to get to the finishing line and being back drinking again.

I drank more in my 20s than in my teens, more in my 30s than in my 20s, more in my 40s than in my 30s and more in my 50s than in my 40s. That’s all changed now. The graph line has fallen to zero.

And as soon as I say that it does strike me that an awful lot of young people are drinking these days and consuming large quantities of alcohol. Just last week walking through a public park early in the morning I spotted over 30 empty cans of beer. They were at a spot in the park where young people tend to hang out.

Imagine Irish Rail does not allow the sale of alcohol on some of its services at weekends during college term because of incidents that have happened on its trains.

I’m not for a moment suggesting some sort of zero alcohol tolerance and I certainly do not want to be a killjoy but if this column this week made one person think about their drinking habit then I would consider it a great success.

I recommend reading the March 17 post on ‘The Sober Journalist’ blog. The author tells a simple story of sitting beside someone on a morning train, who stinks of drink. It seems as if the drink is oozing from every pore of the man.

Along with the blog I mentioned, I recommend you also log on to ‘Say Goodbye to Hangovers - and Hello to Sunday Morning’.

Spring is here, the days are getting longer. It’s a great time to get out and about. It’s a great time to climb mountains and walk along rivers and canals. Drink slows us down.

Think about it. Whatever you do, read that blog, ‘The Sober Journalist’. 

In the Christian churches next week is Holy Week followed by Easter Sunday, so I wish all Christians, who read this column prayerful and thoughtful days ahead. It's only every few years that the western and Orthodox churches celebrate Easter on the same day. In the west Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. Although, ecclesiastical purists might disagree. And no need at all to drink on Easter Sunday.