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JackieO

I said in a previous post that I thought this may be a subject for discussion and wondered what your views are.

We've just completed a year's trip through Europe and Morocco, have re-let our house, are living in our van on the Island and plan to set off again in a couple of months.

We've had a wonderful adventure but found that one of our major problems was with alcohol. We're both fond of a drink, but when at home, we didn't drink on 'school nights' and tried to keep check on our weekend drinking. But one thing we didn't consider when planning our trip was the amount of alcohol that is consumed on the road.

The first month we were in the UK staying mainly on CL sites along with people on holiday and of course, we kind of felt on holiday too and got into the opening a bottle round tea time and following on with another into the night.

It kind of went on like that until we reached Holland and realised that in two months we'd had a drink just about every day.

Portugal was the most difficult. We met up with some lovely French people and travelled with them for 3 months - but boy - come 12pm every day it was time for 'aperitive', then at 5 it started all over again. Smile

And of course, it's so cheap.

The downside was that we met lots of lovely people but people who seemed to spend much of the day drinking and not doing much else.

Some lovely people we met in Morocco told us they had to really keep a rick on it - that they had to remind themselves that they weren't on holiday and that this was their life now.

So how do you cope? Is it an issue for fulltimers or do you just go with the flow and say to hell with it? Am I getting my size 16's in a twist over nothing? Smile

Would really welcome a discussion about it.

loddy

I too have found it a problem, some good advise given to me some time ago was to try and stay in "HOME MODE" when away,
A bottle of ribena each every night is not a good idea.

Loddy

bouncer

jackie, I don't think there is a definative answer to this one, however, as its on your mind...you are thinking about it....perhaps its your concience telling you to put the brakes on?????

I think if you are old enough to have a m/h and go galavanting all over the world, you are certainly old enough to set your own limits on drinking...

My only worry would be that if you are drinking on a daily basis, does your system have chance to get rid of it, ie if you were stopped for a driving offence and then breathalised would you be confident that you would pass it??

As a person that no longer drinks (I'm diabetic and it makes me ill), I'm not really qualified to comment, but my advice would be, have a glass of wine with dinner, 5 nights a week and as much as you want at the weekends, that way you won't feel deprived and won't be overdoing it...

Don't be led by the french into drinking all day, they do it from being young and are used to it.....that does not mean it is a good thing to do!

Whatever you do, enjoy yourselves, lifes too short to worry.....

asabrush

AA may be a good starting place to discuss Wink

On a more serious note,whilst living in France I had to give myself a "shake" on several occasions when totting up my alcohol consumption(again like you,starting at lunch everyday)

I don't think I was ever close to having a " problem" as such but did realise I was drinking too much on a very regular basis and cut back.

I still drink probaly too much for a doctors liking but nothing like I used to,all in moderation...... Smile

pippin

The interesting thing about the French (and other southern €uropeans) is the way they drink.

If you watch them very closely you will find that although they appear to drink frequently they are in fact not drinking very much.

They generally do not fill their glass to the brim.

They generally just sip tiny amounts.

They generally do not finish the glass (what a waste!).

They generally do not refill their glass (with the same drink).

They generally imbibe small amounts of successive different drinks.

They generally do not binge drink.

As a result, they rarely appear tipsy or drunk.

Contrast that with the usual British trait of glugging!

rapidorob

A lot of free time and sunshine can have that affect on people, the holiday mood! I saw people who arrived to work the summer in Crete fail to work at all due to always being drunk, run out of money and have to fly home before the summer really got going. A complete waste of time.
The ages of these people was wide ranging and not all "gap year" students.
My ex-wife struggled with the idea that we were there to work and make a life for ourselves, hence now ex-wife.
Staying on one site for a long time is probably a quick route to aquiring a problem with it too. Things quickly become routine!
I drink less when away in the 'van due to all the driving I do and all the things we want to see and that I am relaxed. When stressed from work I will have a few beers to wind down before dinner, but we all deal with stress in our own way.

Jackio, it's a good sign that you noticed that some may have a problem you would prefer to avoid.
Rob.

JackieO

Aye - it really is an issue we would both prefer not to become too involved with.

Liked the suggestion of one glass with dinner and have what you like at weekends. It would certainly solve the issue of feeling deprived.

Also liked the comments about European drinkers - it's true - they are a far more moderate race than ours sadly.

One of our 'solutions' was just not to drink in the van. We'd drink if we went out or if we were invited to someone's van but didn't buy in booze for consumption at home. Worked ok for a while but then pesky friends would want to come round and what do you do then? Smile

I don't consider us to have a problem but I'd hate for it to become that way. Only last week in England we met fulltimers who had sold their home, had loads of money (for now) and started on the wine box at 10 every morning and carried on until 2 had been drunk. They didn't even appear to be drunk - just got on with their everyday business - but sheesh - it's one hell of a habit to fall into.

Thanks for responses thus far. It's good to talk. Smile

camperian

I found this to be a problem during my first winter in Spain, where I stayed on one site for most of my time.

Being single, I suppose I crave socialising more than most and had many requests to join people for drinkies at 4pm until dark (about 6pm). Quite often I was 'not in the mood' for alchohol and found it easier to decline the invites than suffer the good natured bantering. Don't get me wrong, I love a drink and probably imbibe more than is good for me (close friends would add 'definately so')!

I used to be a very heavy drinker coming close to being an alchoholic about ten years ago. Now my large brandy at bedtime suits me to the ground (Is that because I keep falling over)? Rolling Eyes

Ian

pippin

OK, so make this simple rule of life:

Never drink alcohol until the sun is very definitely over the yard-arm.

Drinking alcohol at lunchtime acts as a soporific for most people thus the afternoon is totally wasted. If you do so regularly then stop and examine yourself - you will be horrified to learn that you are on the inevitable slide downwards into dependancy.

You can accept (and offer) as many invitations to drinks as you like - but it does not mean that the drinks have to be alcoholic - nobody is forcing the 17% stuff down your gullet.

In todays climate it is perfectly acceptable to ask for a soft drink.

As a former MN Officer in my youth I did my (un?)fair share of drinking.
I saw too many older shipmates on that downward path and I learned to be wary.

So, I never ever drink at lunchtime and wait, sextant at the ready, for the sun to dip over that wretched yard-arm!