| Introduction to the demon drink 08:58 - Mar 21 with 3294 views | DaBurgh |
Typical international break thread alert.
I got hold of a Coors beer a while back and it got me thinking about my early years drinking habits.
The drinking age in PA. was 21 so we had to rely on older friends or smuggling trips under cover of night into West Virginia.
Being from Pittsburgh my first beers were Iron City, Rolling rock, Pabst and Coors when I could get hold of it, Coors wasn't sold east of the Mississippi in my day.
Gnats pi$$, all of 'em.
After moving to London a friend of mine told me that with American beers you went straight from drinking to hang over without the fun bit in the middle, very true.
The summer after my high school graduation I hung around with a more sophisticated group, we drank cheap crap soda pop wine.
Boones farm, TJ Swann, Ripple, Bali Hai and if we really wanted to get wasted we'd break out the Thunderbird.
Ah to be 18 again.
|  |
| When you reach the place beyond thoughts, the only thing you'll find is love and the only purpose of life becomes to ease the suffering of others.
|
| |  |
| Introduction to the demon drink on 21:02 - Mar 21 with 903 views | colinallcars |
| Introduction to the demon drink on 20:56 - Mar 21 by BrianMcCarthy |
I was also a 'Guinness Child' John.
I was small and skinny, so a bottle of Guinness was prescribed with the dinner.
I got a bit of a grá for it, and soon I had to be minded when I was stocking the bar in our hotel or my mouth would be under the tap.
It couldn't continue like that, of course, and things came to a timely head when I was eleven and presented for my Confirmation. I'm not sure if it's the same now, but back then us kids had to promise the Bishop that we'd take The Pledge. The Pledge meant swearing off the drink until we were eighteen. And there'd be no discussion about it.
Except in my case.
Myself and the Bishop weren't pulling the best already as he'd vetoed my intention to take the Confirmation name of Luther. Now he was asking me to give up the drink, and stay short for the rest of my life. 'Twas a lot to ask of a man.
Come the day of the big event the whole thing went off amiably enough. I bumped into my Dad outside the church afterwards and we had a small chat, and he broached the question of The Pledge. I told him I'd dropped Luther but had kept the drink.
We walked over to the pub.
In Causkey's Bar, two pints of Porter arrived. My first pint.
But the Dad sat me back smartly and offered me a choice. I could have the pint with him now if I'd let him teach me how to drink it properly (above the Harp always, sip slightly over the lip, don't mix the white and the black), how to drink slowly (only two in the first hour, you can speed up a small bit after that, don't go near the top shelf) and to always stand my round. I'd have to give it up for a while. I could drink again when I was sixteen, and for the first year back on it I could only drink in his company. At seventeen, I'd be my own boss.
Or he could take the pint away now, and I could teach myself and see if I fared better in life for it.
I took the pint. We drank together. We were men together for half an hour.
I stuck to the deal until sixteen and then for a year I drank only with my Dad and his buddies. I was never drunk once as a teenager
Unusual parenting in different times.
I found out years later that it was the Mother's idea. Together, they decided that it should be a chat between two men. |
That's a marvellous account Brian. |  | | |
| Introduction to the demon drink on 21:25 - Mar 21 with 845 views | DaBurgh |
| Introduction to the demon drink on 20:56 - Mar 21 by BrianMcCarthy |
I was also a 'Guinness Child' John.
I was small and skinny, so a bottle of Guinness was prescribed with the dinner.
I got a bit of a grá for it, and soon I had to be minded when I was stocking the bar in our hotel or my mouth would be under the tap.
It couldn't continue like that, of course, and things came to a timely head when I was eleven and presented for my Confirmation. I'm not sure if it's the same now, but back then us kids had to promise the Bishop that we'd take The Pledge. The Pledge meant swearing off the drink until we were eighteen. And there'd be no discussion about it.
Except in my case.
Myself and the Bishop weren't pulling the best already as he'd vetoed my intention to take the Confirmation name of Luther. Now he was asking me to give up the drink, and stay short for the rest of my life. 'Twas a lot to ask of a man.
Come the day of the big event the whole thing went off amiably enough. I bumped into my Dad outside the church afterwards and we had a small chat, and he broached the question of The Pledge. I told him I'd dropped Luther but had kept the drink.
We walked over to the pub.
In Causkey's Bar, two pints of Porter arrived. My first pint.
But the Dad sat me back smartly and offered me a choice. I could have the pint with him now if I'd let him teach me how to drink it properly (above the Harp always, sip slightly over the lip, don't mix the white and the black), how to drink slowly (only two in the first hour, you can speed up a small bit after that, don't go near the top shelf) and to always stand my round. I'd have to give it up for a while. I could drink again when I was sixteen, and for the first year back on it I could only drink in his company. At seventeen, I'd be my own boss.
Or he could take the pint away now, and I could teach myself and see if I fared better in life for it.
I took the pint. We drank together. We were men together for half an hour.
I stuck to the deal until sixteen and then for a year I drank only with my Dad and his buddies. I was never drunk once as a teenager
Unusual parenting in different times.
I found out years later that it was the Mother's idea. Together, they decided that it should be a chat between two men. |
Superb Brian | |
| When you reach the place beyond thoughts, the only thing you'll find is love and the only purpose of life becomes to ease the suffering of others.
|
| |
| Introduction to the demon drink on 22:44 - Mar 21 with 758 views | qprxtc |
I’ve never heard of this word ‘drink’.
Sounds intriguing. 🥴 |  | | |
| Introduction to the demon drink on 22:58 - Mar 21 with 733 views | colinallcars |
| Introduction to the demon drink on 22:44 - Mar 21 by qprxtc |
I’ve never heard of this word ‘drink’.
Sounds intriguing. 🥴 |
I'm not drinking anymore.
Mind you, I'm not drinking any less.
The ol' ones are the best…. | | | |
| Introduction to the demon drink on 03:25 - Mar 22 with 624 views | Boston |
Lager here, Mackeson there, but by 17, solid Long Life er...man, in the Green Man, Wembley. |  |
| |
| Introduction to the demon drink on 06:27 - Mar 22 with 579 views | westberksr |
Hayes Working Men's Club family bar on a Sunday lunch after playing football. Dad would let me have a pint of shandy at around 13 and by 16 it was lager and lime; mum often surprised how sleepy i was after my football exertions when spending the afternoon napping on the sofa.
other than that it was in the pub with mates at the weekend from 15; being 6'5" i was sent to the bar to act grown up. How the hell we got served is a mystery, other than them not giving a sh*t. Then the Brook House (or Kings as it was briefly during the fledgling days of MTV) by 16; looked like our school's youth club on a Friday and Saturday. |  | | |
| Introduction to the demon drink on 07:50 - Mar 22 with 539 views | loftboy |
Left school at 16, started work straight away and was down the pub with my first pay packet, never got asked for ID, there was a brilliant pub in Bracknell called the Wildridings, disco and packed to the rafters every week, hardly anyone was legal to drink, the night club in the town in the basement under the multi storey was supposed to be over 21, again never had a problem, and was carried out of there unconscious on my 18th!.
My Dad always served wine with Sunday dinner and I was allowed a glass from a very young age. [Post edited 22 Mar 7:53]
|  |
| |
| Introduction to the demon drink on 13:22 - Mar 22 with 441 views | Gus_iom |
| Introduction to the demon drink on 20:56 - Mar 21 by BrianMcCarthy |
I was also a 'Guinness Child' John.
I was small and skinny, so a bottle of Guinness was prescribed with the dinner.
I got a bit of a grá for it, and soon I had to be minded when I was stocking the bar in our hotel or my mouth would be under the tap.
It couldn't continue like that, of course, and things came to a timely head when I was eleven and presented for my Confirmation. I'm not sure if it's the same now, but back then us kids had to promise the Bishop that we'd take The Pledge. The Pledge meant swearing off the drink until we were eighteen. And there'd be no discussion about it.
Except in my case.
Myself and the Bishop weren't pulling the best already as he'd vetoed my intention to take the Confirmation name of Luther. Now he was asking me to give up the drink, and stay short for the rest of my life. 'Twas a lot to ask of a man.
Come the day of the big event the whole thing went off amiably enough. I bumped into my Dad outside the church afterwards and we had a small chat, and he broached the question of The Pledge. I told him I'd dropped Luther but had kept the drink.
We walked over to the pub.
In Causkey's Bar, two pints of Porter arrived. My first pint.
But the Dad sat me back smartly and offered me a choice. I could have the pint with him now if I'd let him teach me how to drink it properly (above the Harp always, sip slightly over the lip, don't mix the white and the black), how to drink slowly (only two in the first hour, you can speed up a small bit after that, don't go near the top shelf) and to always stand my round. I'd have to give it up for a while. I could drink again when I was sixteen, and for the first year back on it I could only drink in his company. At seventeen, I'd be my own boss.
Or he could take the pint away now, and I could teach myself and see if I fared better in life for it.
I took the pint. We drank together. We were men together for half an hour.
I stuck to the deal until sixteen and then for a year I drank only with my Dad and his buddies. I was never drunk once as a teenager
Unusual parenting in different times.
I found out years later that it was the Mother's idea. Together, they decided that it should be a chat between two men. |
Your post got me reflecting about the idea of introducing alcohol to kids at an earlier age then maybe we do, and introducing it as an accompaniment to food, rather then something to get smashed on. Maybe fostering a healthier relationship with alcohol then possibly I've had.
My first real introduction to alcohol was at primary school age. I would sleep over at a friend's house, his mum and dad would go out for the evening and we would help ourselves to his dad's homebrew. We were sensible enough not to get ourselves absolutely smashed.
We moved to the Isle of Man when I was 13 - this place was known as '50,000 alcoholics clinging to a rock in the Irish Sea', and by God, it was. My first appearance in court for alcohol related stuff was at 15 or 16.
Alcohol, drugs, punk and QPR were my life til I had kids and learnt about responsibility.
I suppose I should say how vacuous it all was, but truth is, l loved those days. I'm very aware I have to be careful around alcohol, though. | | | |
Login to get fewer ads
| Introduction to the demon drink on 12:53 - Mar 23 with 242 views | Discodroids |
I remember 'Castlemaine' being showcased for the first time in my local, The GreenMan, east ham, 1985.
This exotic spice melange, the pump badge , glowing gold taking the pole position on the plinth of the bar.
This food of the gods born of far flung places, that to a young east ham lad of 17, might as well of been brewed on the sea of fecundity on the dark side of the moon.
This gateway to the palace of wisdom, this conduit for a prolonged derangement of the 5 known senses... all for 75p a pint.
The filthy cut to shit chemical skag of double diamond, Harp, and long life that the beaten generation suckled on for decades, now withering into the void like Keith Moons hampton after a 72 hour binge at the scotch of st james with spanish tony.
At last, a glorious new dawn of upwardly mobile refreshment, casting the grey esso blue 70's lager into the armitage shanks shit pipe..
Not for us flashing young blades around town in our italian knitwear , the thin gruel of the proletariat tractor nipple producing work to rule Skol drinker in his donkey jacket and carpenter jeans.
Alas it was too good to be true , it tasted like fu ckin grade 2 diabetisc piss with skin on top , so i was back on the skol within a week dreaming about Debbie the stripper from 'Minder' tossing me off with a feather duster in the back of my mark 2 capri (canary yellow with a black viynl roof) .
Still. it was good while it lasted.
Castlemaine.. we loved you, for about a week in september 1985. [Post edited 23 Mar 13:00]
|  |
| Don't need no politicians to tell me things I shouldn't be,
Neither no opticians to tell me what I oughta see. |
| |
| Introduction to the demon drink on 13:21 - Mar 23 with 200 views | mart_Goblin |
Never had a proper drink until I was 16 . Then introduced to Shepherd Neame beer Hurlimann in a Ramsgate pub …holy hell I was poorly . And the next time ..and the time after that . Such a strong lager but it felt different from other beers . The Swiss always claimed that the sugars in it numbed the brain. Not sure about that, but it certainly worked 🤣.
Set me and the band up for the next 30 years of being ‘renowned’ heavy drinkers but that tag got boring very quickly.
I don’t drink now accept the very odd half a bottle of beer or Guinness at a celebration or something . Just can’t do it anymore [Post edited 23 Mar 13:38]
|  | | |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
