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Barflies - What is the deal?

[QUOTE="Killed_by_Death, post: 21558800, member: 272436"]People judge things all the time. It's how we survive.
I'm not seeing how being judgemental can make life difficult.
If anything it's made life easier. I know who to stay away from, sometimes.
[/QUOTE]
Agreed. Being able to make good judgement calls in life will lead to a much higher quality life. Therefore, observing others who have made bad judgement decisions teaches you make better judgement calls. Just sayin.
 
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Folks around here are downright unsociable in the bar, unless they already know one another.
Not sure if it's my long hair or my tie-dyed shirt that puts people off, but they won't talk to me.

Guy on my left only wanted to look at his phone screen, guy on the right only wanted to watch some nature show on BBC America.
I would hang out there all day, since they play good music, but I need someone to talk to, besides the bartender.

I lament days gone by, chatting about all the local bands in the Rainbow bar & grill.
No one around here seems to know diddly about music, unless they're actually in a band.
 
My grandfather died of alcoholism. He worked 5 days a week in a factory and got out of work at 4:30 every day. He would be sitting at the bar chugging beers by 5.00. He always stayed until they closed at 2 am. Then hone to sleep it off and back at the factory by 8:00.

On Saturdays he would be in the bar from noon until 2 am. The town was dry on Sundays so he would stay home and drink all day. He did that for more than 30 years until he ended up in the hospital after his organs started to fail. He only lasted a few days there until he died. I was there when my dad got the phone call with the news that his father died He couldnt have cared less. Just said "OK", then hung up the phone and went back to watching TV.

I'm going to judge the guy and say that's a totally wasted life.
 
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Never been a big drinker. Spending a nice day in a bar has no appeal to me. Spending a whole evening in a bar doesn't either (once i got out of my early 20s), unless there's live music that i care to check out (which is often), meeting up with friends, or playing the occasional billiards.

Personally, i wish they'd bring back the opium dens ;):cool:drool
 
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In some English towns the pub has a kind of "living room of the village" feel to it. So people just read the paper, watch TV, or chat with whoever's around. It doesn't necessarily mean that everyone in there is a raging alky, although no doubt some are.
Different cultures do alcohol differently.

I was in Germany a few years ago, in Cologne (where the local beer is "kisrch", served in small glasses). I went to breakfast with a friend and there were dozens of guys in suits, clearly businessmen having breakfast before work, having a beer with breakfast. Friend said that was the norm. Nobody was drunk. I told him that in the US if you're drinking beer with breakfast you've probably got a serious drinking problem.
Very different environments.
 
I never understood the bar scene. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against drinking. I enjoyed it quite a bit up until I got put on medication that you can't have alcohol with (the medication has nothing to with the aforementioned drinking, if you were wondering).

But I always drank at home. Not for fear of dui or anything. It was just cheaper, I didn't want to talk to anyone in a bar, anyway, and had my choice of what to watch on TV.

I've just never been a real social kind of person.
 
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Different cultures do alcohol differently.

I was in Germany a few years ago, in Cologne (where the local beer is "kisrch", served in small glasses). I went to breakfast with a friend and there were dozens of guys in suits, clearly businessmen having breakfast before work, having a beer with breakfast. Friend said that was the norm. Nobody was drunk. I told him that in the US if you're drinking beer with breakfast you've probably got a serious drinking problem.

Very different environments.

I was just in Cologne, and really enjoyed the beer and the way it's served. But they're drinking around 4% beer, not the craft brew stuff we have here in Fort Collins, which often runs 6-9%. It's a lighter alcohol content, served in smaller glasses. And it wasn't "macrobrew" or anything with the horrendous word "lite" in the name.

It's a much lighter hit and all you need to do is sip 1-2 of those 200 ML glasses with breakfast. You'll be OK.
 
In some English towns the pub has a kind of "living room of the village" feel to it. So people just read the paper, watch TV, or chat with whoever's around. It doesn't necessarily mean that everyone in there is a raging alky, although no doubt some are.


I used to live in a small and isolated town of 200 residents in the Wisconsin Northwoods and in the cold months (November through April) at least one of the two bars would be open on any given night to provide a place for people to socialize.

There was always a theme. Common ones were Cribbage or Euchre tournaments or board games like Monopoly or checkers. Dozens of people would show up and most wouldnt even drink any alcohol. Typically you'd bring a dish to pass so there was plenty to eat.

It was explained to me that these evenings were essential to the social health of the community. Without regular bar events like this "cabin fever" would become widespread. Ironically, regularly socializing in the bar made it less likely that folks would drink too much.
 
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Different cultures do alcohol differently.

I was in Germany a few years ago, in Cologne (where the local beer is "kisrch", served in small glasses). I went to breakfast with a friend and there were dozens of guys in suits, clearly businessmen having breakfast before work, having a beer with breakfast. Friend said that was the norm. Nobody was drunk. I told him that in the US if you're drinking beer with breakfast you've probably got a serious drinking problem.
Very different environments.

I was just in Cologne, and really enjoyed the beer and the way it's served. But they're drinking around 4% beer, not the craft brew stuff we have here in Fort Collins, which often runs 6-9%. It's a lighter alcohol content, served in smaller glasses. And it wasn't "macrobrew" or anything with the horrendous word "lite" in the name.

It's a much lighter hit and all you need to do is sip 1-2 of those 200 ML glasses with breakfast. You'll be OK.

By coincidence I was in Cologne 2 years ago ... those little 200ml glasses of beer are great :D

It's definitely a different drinking culture over there. More healthy than the UK for sure!
 
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I have a friend who ascribes a conspiracy theory to every notable event. Hard way to live a life.



I deal with people like this by listening intently to what they say and then blaming it all on Faul McCartney.

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I've never been one to look at my watch and say, "I can't have a drink before x time." By the same token, I've never been into just sitting and drinking in a bar all day. If I'm having a lunch or dinner at a bar, I may order a drink or I may not. Either way, I only ever have one and I'm rollin' once I'm done with my meal. If I'm out for the evening, I generally still only have one, two at the most, even if I don't have to drive. It's just not really my jam to drink a lot.
 
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My grandfather died of alcoholism. He worked 5 days a week in a factory and got out of work at 4:30 every day. He would be sitting at the bar chugging beers by 5.00. He always stayed until they closed at 2 am. Then hone to sleep it off and back at the factory by 8:00.

On Saturdays he would be in the bar from noon until 2 am. The town was dry on Sundays so he would stay home and drink all day. He did that for more than 30 years until he ended up in the hospital after his organs started to fail. He only lasted a few days there until he died. I was there when my dad got the phone call with the news that his father died He couldnt have cared less. Just said "OK", then hung up the phone and went back to watching TV.

I'm going to judge the guy and say that's a totally wasted life.

That reminds me of my maternal grandfather (I never met him). My mother and one aunt were twins, and he was such a drunk that he couldn't tell them apart. When he died, my mother didn't bother going to the funeral.
 
So, that friend I mentioned who totalled his vehicle & had no insurance coverage is now w/o a vehicle.
I took him around a few places today, because I was bored & we were going to a couple of the same places.

Are cigarettes a good buy at a gas station?
because that's where he bought a carton :wideyed:

Probably safe to discuss here, since he's a drummer :D

Anyway, he picks up odd jobs from people who hang out in bars. I can't knock it. I've had a couple of the best-paying jobs in my life from bar-chatter.

We stop in a couple of places & it's not even noon, but there are people hanging out in the bar with beers.
Later I go for Happy Hour at another pub & was surprised how many folks were in there guzzling large flagons of beer at 15:00.

Don't get me wrong, I've spent plenty of time in bars, but usually in the evening or on the weekends.
I was also either in a situation where I could take public transport or walk home.

There is no public transport feeding these dives, but there are plenty of vehicles parked outside :wideyed:
Shame on me for having two assumptions. These folks haven't got jobs, or they're skiving off from work, & they're probably driving home under the influence. (only a couple looked old enough to be retired)

Judgemental me, right?
but I'm the type who can't just pop in for A beer during Happy Hour

I visit during Happy Hour, because they have food specials. Buffalo Wings are cheap, but...
it turns out if you don't order a drink with your wings they skimp on the sauce :bored:

Yeah, seeing as how I used to inhabit a few watering holes myself, here was the breakdown of folks in my hangouts. (during working hours)
business owners - plenty of money & a driver waiting to take them home
retired - walks home or takes public transportation

Heck, I knew one guy who drank all day nearly every day & still managed to hold down a business.
He'd answer trouble calls from his office clerks & had the presence of mind to get things sorted over the phone.

Thinking back, I did some pretty stupid stuff when I was younger.
When I was out of work I'd go over to the local pub on my bicycle (10 km), because the "big wheels" came there for lunch.
I'd have too many beers & then ride my bike home. Surprised I didn't get squashed by a big truck.

I helped out a friend after a 3rd DUI in 10yrs (last two were the same week totalling 2 different vehicles), time in jail and 6mo kn the salvation army. Never motivated enough to get classes and permits etc done.

Picked up groceries and helped as I could but eventually the drinking came back and it was a mess. At some point you have to stop putting energy into a black hole man. If you dont want help you wont receive it.

Have been to 2 bars in the states and a handful in Thailand years ago, but that's never been my thing. It's best to surround yourself with positive people and positive situations if you want to feel more positive.

You've probably helped someone in the short term but step back and think what the best course of action is.
 
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I helped out a friend after a 3rd DUI in 10yrs (last two were the same week totalling 2 different vehicles), time in jail and 6mo kn the salvation army. Never motivated enough to get classes and permits etc done.

Picked up groceries and helped as I could but eventually the drinking came back and it was a mess. At some point you have to stop putting energy into a black hole man. If you dont want help you wont receive it.

Have been to 2 bars in the states and a handful in Thailand years ago, but that's never been my thing. It's best to surround yourself with positive people and positive situations if you want to feel more positive.

You've probably helped someone in the short term but step back and think what the best course of action is.



When I was 21 I worked for a restaurant/pub and got into the habit of staying after work (night shift ended about 10pm) and drinking until close. It didn't take long for me to start hanging out in bars on my days off and develop a habit of drinking every day. Fortunately, this was just a summer job I took between semesters in college and I went back to school and sobered up for a semester of studying. The abrupt change in lifestyle from being a barfly to being a physics student came as a real shock. The next summer I went back to the same job but I didn't go back to being a barfly - for two reasons. 1) because I saw how pathetic the scene was from the previous summer. and 2) Because I had a new wife and she gave me a reason to enjoy life for what it is and not sit on a barstool getting drunk.
 
I helped out a friend after a 3rd DUI

AFAIK this guy didn't crash his car due to drinking. He was driving on bald tires in the rain.
His other mistake was not having full coverage on his vehicle. So now he owes the bank for the loan on the vehicle & the insurance won't be buying him another vehicle.

If he was a drunk he'd have asked me to drop him at the bar & leave him there, LOL!
Apparently he starts work there this weekend. Not sure if he'll be a bartender or just a barback.