The Smiley Smile Message Board

Around the world, people seem to have different levels of acceptance with regards to walking the streets drunk. In Canada I would think for the most part we wouldn't think highly of a businessman in a suit, passed out on the street or staggering on the sidewalk.
 
In some countries this type of behaviour can be acceptable. Has anyone noticed these things?
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52bYqy33SM8


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80lYhMcc5Xk

Your links are duff.


You clearly have not seen many City boys at play. The flyboys of business have had the worst behaviour whilst intoxicated of any social strata I've witnessed

It's funny, because I'm somewhat outspoken in my (responsible) use of marijuana, but I am anti-alcohol. Public drunkeness annoys the hell out of me, and I'm not one of those who finds it 'funny' (I know people IRL who do).

Thanks, links unduffed!

Responsibility is the key. If pressed under a microscope, I would probably identify as a drunk (check the kareoke thread, for gods sake), but you've got to keep yourself alright. And I do. But at the same time, people go out for a drink for a reason (it's five o'clock somewhere, right) and so just pointing out youtubes of drunk fools doesn't mean that everyone who has a drink on a friday night is bound for A&E


Ugh, not expressing self clearly. I mean that you shouldn't use extremes of drunkeness to criminalise alcohol. Which is what posting these videos is trying to achieve. You should probably post thousands of videos of nice calm village pubs for context.

(not meant as a slam on you, Billy, just on the general idea of this thread - how dare people drink?! Why would they possibly do that?)

Oh, no doubt. A lot of it stems from personal reasons, as alcoholism runs in my family (hell, my mom drank herself to death) and it hits way too close to home.  Also, I know too many people who think it's okay to get right behind the wheel afterwards. I'm not one of those whose all like 'bring back Prohibition liquor is the devil oh praise Jesus' or anything...I just don't like to be near it myself.

You and me both! My mom was (well, is, technically, "recovering" for 16 years) an alcoholic, my grandfather as well, I think his dad also. I think it's in my best interests to never drink.

Alright, since Cactus and Billy have talked about it, I might as well too. Drinking runs in my fathers side of the family. My dad quit drinking when I was a baby. I have no memory of it, and I'm glad. I hear that he was a pretty heavy drinker. According to my dad, his father preferred to sit on the couch and drink, rather than be with his kids. My brother(well, half brother) was supposed to pick me up one day and never showed. We later found out he was at a bar instead. Now, here's where I'm going to put myself out on the line. I think I could easily become an alcoholic. Back in 2009 when my dad was in the hospital dying, I would often hit the wine bottle in the fridge on the days where my mom went to visit him and left me at home. My mom would often call me before she came home, just to let me know she would be home soon. I would always ask how my dad was doing. If my dad was having a particularly hard time, I would grab the wine bottle and have a swig or two. My "rule" was that I wouldn't do more than two or three sips of it at a time, and I would never do this more than two days in a row. I didn't always follow the rule. I never got drunk, but there were times that I worried my mom would notice that the bottle was steadily getting emptier. I won't lie...it helped. Or at least it felt like it did. I would feel it go down my throat and my whole body would get warm, and it would calm me. Which kind of scared me. I think I was starting to rely on it to often. This is why I think it's a good idea for me not to drink alcohol. *steps off soapbox*

There was a five, six year period in my life when I was never sober (minimum bottle of scotch a day, minimum three at weekends, bottle by the bed as a jumpstarter), yet according to my friends I functioned perfectly. Would, in fact, probably be the same today (or not - read on) until my doctor told me after a check-up in the 80s that if I didn't stop drinking like that, I'd likely be dead in 18 months, and then proceeded to detail exactly how I'd go (concisely, like an AIDS patient). As said sawbones was also a family friend, i tended to believe him, and stopped stone cold dead that evening. The next three weeks were horrific - but worse for those around me - and then that was that. I can't drink just a bit, or socially, so yes, essentially an alcoholic I guess. I find public drunkenness and binge drinking extremely distasteful, especially in women: when I see a woman drunk in public I'm disgusted, repelled and immediately think "slut". Men, I just think "dickwad". I'm tolerant like that - you may have noticed.  ;D

I can't stand to be around drunk people. Have not been in a bar in years.
 As a kid I started drinking down the park with my friends on weekends around the age of 15. You know the deal, down a bottle of spirits or a six pack, get completely sh*tfaced and then puke your guts up. I still remember the hangovers vividly. By the time I could legally drink I found I'd lost all interest in doing so, partly because I'd got into weed. (I toked on and off until my mid twenties until one day it hit me that I was turning into a paranoid wreck, so I quit that.)
Nowadays it's not so much the sight but the sound of drunken people that dives me nuts. To my neverending delight some immigrants opened a club/bar not ten feet across the street from me and now on weekends I get to hear drunken Polish people screaming at each other 'till about 3am.

In a nice restaurant, I abhor it. I hate it when someone completely sloshed comes up, interrupts conversation, and makes a scene. I hate it when you're out window shopping, and some drunk jackass starts asking you for money.

In bars, around bars, I don't mind drunk people. When I'm drunk I love chatting with other drunks.

Alcohol is such a huge part of the Australian culture.  It has affected everyone to at least some degree.  My grandfather died of alcohol related disease, my father is a recovering alcoholic, my ex husband is almost there, my best friend is there.  I'm sick of it!  I can't talk to my best friend on the phone after 5pm as we will get into an argument as she gets snarky with drinking.  I was a binge/social drinker but in the end only doing it because everyone else was and that's what we did.   Last year though I stopped after only a couple and came to see that some of my close male friends were real a**holes when drunk!  And I thought I would be missing out on great conversations, boy was I wrong..  On NYE I had to initiate talking as my two friends were just sitting there sloshed.  How did I think this was fun?!  I started drinking at 13, it's just what you did.. sad.

AGD -  Glad you're still here :)

Let's go drinking!

Why not, you seem like a nice guy :l

I'm a nice guy too!  ^-^

Yes I think you are, but Bgas was stirring me and my reply to him was sarcastic :)

oh Man, Shut down!  Wish I was in Australia now

I had to quit drinking all together after I had a seizure last September. I drank myself stupid for 20 years but that is finally behind me. Now I just smoke a lot of pot and eat mushrooms every couple of weeks. I gained 30 pounds very quickly (drinking makes you "forget" to eat) and feel much healthier now. Plus I have been much more productive with my music and film making. And I will never be publicly drunk ever again (just tripping).  ;D

May I quickly say your signature is pure win!