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Writing under the influence.
What are people's opinions on writing whilst under the influence of alcohol? Strange topic I know and please accept my apologies. I've got a well earned day off tomorrow and am therefore enjoying a vodka or two tonight. Always feel inspired to write a masterpiece when I've had a drink but normally find my creativity isn't quite in sync with my enthusiasm!
Comments
Very often I get that wrong.
No harm in it. The only writing I've found to cause trouble while drunk is texting and emails to ex girlfriends or mates you're having problems with.
And it only cost me a thousand pounds.
A thousand pounds?
Wasn't that title from a Q series? Q as in Spike Milligan. Or the No Adverts series. Was it called that?
Especially the lady with her blueberry pie, and the two ladies who are actually Marcus Brigstocke and another guy dressed up in women's clothes.
Mind explaining this dear heart?
Last time I saw him on a panel show thingy he seemed to have lost a lot of weight. Looked ill.
...it's no fun hanging with highwaymen when you're hanging from a rope ... yep, love their songs
Although you could class writing this as being under the influence of alcohol cos I've had around seven pints tonight.
You see our city is like a person, it has a collective personality so it can be offended. It can also be offensive if we are that way, which is a drawback and a pity. We don't even call ourselves a city to be fair. We are the IRoL which sounds like Ireland, as is likely with the greatest number of Irish people in such a small space, but stands for the Independent Republic of Liverpool. We love the UK, Britain and England. We're just not that much a part of it at that upsets a lot of people.
Most of what you've heard about us is lies and truth. I mean we are not what the media say but are what people say, but not always as good as we say.
I don't for one minute take any notice of the Nanny State...oops sorry our Big Brother/Stasi/Government. I'm of moderate intelligence to know that those seven pints were consumed over a six and a half hour period with a meal in between. They were not rushed, so it meant that my blood alcohol levels were not overwhelmed. Hence I'm on here being corpus mentis and not falling over in some silly drunken stupour down some gutter (like so many idiots).
That 14 units is all I will drink now until next month when we go out again. And unlike some, those 14 units haven't harmed me in the same way as those who consume that every night of the week in their local. I can't believe for one minute that some ponce thinks that a woman is going to have ONE small glass of wine in a pub or have one with her meal and then switch to water or pop because some anal Dr Death on behalf of our useless Government says so. Nor will you find a bloke pop into his local, have a pint and then bid farewell because he's on a Government safe tariff. It don't happen.
New research is now showing that eight glasses of water a day is now turning to complete tits because...stop press...each human is very different. It can do more harm than good, and yet how many sheep have been following this 'advice' for years thinking it helps? I don't trust a single word the Government tells me.
Sensibility and moderation goes a long way. It worked for my great grandparents, my grand parents and it works for my parents, who all lived to ripe old ages. Seven pints every four weeks isn't going to kill anyone, unless your liver is already f***ed from alcoholism. 14 units my arse. Dr Doom failed to have a word with the Mediterraneans. They live longer than us and consume several units with each meal. They must be on a differnt life tarrif then.
Or maybe their Goverment isn't interested in controlling every aspect of it's citizen's lives.
Cheeky cider.
Not being yourself for a while sometimes is the best medicine we can all have. So down the hatch and let's do the 'Withnail and I' drinking game.
George Orwell must be pissing himself.
[quote=SilentTony]So down the hatch and let's do the 'Withnail and I' drinking game. [/quote]
Well said!
* OK for the writing that is. Your liver might be another matter.
[/quote]
Well... I'd have to disagree to SOME extent. They are guidelines, and certainly not 'made up' by the Gvt, they are the culmination of scientists' studies. And of course, scientists' studies do disagree. But no decision on evidence is made actually until about 10 years after what most know is the right route to take. In fact the guidelines when brought in can be out of date.
I don't view what the Gvt says in my private life as something i have to adhere to at all, and I seriously doubt, as you do, that most people take notice, even if it's only when it suits them.
And the guidelines are of necessity a 'one size fits all'. Anyone with sense will be adjusting them themselves.
But I do listen, and then examine the evidence myself.
Too little (water, but actually any liquid, and reading the guidelines carefully they DON"T say it has to be water, extra to what you drink anyway, it is the amount you should be taking in over the day, and the 8 glasses on top of what you drink was not the Gvt guidleines) to drink is the basis of so many diseases I couldn't even list them. But bowel and bladder complaints up to and including cancer and skin complaints like eczema top the list.
The Gvt even mentioning this will at least mean it's in the public consciousness.
That's just one example - both my parents died of causes linked to too little to drink. Through their whole lives, they drank one mug at each meal, and one in-between. This wasn't enough. They both suffered all the consequences and my dad got bowel cancer and my mum bladder cancer, and they both died, far too young.
So this is one of the areas which has special interest to me - and one which I read about endlessly with my own health in mind! The guidelines should say, drink so that you are able to go to the loo normally (virtually ALL cases of constipation are due to lack of enough liquid) and not to feel thirsty, drink the same amount of water that you drink in alcohol to avoid dehydration and enable your liver to break down the alcohol and get the poisons out of your body, and to stop your brain shrinking due to dehydration which is what gives you ythe headache, if you gets headaches.
But Gvt guidelines are 'nannying' as you say, and a lot of people need to be told more precisely.
I don't think it should ever be the responsibility of the government to tell us how to live. It's not their job and they don't rule us. We have this notion of a nanny state because it feels we are being given harsh boundaries and punishments that are designed to make us conform. But we are individuals so don't need them. If each person had a twice yearly physical from their own GP they would receive a tailor made set of guidelines on lifestyle. People could then choose whether or not to change their diet or they way they live.
Nobody is going to turn around and call doctors nannies if this happened are they?
There have been lots of famous writers who imbibed too much drink when they were writing and when they weren't.
All I can say is I'd want to be around and conscious to savour the success rather than too blotto to know about it...:)
Actually - the eating fruit and veg IS based on sound scientific advice, even if the GVt was not following actual advice at the time.
In Australia and many countries the recommended amounts are much higher, and in Japan they are highest, at 13 per day. 5 is the minimum really, to keep healthy.
What isn't given is a breakdown of what you actually do need, and I think this is missing. I think they should be guidelines, and explained, which they never are. You need a variety of colours - veg are healthier than fruit, although all ill supply you with soluble fibre, and green veg is the most vital.
You can survive without - many people do, and remain healthy until a certain time in life when it all catches up with you.
Because I was on a diabetic diet for many years, which has way too much carbohydrate, and the carb bit had to be eaten, so I ate it first, and then really had no room for all the veg etc, I did not eat enough. Then I changed to a low carb diet, and ate all the veg and salad, and now have about 9 -12 portions of veg, salad and a little fruit a day. I immediately felt SO much better. i felt completely different. Amazing.
That's not what I said though. Obviously eating fruit and veg has scientifically proven merits and any doctor would advise you to have a good enough intake. My point was that a civil servant made up the number that has become part of our national psyche. There was no scientific basis for that number it was only what would look good on posters. Doctors went along with it because it would improve the diet of the nation to some extent.
The problem is that fruit and veg is very expensive and increases all the time. If people are on low incomes and see a chicken for £3 but a bag of oranges is also £3 which would you buy if you only had that amount of money for your family? That's another point. The government keep banging on about raising the price of alcohol to bring down the NHS/police bill and to stop binge drinking. It claims to want this to improve the health and well being of the nation. So why not introduce a reverse tax on fruit and veg?
All we hear about is childhood obesity, binge drinking, bad diets, unhealthy lifestyles. This is only balanced out with a poxy 5 a Day poster in your local doctors and supermarket. My kids school used to give a piece of fruit a day to every kid. Since the last budget they have had to cancel several things, one being the fruit distribution. So the government can bang on about it while taking it from the mouths of children at the same time. Where are the big promotions and campaigns about making it easier for people to eat healthy? It's hypocrisy and while I don't agree that we have a nanny sate as much as people claim I can completely understand why they do feel like that. It all seems to be conditions and punishments for the bad things and little talk about the good.
Yes, I have written some decent pieces (poetry seems to work particularly well, strangely) after several glasses of wine, but have never submitted them until the next day or later on.
OH is reading Burroughs at the moment, talking of being under the influence.
And I refuse to believe Lewis Carroll didn't imbibe!
There is a lot of contradictory advice out there - red wine is good for your heart (in moderation) but bad for your liver.
Milk is good for your teeth/bones but too much can lead to some forms of cancer.
Water is good for you... but too much will kill you (particularly if you drown in it ;))
I don't want to get political on this, and my point is against parties of both colours, but the government is so mixed up it does make things worse. Obese children, alcoholism, drug addiction and health related disability are not just the concern of individuals but of society. There has never been an over arced plan about this and that's part of the problem.
For example they lowered the qualifying age for when milk tokens but changed them to Healthy Start so you could buy fruit and veg. It's a mixed signal. You can use this for your kids 5 a day but we'll stop it sooner. Also if you use it for fruit you then have to pay for the milk. Makes no sense. Thatcher would have loved all that milk snatching. I say give all kids free fruit and veg. I bet the cost would be lower than the cost of health problems forced upon the nation when these kids are older.
But where do the eggs come from? Some horrible battery farm with naked chickens standing on wire and each other, pecked to pieces with sores oozing all over their bodies?