Go sober for October

[Cowley]

I very well might, but given that my entire intake for September was two beers at a work event on Friday night it won't be much of a sacrifice.

Go on NajaB. I'm just going to do DIY every evening.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

One way to ensure I won't participate in these "do/don't do a thing for a month" campaigns is to give it a stupid punnish name: Stoptober, Movember, Decembeard... please shut up!

If it's for a good cause, I'll give to it without all the forced nonsense... and what about the causes that can't be forced into the name of a month? Will they get forgotten? Why is there no "Celibapril" campaign or similar?

 

[Bromley boy]

One way to ensure I won't participate in these "do/don't do a thing for a month" campaigns is to give it a stupid punnish name: Stoptober, Movember, Decembeard... please shut up!

If it's for a good cause, I'll give to it without all the forced nonsense... and what about the causes that can't be forced into the name of a month? Will they get forgotten? Why is there no "Celibapril" campaign or similar?

Stoptober is all very well. I'm looking forward to "don't-remember-November" myself

 

[Bromley boy]

Alcohol tastes crap and smoking is gross. So I don't really understand the business of giving those things up, when not doing those things is easier than doing them. Giving up chocolate would be more of a challenge.

Your moderation is commendable but, in fairness, giving up something you already don't do or dislike is never going to be much of a challenge.

I rather suspect Stoptober isn't aimed at those who detest boozing!

 

[Jetlagged]

It's very easy to give up alcohol at the moment. I'm on walkabout in Switzerland and popped into a pub in Geneva at lunchtime, where thank goodness, I read the menu before ordering. At 18 euro a litre I left a lot faster than I entered!

Now where is that water fountain?!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

It's very easy to give up alcohol at the moment. I'm on walkabout in Switzerland and popped into a pub in Geneva at lunchtime, where thank goodness, I read the menu before ordering. At 18 euro a litre I left a lot faster than I entered!

Now where is that water fountain?!

Are the rates better in Swiss Francs, perhaps?

 

[radamfi]

Your moderation is commendable but, in fairness, giving up something you already don't do or dislike is never going to be much of a challenge.

I rather suspect Stoptober isn't aimed at those who detest boozing!

But why start in the first place? Anyone under 50 grew up knowing that smoking, in particular, is stupid. If you give someone the choice of doing something unpleasant or not doing that, the selection should be obvious.

 

[Bromley boy]

But why start in the first place? Anyone under 50 grew up knowing that smoking, in particular, is stupid. If you give someone the choice of doing something unpleasant or not doing that, the selection should be obvious.

Sorry I must confess I thought Stoptober covered both booze and cigarettes, hence lumping them together. I now see the alcohol variation is less punchily titled "go sober for October".

The difference between drinking and smoking is that while most regular drinkers enjoy a drink, most regular smokers have to smoke just to feel normal and regret ever starting. I smoked for years and have quit again, hopefully for good this time! Why start? Peer pressure, stupidity, lots of reasons. We all do stupid things when we are very young and live to regret them.

Neither are particularly easy habits to break hence I think both variants of Stoptober are an excellent idea from a public health perspective!

 

[Cowley]

I think it's incredibly sad that many of this generation of teenagers are still getting addicted to smoking so many years after we were told at the same age not to try it.

 

[Bromley boy]

I think it's incredibly sad that many of this generation of teenagers are still getting addicted to smoking so many years after we were told at the same age not to try it.

The best thing to stop it would be to simply to ban sales of cigarettes and other nicotine products. As a reformed smoker, I fervently wish they would!

Won't happen because at a tenner for a twenty pack, of which 80% + goes to the treasury, fag sales raise far more money than they cost in cancer treatment and other health costs.

 

[Groningen]

In music on the Dutch radio October becomes Rocktober and you can guess what music is played on some stations.

 

[Harbornite]

Alcohol tastes crap

In your opinion.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I think it's incredibly sad that many of this generation of teenagers are still getting addicted to smoking so many years after we were told at the same age not to try it.

I started smoking cigarettes after quitting smoking cannabis, which was having a far greater negative impact on my life than smoking tobacco does. Every pack I buy is intended to be my last, but I need to walk before I can run (metaphorically speaking). As winter draws in the desire to quit is getting stronger (having to go outside is a pain in the jacksie!) but I'll do it on my terms rather than because of some campaign. I'm not a heavy smoker anyway, a 20 pack will last me 4-5 days.

 

[Darandio]

In music on the Dutch radio October becomes Rocktober and you can guess what music is played on some stations.

That one does appeal and it means we can have a choice, I can happily avoid Go Sober for October but take part in Rocktober instead, it means i'm at least doing something.

Is there something for every month yet? We have these October ones, then next month everyone is encouraged to look like Nigel Mansell. Maybe the month after you can reward yourself for being sober in October by going on a bender in December?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

That one does appeal and it means we can have a choice, I can happily avoid Go Sober for October but take part in Rocktober instead, it means i'm at least doing something.

Is there something for every month yet? We have these October ones, then next month everyone is encouraged to look like Nigel Mansell. Maybe the month after you can reward yourself for being sober in October by going on a bender in December?

Not all the months are as easy to force a pun... we could have "no starch March" where we pledge to only consume simple carbohydrates, but after that I'm stumped!

 

[Cowley]

Not all the months are as easy to force a pun... we could have "no starch March" where we pledge to only consume simple carbohydrates, but after that I'm stumped!

We could lie every day for Fibuary.
We could get an infection every day for Septicember.
We could eat fruit based spreadable comestibles for Jamuary.
We could walk in a military manner during March (or just do the starch thing).

Erm.

 

[Darandio]

We could get an infection every day for Septicember.

Could be sponsored by the NHS as well, that one has got legs.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Could be sponsored by the NHS as well, that one has got legs.

Or "Theresa" May, when we spend all month repeating the same mantras while we run through fields of wheat, and ignore the chaos going on around us...

 

[Jetlagged]

Are the rates better in Swiss Francs, perhaps?

That was after converting from Swiss Francs! Thought I cracked it last night when I stumbled across a real ale pub that was packed with young people. That's usually a sign of cheap beer right? Wrong! The cheapest was 14CHF/12€/£11 a litre.

If I thought that was expensive, there was a greater shock instore at the hotel this morning; buffet breakfast was 33.90CHF/30€/£26!

At the airport now and heading back to sanity.

 

[Jetlagged]

Or "Theresa" May, when we spend all month repeating the same mantras while we run through fields of wheat, and ignore the chaos going on around us...

That one I like... A lot!

 

[Antman]

Apparently we're doing this now. Is anyone else having a non alcohol drinking October?
The 1st of November seems like an awfully long way away this morning...

Not me...............I preferred the sound of can'nee remember November

 

[61653 HTAFC]

We could lie every day for Fibuary.
We could get an infection every day for Septicember.
We could eat fruit based spreadable comestibles for Jamuary.
We could walk in a military manner during March (or just do the starch thing).

Erm.

Ju-lie, surely? 3 extra days of untruths, though possibly confusing for Ali G's girlfriend...

 

[Tetchytyke]

The cheapest was 14CHF/12€/£11 a litre.

With the exchange rate, £5.50 a pint isn't so bad.

In a club in Ibiza last week I paid €24 for two 330ml bottles of still water!

As I'm not drinking, I've opened an Erdinger Alcoholfrei. It's not *quite* the real deal, but its not far off.

 

[Groningen]

The cheapest Heineken beer is in the Netherlands 1,73 euro a liter.

Erdinger Alcoholfrei is in the Netherlands 2,58 euro a liter in a bottle or 3,38 in a can.

 

[Cowley]

The cheapest Heineken beer is in the Netherlands 1,73 euro a liter.

Erdinger Alcoholfrei is in the Netherlands 2,58 euro a liter in a bottle or 3,38 in a can.

This isn't helping.

 

[Ash Bridge]

This isn't helping.

Well I hope it helps a little if I tell you this is my second dry night Mr Cowley. (Only because Tesco don't deliver until tomorrow)

 

[Cowley]

Well I hope it helps a little if I tell you this is my second dry night Mr Cowley. (Only because Tesco don't deliver until tomorrow)

Ah that's got to be good for you. I'll ring Tescos and cancel your wine order for tomorrow shall I?

 

[Ash Bridge]

Ah that's got to be good for you. I'll ring Tescos and cancel your wine order for tomorrow shall I?

Don't mind you cancelling the wine, just don't touch the beer order

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Don't mind you cancelling the wine, just don't touch the beer order

I'm going to build a beautiful, magnificent Beer-order Wall, the best you've ever seen... and you'll have to pay for it, bigly!

(Sorry, couldn't resist!)

 

[dcsprior]

The best thing to stop it would be to simply to ban sales of cigarettes and other nicotine products. As a reformed smoker, I fervently wish they would!

As an ex-smoker (but not reformed smoker) myself, I'd be happy to prevent anyone else from picking up the habit, but not happy to force someone else to give up against their will.

At Hogmanay this year, everyone born pre-2000 will be legally able to buy tobacco products, and everyone born in the 2000s will not be able to.

In my opinion, the sensible thing would be to keep it that way forever, have a fixed DoB of consent rather than a fixed age of consent.