Armed Forces alcohol abuse...
"On average on a bad day - where I wasn't really in the mood - it was probably four to five pints a night.
"On a good day it could be trying to keep up with a lot of people who obviously do drink a lot more, and it could be anything from 10 to 15 pints a night."
"On a good day it could be trying to keep up with a lot of people who obviously do drink a lot more, and it could be anything from 10 to 15 pints a night."
Very thankful that our (old) boys night out now amounts to a max of four pints.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
The problem is team drinking. It is not just military. Went for a quiet drink in Shepherd's Market, every bar packed from 5 pm.
However an ACTer visiting Coningsby left the bar in the mess at 1am and attempted to drive back to Leeming at 6; didn't make it.
However an ACTer visiting Coningsby left the bar in the mess at 1am and attempted to drive back to Leeming at 6; didn't make it.
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Looking at some of the capers that happen in most towns, on a Friday and Saturday night, Service guys are probably no worse than their civilian counterparts.
Drinking has always been part of Service culture, usually because there wasn't much else to do!
Drinking has always been part of Service culture, usually because there wasn't much else to do!
One of the many things I miss about the RAF is the chance to over-indulge in booze in an environment where it is appreciated as a 'bonding-agent' and 'stress-reliever'! There will always be those who exceed their personal limits as in any walk of life. Won't be long before someone says "tax-payer funded subsidies" when we know they are the same prices any organised club could negotiate with suppliers 
. Still, £2 a pint seems a bit steep compared to my mess bills!
. Still, £2 a pint seems a bit steep compared to my mess bills!
I always thought I was part of a dangerously heavy drinking culture on the squadron until a CID Sergeant took three of us on a crawl in Kings Lynn one night. He outdrank us two-to-one and drove the whole night.
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Heck you could even get it when you were in a military hospital as a patient 
Ahhh...... I remember pints of Bacardi Cokes and Tizers, where it cost more to put the coke in than it did the spirits (RAFG) ......... Hic, happy days
Ahhh...... I remember pints of Bacardi Cokes and Tizers, where it cost more to put the coke in than it did the spirits (RAFG) ......... Hic, happy days
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Heck you could even get it when you were in a military hospital as a patient
99- many years ago and living in Devon we were invited to supper by parents of kids who were friends of our young son. Both were police. Transpired that rest of the guests were SB. I was conscious that I was driving so was pretty moderate in my consumption, but otherwise I have never seen so much alcohol consumed, irrespective of the forthcoming drive home. Outdid anything I have ever seen in the RAF
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Short arms? 
Seriously, pub at £3.30, mess at £2, supermarket at £1.50.
Complain about low mess prices, raise prices by decree for the greater good, then wait for the law of unintended consequences to kick in.
Ban on-base drinking den and wait for the uncontrolled off base den to start up.
Fifty years ago bar bills were limited so everyone drank up to the limit and went off base when they ran out of credit. End of the month and the Merrydown party. Cider was not rationed and those that had credit bought the booze. Such an outstanding success they dropped the scheme.
Remember the boxes? Drinks heavily unwisely, heavily wisely, moderately unwisely etc?
Seriously, pub at £3.30, mess at £2, supermarket at £1.50.
Complain about low mess prices, raise prices by decree for the greater good, then wait for the law of unintended consequences to kick in.
Ban on-base drinking den and wait for the uncontrolled off base den to start up.
Fifty years ago bar bills were limited so everyone drank up to the limit and went off base when they ran out of credit. End of the month and the Merrydown party. Cider was not rationed and those that had credit bought the booze. Such an outstanding success they dropped the scheme.
Remember the boxes? Drinks heavily unwisely, heavily wisely, moderately unwisely etc?
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At RAF Ely hospital the nurses were very quick to snap up any Guinness not consumed by patients.
My brother was in the Met., he and colleagues certainly liked a serious drink!
PN Looking back I think that summed me up
My brother was in the Met., he and colleagues certainly liked a serious drink!
moderately unwisely
PN - how very dare you! 
I was referring to the fact I don't think a pint in the mess ever cost more than about £1.80 even for wifebeater!! I'm sure the messes I enjoyed weren't the only ones to vote every year to keep the profit margin nice and low (5%? from memory - too much beer!). I feel HM forces do enough already to highlight the dangers and as others have said, a comparison with other organisations might highlight this. This (non)story seems to appear every few years for some reason.
I was referring to the fact I don't think a pint in the mess ever cost more than about £1.80 even for wifebeater!! I'm sure the messes I enjoyed weren't the only ones to vote every year to keep the profit margin nice and low (5%? from memory - too much beer!). I feel HM forces do enough already to highlight the dangers and as others have said, a comparison with other organisations might highlight this. This (non)story seems to appear every few years for some reason.
Watching the Guinness Tanker pulling in to Farnborough at the beginning of yet another stint at the display years ago, reminded me of the definition of a good SBAC week as being one in which more alcohol was consumed than aviation kerosene.
"We have rigorous processes in place to discipline personnel who make poor choices regarding alcohol consumption, and treatment mechanisms in place for those with genuine alcohol problems"
They had those in my day! Station Commanders bollocking and banned from the Mess bar for three weeks! Not a problem! Stand in the flower bed outside the bar window and the boys pass you a beer!
They had those in my day! Station Commanders bollocking and banned from the Mess bar for three weeks! Not a problem! Stand in the flower bed outside the bar window and the boys pass you a beer!
When I was in Nocton Hall they had Guinness........can't stand the stuff!
I could never stand it either!
I blush to think of what I used to get up to. Fell off my motorbike riding home after a Friday afternoon session in the crewroom and fortunately ended up unhurt giggling on the grass verge. Drove home to Swaffham after a dining in where I got so smashed that I forgot I'd booked a room in the mess
. In those days if I'd been pulled over I'd have been out on my ear in short order (happened to a chum).These threads are a bit like the low-flying ones. Great for those of us who got away with it - not so funny for those who didnt.
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I regret the intensive 30 years training I had in various locations over my Service years, ranging from Bugis Street to the Opera Tavern [off Kingsway, near Covent Garden].
I have spent £49.25 today doing a minor re-stock of the cellar, as our local wine merchant has a 20% discount offer this week ...
... now please excuse me, as I have some intense tasting to carry out.
Hic.
I have spent £49.25 today doing a minor re-stock of the cellar, as our local wine merchant has a 20% discount offer this week ...
... now please excuse me, as I have some intense tasting to carry out.
Hic.
