Are we all just problem drinkers in huge denial
Chiles, once TV husband to Christine Lampard, and more recently a football and miscellaneous presenter, has a documentary about drinking on the BBC next week.
When he initially thought about doing a documentary about how what we regard as an ordinary level of drinking can actually be problematic, Chiles thought he probably didn’t drink enough to qualify to present the programme. Which is probably what most of us would think in his position.
canada goose uk black friday And that’s the bit that I think people are finding uncomfortable. It turns out that Chiles, without knowing it, was drinking more than enough to qualify. But he only really found that out when he did the documentary. canada goose uk black friday
Canada Goose Parka While Chiles seems to be still in two minds about giving up drink, despite what he found out in the course of doing the show, he does canada goose outlet shop have one simple message. Measure what you drink and don’t lie to yourself. Canada Goose Parka
canadian goose jacket The easiest way to approach Chiles’s extraordinary honesty about his drinking canada goose outlet uk sale was to think, “That guy definitely has a problem and he drinks way more than me. I don’t drink that much.” canadian goose jacket
But then again, that’s what Chiles used to think. He doesn’t seem to get drunk. He doesn’t fall down. He doesn’t fight.
He doesn’t usually have a drink until six or seven in canada goose outlet new york city the evening. He stops drinking and is in bed before 11 or 12 at night. His partner does not think he is a problem drinker. He says it has never affected his work or his relationships, though he could possibly have been more productive without drink.
canada goose As he says himself, he doesn’t tick any of the boxes of being a problem drinker, apart from the fact that he managed to drink an enormous amount. canada goose
Canada Goose Jackets And in fairness, it sounds like he did. As far as I can tell, he seems to have drunk 16 drinks at a party one night while doing the documentary, and his total units for that week added up to 100. Canada Goose Jackets
buy canada goose jacket In reality, many of canada goose outlet parka us have probably hit those numbers on a long day and night or on some kind of festive/stag/holiday week. canada goose outlet store But would you be doing it while you’re making a documentary? What’s he goose outlet canada like when he’s not behaving himself for a documentary? buy canada goose jacket
canada goose uk shop Then there’s the four pints he has one morning. In fairness, that was before going to a football match that canada goose outlet uk was an early kick off. But then again, there’s always a reason, isn’t there? And it’s still four pints in the morning. Again, many of us have probably done it, but there was probably a reason when we did it too. But it was still four pints in the morning. canada goose uk shop
When you dig a bit deeper on Adrian Chiles, it might give you a canada goose outlet black friday bit more comfort that you are not a problem drinker in denial.
Canada Goose Coats On Sale Is drink on your mind all the time? It is for Chiles. Canada Goose Coats On Sale
cheap Canada Goose Is your life built around it? It is for him. But the example he gives of that is canada goose outlet in usa when he’s out filming, he’s thinking of getting back to London to get a few pints in. cheap http://www.canadagoosecanadaoutlet.com Canada Goose
And you wince and think a bit.
canada goose black friday sale Many of us have been there too, haven’t we? You’ve got something difficult or stressful or boring to do, or a heavy day or few days at canada goose jacket outlet work, and your little reward to look forward to at the end is a pint. And you think about that first beer, that first taste of freedom, that first taste of reward. canada goose black friday sale
Canada Goose Outlet So your life might not revolve around drink, but it’s in there all right. You might not go to bed later that night, like Chiles, with heartburn, high blood pressure and some anxiety. But again, you might have done that at some stage too. Canada Goose Outlet
And a therapist might not tell you, as one told Chiles, that he used alcohol to change his mood because he didn’t like who he was or how he official canada goose outlet felt. canada goose outlet toronto factory But again, who among us hasn’t reached for a drink to change the mood, to cheer us up, or calm us down, or relax us?
Where Chiles, perhaps, departs from many of us is that he suffers from anxiety and depression and is on and off medication for them. And he admits that alcohol probably doesn’t help with this.
canada goose uk outlet Which is probably a canada goose outlet online uk bit canada goose factory outlet of an understatement. Indeed, many people’s only experience of anxiety or depression will probably be from alcohol. The canada goose outlet ‘fear’ from a bad hangover is an accepted fact of life in Ireland. So all in all, you might imagine that, unlike you, Adrian Chiles should possibly give up drink. canada goose uk outlet
But then, Adrian Chiles wonders what he would do then, because his social life largely revolves around going for a few pints with various people. And while the rest of us may have a broader social life than canada goose outlet jackets just that, having a few pints is, for many of us, probably omnipresent, even after we indulge in healthier pastimes.
A good chunk of Irish people will canada goose outlet sale judge how successful canada goose outlet a night at the theatre was based on whether they managed to get a pint at half time without queuing for too long, and whether the show ended in time to get to the pub.
cheap canada goose uk Chiles certainly didn’t think he had serious health problems due to canada goose outlet reviews drink, and indeed blood tests showed he had normal, healthy liver function. But a deeper test, a scan, showed that he was on the road to death by cirrhosis of the liver. Not that far along the road, presumably. But on the road. cheap canada goose uk
So most of canada goose black friday sale us probably think that Adrian Chiles drinks far more than we do and it is far more woven into his life than canada goose outlet canada it is to ours.
canada goose store But then he thought he was drinking normally too. But what is normal? Chiles reckons that those of us who think we are normal drinkers, ‘the constant drinkers, the topper uppers’ are the problem. canada goose store
uk canada goose outlet Chiles seems to be unable to stick to three or four consecutive dry days every week as recommended to him by a doctor, something that probably wouldn’t be a problem for most of us. He also has trouble sticking to the 14 units a week limit, something that might be more of a problem for some of us. uk canada goose outlet
I’m not going to start tracking my drinking. Because I obviously don’t feel I need to, apart from the odd night.
But I might canada goose outlet online take on board another bit of Chiles’s advice. He bemoans the fact that most canada goose outlet nyc of the drinking he has done was probably mindless, rather than mindful. It was often pointless, and done just out of habit.
Canada Goose Online “How many of the drinks did I really need, want or enjoy?” he asks. And he could possibly have a point there. Some beers are more worth it than others Canada Goose Online.