Piers is a weird mix of likeable and reasonable and agreeable but also very disagreeable at the same time. A fairly tough cookie to speak to, not necessarily an easy conversation. Because in a way he always wants to 'get' the interviewee. So, well done man, you handled this sublimely. @chrisWillx

"Savage" "Queen" "King" Words like these used to have a different meaning.

...so is medicine. And it gets abused more on the hidden side. Alcohol is great in numbing body pains...but who overdoes it will get cranky because this person got her body used to a certain intake.

My Father is an alcoholic too and it has a pretty firm grip on him at this point. He was abusive in my youth but has mellowed out somewhat as he's gotten older, but our relationship is pretty stunted considering i'm 35 and he's 70. He's had a difficult life and he uses alcohol as means to cope with that; if trauma is a person being frozen in a place psychologically then alcohol is definitely part of the glue that keeps you stuck there. I can tell he doesn't really want to drink like he does (and he even went off it for a while, replacing the habit with 0% wine) but he never actually challenged the behaviour or any of his demons so he slipped right back into it eventually. He drinks now out of decades of habit as it's the only way he knows how to live and to deal with my Mother who is a toxic, anxious/depressive narcissist. I keep trying to inform him of how fit he could be if he exercised (he turns 70 this year and has superb mesomorphic genes for bodybuilding) and he seems interested but never does anything with it. Never will do anything with it. With alcoholism, it's just like that... They're called spirits and that's exactly what they take from you. As you said, alcohol is a dangerous drug, in far more ways than one...

@andreantares70 I like your analogy on alcohol being a glue that keeps you stuck. And accepting your parent as they are and understanding their demons are their own is powerful. I never did gain the ability to have an open and honest conversation with my dad before he passed away in 2000.... my brain has always seen a bigger picture and his brain didn't appreciate my far seeing vision so I learned at an early age to just listen and not talk much lol. He died when he was 72 but was incapable of getting around for years and was a miserable soul 🫤 He was so angry when he was dying from cancer that one day he even wished me and my older brother got it so that we would know what he was going through.... it was sad. At another point, just a few hours before he died when my 5 siblings and I were gathered around his bed, he said that if he could do it all over again that he wouldn't have had any of us... that it would have just been him and my mom. It was like light went off and everything made sense and I just thought 'you silly old man, you got it all wrong' and I vowed then and there that I would deal with my demons to save my children any harsh truths that I may dare to utter at them on my death bed in such a narcissistic woe is me manner. I loved my father regardless and wanted to remember him in a kindly way .. he did his best but was a product of his upbringing and nothing I could have ever said or done would have changed the path he was the most comfortable to travel on. We pick our parents to learn the lessons we need to learn and it is not our fault if they choose to not see and deny the gift/lesson that we bring to them 🥰 We're all just humans trying to find our humanity, some folks just try harder than others me thinks.

It's low grade poison. Been a part of society for so long that people don't understand how bad it is for you.

I don't know him but having gone through the experience it might be that it wasn't alcohol that made him that way but his circumstances that led to his over alcohol usage that made him that way. On top of that, alcohol lowers your inhibitions so you show more of what you are going through than normal. I've done that. That's why it makes me wonder. Since you say he started drinking later and it doesn't sound like he became an asshole again.

What caused you to quit?

I quit 4 months ago and I just turned 38. I’m a better dad and husband sober, I hope to stay sober like you

That's awesome. Good on ya.

​@@nickreiffer2575Keep it up. I'm 3 months in and I can say without hesitation that I'll NEVER put alcohol in my body ever again because the benefits of not drinking mentally, emotionally and physically far out weigh a temporary high if you will. I'm 41 drank casually / socially since I was 16. No damaged caused but I got lucky.

Same

Similar boat here friend, good effort!

Sept 2022 over here. Same lost my mom in 2021.

Wow, big respect. Your discipline is admirable

Good for you Shane!

Well done mate

😂

😂😂❄️

❤

good job

Congrats! I'm 6 months sober. Keep up the good fight!

What about video games?

​@stefanangelovski4037 what makes you ask that?

@@stefanangelovski4037 what a lunatic 😂😂

@@stefanangelovski4037 video isn't a drug tho,it's just like tv or browsing the web,or reading a story book,it's a hobby and should be a reward after you finish your task,that also would depends if you actually like video game or use them as an escape when i was younger i liked video game,but then that's all i did to escape my shit childhood/parent/situation now i only ever play if i have everything in my life straight,i need to have peace of mind and physic to be able to enjoy video game,because i actually do like video game and unless all my task are done i cannot focus while playing

Yep. That was a bit me in my teens.. when my mates were drunk my guard was up cause they would go through emotions that weren't genuine and could wind up sad or angry but when sober I was more inclined to be outgoing, have a laugh, play a prank etc

i love this point. most of these events need alcohol because theyre boring and non stimulating, most of the people too.

Yeah exactly, spot on. You wouldn’t sit at a bar in a pub for 6hrs if there was no alcohol involved. I used to drink alone in my shed a lot but now that I’m sober I don’t just go and sit out there for hours lol.

@@w1ldthin9 preach man! Very true

you and me both man, I'm three oreo's away from being a landwhale.

If you cut out processed sugar for 3 to 4 days and cut carbs a little while still eating a good amount of calories you can start to hop off the blood sugar rollercoaster of craving. For me I find it hard, but it literally changes what I want to eat within a week and makes me less moody and impulsive when eating

I know the feeling. I can’t seem to give up sugar. I’ve managed to completely cut out some things that are bad for me, such as video gaming. But I just cannot find the willpower to give up sugar

​@@ReeceLyons123how is video gaming bad for you?

Meat only one meal a day carnivore diet. Two fatty steaks I guarantee you wont feel hungry for 24 hours.

Ok you are actually boring , make some stories in your early 20s dude

LEGEND.

@@user-dm6eo3yh2i - you can have stories without consumption. go buy a beat up camper and go venturing across the country. hit the backcountry for a few days. go hang out with a local family in vietnam or something. theres so much life to be had beyond the walls of a pub.

Keep up the good work my man. Better to realise this now than later in life. I had a similar experience however went back and forward with those type of “friends”. They are in general just drinking, smoking, whatever acquaintances. There is a couple I shared similar interests with and hook up to go hiking etc. However ninety five percent of people met in those circles I have nothing in common with. The only thing that tied us together like you say is rampant consumption, addiction or friending over substances or alcohol. Go have a meal for your birthday spend it with loved ones or close friends who don’t need you to be consuming what they are to establish or maintain a connection. You can tell when you meet someone and you tell them you are clean. If they are happy for you and suggest hooking up to do another activity fair play. However the majority will look at you like you have lost the plot.

@@user-dm6eo3yh2i I made my stories in my late teens. Festivals, breaking into buildings, psychedelics, the whole shabang. It would be hard for me to count all of the stupid stuff that I’ve done over the past few years that could very well have ended up with me arrested or worse. I was reliant on drugs to have a good time and “make memories”, and in my opinion if a drug’s needed to make something memorable, odds are it really wasn’t that special. Not to say I don’t have some fond memories of my past, they’re just few and far between relative to all of the stupid shit I’ve managed to do over past 3-4 years.

Full agree. Good to see someone mention authenticity here. Drinking friendships are an illusion. Getting sober was the best thing I ever done. Stopped existing and started living.

feel bad for you

I don't hardly drink at all anymore, though only out of habit, and I never _especially_ enjoyed drinking, but I can say without doubt that when I was younger, in college and so on, I had so many good times with good friends that were absolutely enhanced by alcohol. I'm sorry your experience with drinking tended to limit your enjoyment of life, even to the point of calling it a "stupid waste of time." In that sense I suppose you were unlucky that you weren't able to understand a different side of alcohol use. But you're certainly fortunate now to be able to look back on a big part of your life with a sense of fondness.

@@hughmac13 When you are sober you are able to connect and embrace life on a much deeper and more real level. Add spending time with other people like that i.e. friends and you can't compare the two experiences. The fun I have had...the true laughter...memories...imagination...connection and growth...I only wish I had learned to live this way sooner:+) Booze only shut off my brain and made me "feel" good on a base level...let alone the toxicity of alcohol and damage it did to my body. God bless~

Many of my best memories from my twenties had alcohol involved.... Many of my worst did as well.

Get professional help now, and be prepared to leave the house if you need to. She will die if this continues. I am in a position to know. AA can also be very helpful.

Unfortunately, you can't really make the decision for someone else to cut down or quit. That's a door that people have to walk through for themselves. I wish you the best of luck with your current situation.

I go to a AA meeting everyday and let me tell you my life has changed for the better take your wife to meetings 3-4 times a week, she will start seeing the futility in drinking

She'll end up on a drip

I’m in a very similar boat. It can be pretty depressing watch someone you love refuse to accept the truth. I was amazed when she managed to stop the drink for January, even if she was on a bottle of alcohol free wine a night in the last week. She was right back on it in feb and is back to 5/7 again. Mid January she was the happiest she had been in ages and said so, antidepressants finally allowed to work and all was good. And she went straight back the self destructive behaviour. I hope you have more luck and you both make it through to somewhere better

Don't blame alcohol for you being friendless lol.

Perfectly said.

I, myself, couldn't detect the "clash."

Piers was almost neighborly to Chris in this interview. I think his style has aged well with time.

Piers is a pretty good interviewer

​@@squibbelsmcjohnsonThe title says "debate" which they did. You're probably so seduced by drama these days that a civilized conversation doesn't seem like a debate anymore.

he tends to only interupt a lot when he disagrees with the guest. If they are in agreement nothing happens haha which defeats the purpose of a debate

So?

@@GorgeouslyStupidThing L reply. W OP

Keep it going Amelia. That’s great news!

I used to love pain meds.

Well done stay strong, I went to my first dry rave last year, I don't have a problem with alcohol, I can take or leave it but being part of a recovery community and seeing how big it was really opened my eyes and everyone had a blast without a drop of alcohol in sight. I was the same as you started on pain meds but soon moved to stronger opiates, I've been in recovery going on five years and abstinent for a year now.

And people needn't go to the Amazon, just find some mushrooms and they can have the same experience. But good on you

yawn

Thanks! So true.

What makes someone boring?

@@ZenMeah exactly, it's all subjective & a way of putting people down for their choices.

@@mrbritisher9748 I’ve been called boring for being an introvert and not drinking alcohol. The people that called me boring don’t really know me or try to get to know me but I’m boring for not behaving in the same way that they do. I think going to the same pubs drinking every weekend is boring so yeah it’s definitely all subjective

Alcohol sucks without cocaine though, being super drunk is not fun

Been going since last May and probably won’t have another drink until my kids are old enough for their first beer in 18 years. Even then, I’m sure weed will be legal and a lot more acceptable so I probably won’t drink again.

Snap. I haven’t drunk since the 7th of Jan. The clarity I have is different level. I’ve had 2 social situations so far. Both were relatively easy. What I did notice was the people drinking thought I was doing something crazy. I also got the impression that they felt like I was judging them and a few of them felt the need to justify why they drink. I just told them I’m doing it to see how long I can last. My aim is a year and to see how I feel after achieving my goal.

@@BillyHayes79Music yea the hardest part though are the really nice days where you’re hanging out grilling or you have family over. It’s pretty easy to refrain from drinking at bars and shit because people are wild haha.

It blows my mind how people will say how great being sober is and then put such a short time limit on it. If you feel so great, stay away from alcohol you goof

@@Jay-og4yb very difficult with a wedding, Stag Weekend and the Euros in Germany coming up. Definitely reducing the intake over the next 12 months from the previous 12 months though.

I agree. 12 steps black/white approach is for more serious career drinkers. I started drinking 15 years ago aged 40. Last 10 years it’s been every day. Not loads just regular. Stopped 3 weeks ago and intend to keep it that way. Maybe in a year or so I’ll be able to have the occasional drink but I’m not going back to routine 3/4 glasses of wine a night.

Protect this man at all costs lol, people forget about balance !

@@ConfusedCatto thanks dude. We're living in a time where people are too scared or stupid (or both) to be able to comprehend meeting somewhere in the middle. People are scared of everything now. It's actually funny.

Good on you

💯

Very true

I feel lucky to have never had that relationship with alcohol. I'm done drinking when my beer is empty because I basically never have more than one. If I'm out all evening maybe I'll have 3 over a 6 hour period.

blud why tf were you underrage drinking in the first place

There are zero upsides to alcohol

Is that sarcasm? So you need alcohol to be excited? That’s what I call boring

​​@@handysphinx2125I'm pretty sure he's saying the exact opposite but yes, with sarcasm.

I joke to my doctor that I am the most boring male in the United States. She often replies, “boring is good!” 😊

so sad, I love excitement.

People confuse peace and consistency with boredom and chaos with excitement.

More reasons to save your energy

More reason to quit. I lost my business, lost a bunch of finances, had to go back to the working world. With a wife and 3 kids I used the excuse that I was “tired and stressed” and ended up drinking to numb everything. 1, your drinking escape and you’re not willing to look yourself in the mirror. 2, your probably waking up after a night of drinking regretting it. You may even be ruining relationships as we speak due to alcohol. I’m sober now and things couldn’t be better for me. Hope you find it in you to quit and stop letting yourself down

Take a few grams of shrooms instead of a drink one weekend

And once the weed is gone there's a silent understanding that you don't really like each other all that much.

100% Agree, its a dream killer. They point at the exceptions in the world and say you can still be successful and 420. Like Rogan or Snoop Dogg and ignore the million loser stoners living at their parents house at 35 with no girlfriend.

@@gregoryporch8395 Yep. How could you know anything about yourself and the other person, when the foundation of your "relationship" with them is being stoned? Neither you nor they have ever spent time together.

@dangerous8333 thats your experience of the world not mine. Alcoholism is an addiction, smoking weed constantly is an addiction, both the same thing if they make your life unmanageable. Smoking weed daily drinking daily will seriously reduce your likelihood of success. I Assume unfounded again and make no apology for it that the successful people you know who smoke weed. Are success inspite of weed addiction not because of it. If they arent addicts then there is no problem. smoking weed occasionally is fine like drinking occasionally is.

I come from Germany and here the majority of the Bundestag has voted for the legalization of cannabis. It will now go to the Bundesrat and if it agrees, the following will apply: A person may keep three cannabis plants at home for personal use without punishment. Dealing remains a criminal act. It must also be ensured that no minors or children are in the vicinity of the plants. Adults are allowed to possess up to 50 grams of dried cannabis at home for their own use. Outdoors, 25 grams are permitted. The Minister of Health warns of health consequences, especially for people up to around 21 or 22 years of age, and is pushing ahead with legalization. Times for public consumption are planned, and cannabis clubs are to start in the summer. The madness continues.

Spot on

whatever you need to tell yourself to cope

@OmarBC420 Oh shhh calm down just cuz u can’t handle your booze doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t

save the money from pints on monthly flights 😉🥂✈️