How will you be celebrating this New Year’s Eve? A quiet night in? Some pints down the local? Cocktails in a fancy hotel? A line of two of cocaine? Maybe you are going on a bender with Charlie Lawson and Katie Price?
It seems Ireland is awash with cocaine. According to a UN report, Irish people are joint-fourth highest consumers of cocaine globally. Every town and village in the country seems awash with the white stuff. I don’t get the appeal. I can happily talk nonsense sober; I don’t need to pay some dodgy characters 50 quid for the privilege.
I asked my new AI buddy what he thinks:
The relationship between drug use and specific populations, including Irish people, can be influenced by a range of social, economic, and cultural factors. If there’s a perception or data suggesting cocaine use is prevalent in Ireland, here are some possible reasons to consider:
Cultural and Social Norms: In many countries, cocaine use is associated with nightlife and socializing. Ireland has a vibrant pub and party culture, which might create opportunities for drug use, including cocaine.
Affordability and Availability: Increased economic prosperity in certain periods could make drugs like cocaine more accessible. The drug’s availability in urban centers often drives higher use rates.
Stress and Coping Mechanisms: Economic challenges, societal pressures, or mental health struggles may lead some people to substance use as a coping mechanism. Cocaine’s stimulating effects can appeal to those seeking a temporary escape.
Global Trends in Drug Use: Cocaine use has risen in many Western countries, not just Ireland. This might be tied to globalization and the international drug trade making cocaine more readily available worldwide.
Media and Perception: Sometimes, societal attitudes or portrayals in media glamorize cocaine use, contributing to its allure among certain groups.
It’s essential to approach such discussions without generalizing or stereotyping. Not all Irish people use cocaine, and substance use varies widely within any population. Addressing substance abuse requires understanding these nuanced factors and implementing education, prevention, and support measures.
A surprisingly sensible response there from ChatGPT.
Back to those pesky humans, there is an interesting discussion on Reddit about the adverse reaction you can get in Ireland when you say you don’t want to drink. It is bizarre that so many people try to force you to engage with the drug that creates the most harm in our society. Some choice comments:
But all through the Christmas break this year, I kept coming up against people who WOULD NOT STOP trying to make me drink.
“Ahh, just have one pint of Guinness – go on.”
“I don’t want one, thanks. I’m fine with my Coca-Cola.”
“Ahh, just the one! You can have one!”People hassled me about WHY I don’t drink, told me to look up the number for a taxi in my phone so I COULD drink etc etc.
I was especially annoyed at my aunt over the weekend who literally turned it into a family discussion, asking who could drop me home so I could have a few pints.
We’d all been having a great time up until then, playing with the old Nintendo Wii and having a brilliant laugh, so it’s not as if I was moping in a corner or something.
She just took it upon herself to try and force me to drink.“I don’t want to drink,” I said more than once.
She then started asking me questions about the alcoholism on my father’s side of the family, demanding to know if that’s why I’m “scared” of drinking and I politely asked her to please not bring that up because it’s a sore spot for me and I don’t like talking about it.
She was drunk herself at that stage so she just apologised quickly and said “your cousin Niamh is pregnant. I’ll tell her not to go to bed yet so she can drop you home later. Then I’ll get you a beer.”
At that point, I got angry and said “look, I don’t want to drink. That’s the end of it. If you put alcohol in front of me, I won’t touch it.”
Or this one:
My mother in law is notorious for it. I cheerfully call her Mrs Doyle which tends to shut her up for a bit but I nearly lost my shit when she was pushy with my wife who has had 3 miscarriages and drink is basically off the menu for a while so we can have the best chances. She knows this, but still feels the need to pass comment when we ask for a cup of tea instead of a f*cking gin and tonic at 4pm, I don’t care if it’s St Stephen’s Day.
As I have said before, I barely drink at all these days; I just can’t be bothered with the hangovers and terrible sleep. I also like that I can drive on a night out as taxis are so hard to get these days.I very seldom get any pushback from friends, but it can be a crazy situation that when you say you don’t drink, people assume you are an ex-alcoholic. But things are changing, and young people are starting to drink less. Mind you, they seem to be doing more drugs, so I’m not sure how good this switch is.
We have to question our national stereotype as the fun-loving, craic-filled paddies. The older you get, the more you conclude that a lot of our behaviours are cover for some pretty deep societal neuroses. Scratch the surface of a lot of party people, and you get no shortage of trauma and self-loathing. Behind the craic facade are some pretty scary stats on record levels of domestic abuse and mental health problems. Research by academics from Maynooth University, National College of Ireland, and Trinity College Dublin has found that 42% of Irish adults have a mental health disorder and more than one in ten have attempted suicide.
What is so bad about our society that so many people want to get off their heads to escape it?
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
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