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Drinking ban culture in GAA

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Firstly I'm not saying lads should be getting legless every weekend but I think this whole culture at club and county level where lads don't go out cause they've a game in 2 or 3 weeks time is going a bit far. Look at professional teams they're even allowed to switch off there's the famous picture of the ireland players in the dressing room with bottles and pizza after the Italy game in Euro 2016,even on Saturday the munster players were having bottles after there game against Glasgow,some of those players are coming up against new Zealand Saturday week bostonredsox (Wexford) - Posts: 4368 - 26/10/2016 12:01:30 1929111 Link
Theres a naivety towards what 'professionalism' actually is. Most think it involves living like a monk when in reality thats not the case. RoyalBadger (Meath) - Posts: 571 - 26/10/2016 12:26:46 1929119 Link
In fairness when you tell a lot of fellas in this country they can go for a drink, they mightn't be seen for two to three days. That's the only worry. No harm in a few drinks two weeks before a game, but it's the one or two who end up letting themselves down is the trouble. johnnos bulls (None) - Posts: 527 - 26/10/2016 12:38:47 1929128 Link
I've seen plenty of players go out for beers after a county game. They usually don't go on a full lash but will take enough to be merry and unwind. This crap about players not taking a drink at all is a load of bull. gotmilk (Fermanagh) - Posts: 4971 - 26/10/2016 12:43:45 1929130 Link
True but in a lot of GAA teams give them an inch and they'll take a mile with regard to drinking. Seen members of Irish Rugby team out on a Tuesday night in Dublin week after playing a 6 Nations game 10/11 days before next game. Wouldn't happen with GAA county teams? theDagger1986 (Cavan) - Posts: 181 - 26/10/2016 12:52:41 1929134 Link
Replying To theDagger1986: "True but in a lot of GAA teams give them an inch and they'll take a mile with regard to drinking. Seen members of Irish Rugby team out on a Tuesday night in Dublin week after playing a 6 Nations game 10/11 days before next game. Wouldn't happen with GAA county teams?" That's because they are usually working on Wednesday morning. gotmilk (Fermanagh) - Posts: 4971 - 26/10/2016 13:08:34 1929142 Link
The no drinking attitude is a big load of crap. Of course you can't perform at the very top if you are out on a Saturday drinking 10 pints and throwing a burger in on top of it, but I think 2-3 pints is ran out of most players in the first 15-20 minutes of training the next day. Although still to this day what appalled me the most is Davy Fitz treatment of Davy O'Halloran and Nicky O'Connell. They weren't even drinking, yet got treated like that. We have enough problems in modern Ireland with depression, gambling, etc. Young lads need a social life and a release from hurling, football, training, matches, etc too. Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 26/10/2016 13:21:13 1929146 Link
Replying To gotmilk: "That's because they are usually working on Wednesday morning." Very smart of you working or not County players will not be seen out 10/11 days before championship games. Students would not be working Wednesday mornings. theDagger1986 (Cavan) - Posts: 181 - 26/10/2016 15:01:53 1929206 Link
Replying To wexico15: "Firstly I'm not saying lads should be getting legless every weekend but I think this whole culture at club and county level where lads don't go out cause they've a game in 2 or 3 weeks time is going a bit far. Look at professional teams they're even allowed to switch off there's the famous picture of the ireland players in the dressing room with bottles and pizza after the Italy game in Euro 2016,even on Saturday the munster players were having bottles after there game against Glasgow,some of those players are coming up against new Zealand Saturday week" Felt those pictures were disgraceful. what sort of message is that sending out. Alcohol is a drug always remember that. just because society legalises it doesn't make it any less harmful than if it was illegal. It has no benefits to your body so why the need to use it after a game? It says more about the type of people who feel they need to get it in them as there only form of celebrating anything in their life, than people who don't and can celebrate without the need to have to get legless to enjoy a good occasion. hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 26/10/2016 15:21:27 1929214 Link
Replying To Pinkie: "The no drinking attitude is a big load of crap. Of course you can't perform at the very top if you are out on a Saturday drinking 10 pints and throwing a burger in on top of it, but I think 2-3 pints is ran out of most players in the first 15-20 minutes of training the next day. Although still to this day what appalled me the most is Davy Fitz treatment of Davy O'Halloran and Nicky O'Connell. They weren't even drinking, yet got treated like that. We have enough problems in modern Ireland with depression, gambling, etc. Young lads need a social life and a release from hurling, football, training, matches, etc too." 2-3 pints is not ran out of you at all Forget the burger it can be used as fuel The alcohol is damaging to the body in that time frame and lead to reduced levels from dehydration. Taking an addictive drug like alcohol is no answer for mental issues like depression or gambling. It's only fuelling the problem. hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 26/10/2016 15:27:25 1929217 Link
Replying To hill16no1man: "Felt those pictures were disgraceful. what sort of message is that sending out. Alcohol is a drug always remember that. just because society legalises it doesn't make it any less harmful than if it was illegal. It has no benefits to your body so why the need to use it after a game? It says more about the type of people who feel they need to get it in them as there only form of celebrating anything in their life, than people who don't and can celebrate without the need to have to get legless to enjoy a good occasion." The reason is that it's good craic when enjoyed properly and in moderation. It lowers peoples' inhibitions, relaxes them and adds to the general feeling of good humor and contentedness. For sure, people go overboard and drink to excess but the vast majority can and do enjoy alcohol sensibly. So if the Irish team, with the blessing of their manager, wanted to enjoy a few suds after a big win then why not? Get off the high horse man. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9131 - 26/10/2016 15:34:14 1929220 Link
Ah hill16no1man that's the other extreme completely. I would say the majority of people in Ireland enjoy the odd drink. I play football and when I am playing drinking is definitely kept to a minimum but I enjoy going out with my friends and being able to have a drink. If you don't drink then I say fair play to you but this topic is about the Drinking Ban placed on GAA players that doesn't make sense where compared to other sports. In actual fact a drinking ban wont stop me from having a drink. I will have a beer at home. What it stops me doing is actually going out and socialising in a pub because drinking or not all that the manager hears in that you were out. dstuction (Donegal) - Posts: 1209 - 26/10/2016 15:41:26 1929223 Link
Replying To theDagger1986: "True but in a lot of GAA teams give them an inch and they'll take a mile with regard to drinking. Seen members of Irish Rugby team out on a Tuesday night in Dublin week after playing a 6 Nations game 10/11 days before next game. Wouldn't happen with GAA county teams?" There's lots of things professional sports like rugby and soccer do that makes no sense, people seem to think because they get paid and have the word pro in front of them it means that must be doing everything correctly. one major example to take on board is the warm up situation. in rugby and soccer they come out and warm up and then go back into the dressing rooms get their jerseys on get their team talk and the effects of the warm up are lost. Your body looses the effects of the warm up within 15 minutes and your body returns to its normal state thus making their warm up pointless as they begin the games back at the level their bodies were at before they done any warm up. The GAA are a leading example of using the warm up to its proper effect of having your body at the level it needs to be at exactly before you start the game by warming up in the 15 minutes before the game situation begins. hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 26/10/2016 15:56:14 1929227 Link
Not exaggerating but the drunkest group of lads I have ever seen was a provincial rugby team. Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12116 - 26/10/2016 16:23:13 1929236 Link
How many inter county teams are on drink bans? Like being told they can't go out for a few pints from the start of Championship until the end? I'd say very few MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 26/10/2016 16:28:23 1929239 Link
Replying To theDagger1986: "Very smart of you working or not County players will not be seen out 10/11 days before championship games. Students would not be working Wednesday mornings." I have seen county players out the week before a game...they have went on to win that games. It's everything in moderation. Just because a student doesn't have to go to work the next day doesn't mean they should be on the piss on a Tuesday night or want to go on the piss. gotmilk (Fermanagh) - Posts: 4971 - 26/10/2016 16:29:00 1929240 Link
Replying To Lockjaw: "The reason is that it's good craic when enjoyed properly and in moderation. It lowers peoples' inhibitions, relaxes them and adds to the general feeling of good humor and contentedness. For sure, people go overboard and drink to excess but the vast majority can and do enjoy alcohol sensibly. So if the Irish team, with the blessing of their manager, wanted to enjoy a few suds after a big win then why not? Get off the high horse man." It's an addictive drug that creates a change in personality and makes people become reliant on it for those reasons you stated loosing their inhibitions and mental state which is the biggest selling point for the addiction to it without you knowing, people then become reliant on it to feel anyway like that. when you were young a child a teenager you didnt need alcohol to find a way to enjoy youself did you or become good humored and content, so why not find a way of allowing your mind do the same thing without using a harmfull drug? its only excepted in society that its a good thing simply because its legal. the vast majority dont drink alcohol sensibly,ireland has the second highest rate of binge drinking in the world. 75% of alcohol consumed in Ireland is done so as part of binge drinking. The use of alcohol is a factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions, so just because you didnt physically see the damage it causes when you drink dont be fooled into thinking its harmless. One in four deaths of young men aged 15-39 in Ireland is due to alcohol. Alcohol is a factor in half of all suicides in Ireland. Alcohol is also involved in over a third of cases of deliberate self-harm. Every day, 1,500 beds in our overcrowded hospitals are occupied by people with alcohol-related problems. Alcohol-related discharges from hospital cost the tax-payer €1.5 billion a year. People in the public eye like heralded sports people need to be sending out a good message not promoting a drug. hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 26/10/2016 16:33:17 1929242 Link
Replying To dstuction: "Ah hill16no1man that's the other extreme completely. I would say the majority of people in Ireland enjoy the odd drink. I play football and when I am playing drinking is definitely kept to a minimum but I enjoy going out with my friends and being able to have a drink. If you don't drink then I say fair play to you but this topic is about the Drinking Ban placed on GAA players that doesn't make sense where compared to other sports. In actual fact a drinking ban wont stop me from having a drink. I will have a beer at home. What it stops me doing is actually going out and socialising in a pub because drinking or not all that the manager hears in that you were out." 75% of alcohol consumed is in the form of binge drinking so no the majority of people in ireland dont enjoy the odd drink, they underestimate the levels they are drinking. You enjoy going out with your friends thats the social aspect do you actually need the alcohol? if you were given a non alcohol drink without knowing I guarantee you that you would have the same good night. I dont drink but I see from a health point of view the reason they have an alcohol ban in place as it clearly undoes the good work that hard training has done to get the body in shape. I dont agree with the fact you have to stay in your house in the lead up to a game though, take dermo connolly for example he travelled to crossmaglen the night before the all ireland final on the bus with vincents to watch them play a challenge up there. I actually read an article about questioning that fact on how it would be harmfull for him phyiscially the next day haha its almost ridiculous how people will question all aspects of preparation but never look at what alcohol actually does to the body when accesing it. hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 26/10/2016 16:44:06 1929248 Link
Replying To gotmilk: "I have seen county players out the week before a game...they have went on to win that games. It's everything in moderation. Just because a student doesn't have to go to work the next day doesn't mean they should be on the piss on a Tuesday night or want to go on the piss." theres no harm in going out in the lead up to games, in fact strutting your stuff on the dancefloor is hugely beneficial as oppossed to sitting on a couch all evening. just dont have to drink alcohol when you go out its not hard, you can still have the exact same enjoyment hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 26/10/2016 16:46:36 1929250 Link
Replying To hill16no1man: "It's an addictive drug that creates a change in personality and makes people become reliant on it for those reasons you stated loosing their inhibitions and mental state which is the biggest selling point for the addiction to it without you knowing, people then become reliant on it to feel anyway like that. when you were young a child a teenager you didnt need alcohol to find a way to enjoy youself did you or become good humored and content, so why not find a way of allowing your mind do the same thing without using a harmfull drug? its only excepted in society that its a good thing simply because its legal. the vast majority dont drink alcohol sensibly,ireland has the second highest rate of binge drinking in the world. 75% of alcohol consumed in Ireland is done so as part of binge drinking. The use of alcohol is a factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions, so just because you didnt physically see the damage it causes when you drink dont be fooled into thinking its harmless. One in four deaths of young men aged 15-39 in Ireland is due to alcohol. Alcohol is a factor in half of all suicides in Ireland. Alcohol is also involved in over a third of cases of deliberate self-harm. Every day, 1,500 beds in our overcrowded hospitals are occupied by people with alcohol-related problems. Alcohol-related discharges from hospital cost the tax-payer €1.5 billion a year. People in the public eye like heralded sports people need to be sending out a good message not promoting a drug." So we ban alcohol? How much does alcohol sales contribute to the Exchequer each year? I'm not disagreeing totally with your arguments and how alcohol is abused in this country. In my opinion, people are going to take alcohol (and other drugs) no matter what. I think the war on drugs is a load of bollcks. We'd be far better off using the money spent on tackling drugs, in education and proper rehabilitation. Lockjaw (Donegal)* - Posts: 9131 - 26/10/2016 16:55:22 1929256 Link