Confession time. I have a problem with alcohol. But if you’re expecting amusing anecdotes of all-night debauchery from a sozzled hack too drunk to know his posterior from his elbow, then I’m sorry to disappoint you. I don’t actually drink alcohol.
My problem is with the drinking culture that still permeates every aspect of life. The unspoken expectation that hangs in the air, followed by the quizzical look and tilt of the head, when you say “no thanks”. Then there’s the half-joke, the embarrassment of asking the barman for a non-alcoholic beer, rounded off by the unconcealed smirk that says “what’s the point?”
Read more: Health: Autism: Why autistic people need a powerful voice
Having watched the compelling documentary on the late Charles Kennedy, which covered his tragic battle with alcoholism, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own relationship with drink.
I lost my father to alcohol abuse. It was shocking to see how quickly he descended from a fitness-obsessive to a shadow of the man who raised me. Has it influenced my views on drink? Undoubtedly.
Now, I realise I’m going against popular opinion here. I can almost hear the sharpening of pencils as readers prepare to write their letters, accusing me of being a “self-righteous zealot”. I’m not, honest. Let me make my position clear.
Firstly, I’m not calling for prohibition and the mass closure of pubs. Far from it. Pubs play a vital role in communities, offering a welcoming place of friendship and happiness. It’s just the drinking part I’m not sure about.
In the same way a church can be a place of belonging and kinship, it’s just the “God part” I struggle with. Can we not help our fellow man and woman without having to worship some mystical entity in heaven? Similarly, can we not meet in a pub without, to put it simply, always poisoning ourselves?
Read more: Tuition fees: Scotland risks a lost generation of talent
Secondly, attitudes towards non-drinkers have moved on. And I haven’t always been teetotal.
When I was in my 20s during the 1990s era of laddism and Men Behaving Badly, hard drinking was the norm in the circles I moved. And not wanting to be the odd one out, I joined in. Thankfully, the “binge to excess” zeitgeist doesn’t appear to be as strong as it once was, while the rise of coffee culture can only be a good thing.
Thirdly, I’m not suggesting everyone who enjoys a sweet sherry is going to transform overnight into Oliver Reed.
Drinking is often associated with good times, while abstaining raises fears of being “boring”.
It can also be thought of as an indicator of social refinement. The explosion of wine drinkers or whisky connoisseurs are merely an expression of middle class aspirations. Sophisticates who wouldn’t dream of quaffing a bottle of Hooch, are quite happy to down a glass or two of Rioja. The respectable way to get blotto.
At the end of the day, Charles Kennedy and my father were responsible for their own actions. However, I sometimes wonder if vulnerable people with addictive personalities hadn’t been exposed to such easy temptation, Scotland wouldn’t have lost one of its best politicians and I’d still have a dad.
Our columns are a platform for writers to express their opinions. They do not necessarily represent the views of The Herald.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel