A UK pub at breakfast time - wow!
 

My house is being renovated for the next few weeks, and as I got fired 🤣 and my next job doesn’t start for a few weeks, I could stay at home sat on the floor shivering and breathing in dust, or I could turn into a nomad for the next fortnight. The latter was the best option. I do some online teaching too, but I can do that anywhere.

So I’ve ended up in an Airbnb on the English southwest coast. Really really nice this time of year as it’s devoid of hooligans (apart from me). I’ve done my daily runs and some huge walks along the coast. Weather’s been kind.

My place is self catering, but for breakfast I go to a well-known pub chain, which I won’t name here. I would go to an independent place, but a lot of them are closed until March as there’s not enough visitors. So there I sat at 9am this morning with my refillable coffee observing. No shortage of customers in this place. About half the customers have ordered sensibly and are enjoying coffee and eggs or whatever. Then there’s the others. A guy’s been sat at a fruit machine for half an hour with a bottle of beer. The bar staff knew what he’d order so this is an everyday thing. A couple of older gents are sat near the bar already on their second round of beers. As I say, 9am.

Who am I to judge? Nobody, but I never drank in the morning. The guy at the fruit machine was fairly young. Beer is quite cheap in these places, so I’d hazard a guess that he’s not doing so well and the pub is his daily hangout. I hope he snaps out of it one day as he’s the sort who’ll become dependent and physically ill.

As for this particular pub, you wouldn’t see me in there on a weekend or in the summer. Not that I’ll be tempted to drink. If anything, the opposite applies looking at some of the customers who seem to have as many alcohol problems as I once had. Quite an eye opener. I’d recommend taking a look to see how well we’ve all done.

I never used to drink in the morning either, until I started having bad w/d every morning upon awakening. :( The anxiety was so bad I'd have a glass (or two or three) of wine to stop the shakes. Actually only prolonging the misery. :(

So glad I don't drink anymore. :)

Wish I could join you for some bacon and eggs, but my Lear Jet is in the shop.

It’s great being some sort of beach hobo walking along beaches for miles. I even managed to get lost which is impressive when the sea on one side is a handy navigation aid. There are plenty of surfers about, but I’ll need a few more yoga sessions before I can stand up on a board like that. I can definitely see the attraction of surfing this time of year.

Who knows when it comes to other people?

The young guy at the fruit machine with a beer, could work the graveyard shift somewhere and be winding down after work...or he could be me years ago and on his way to full blown alcoholic hell.

The old guys on their second round of beers could be on their last round for the day...or it could be me a few years back and the second of many.

All I know is that neither is me today and for that I am grateful. It is because of that gratitude for before&after and the people that have helped me, if anyone is getting to a point where they want to change, I willingly share about my descent into alcoholic hell and the journey out.

Who knows when it comes to other people? All I know... is how little I know. :~)

I hope that for the fruit machine guy too. In Germany, I used to see night shift guys on the bus swigging a bottle of beer. It’s normal there, and I don’t see a problem.

If Mr Fruit Machine had just woken up and that’s his daily routine, that’s a huge shame.

I remember being in those places that probably start with a W and end with some sort of cutlery!

I was the youngest in there on a Monday morning after a particularly horrendous weekend (a few to many times)drinking with the old boys! The places smell of shame and despair! Hair of the dog, the mad thing was I didn’t think I had a problem back then, I was 25 and completely oblivious. Makes me shudder just thinking about it.

They’re less smelly now that smoking is banned inside. Some are fairly respectable in the mornings. There’ll always be a few hungover types.

I did consider having one evening meal there - it’s a struggle during the low season to find places open - but that was 6pm and the vibe had already changed to an out and out drinking den. Not a threat to my sobriety, but I can’t abide drunks and their inane and loud conversation.

I can picture the very chain of pubs!
I was never a morning drinker except for a brief phase in my late twenties when I had hooked up with a very heavy drinker who somehow manged to teach, despite drinking a couple of shots of vodka in the morning and carried on throughout the day, ending up in those very pubs after work for beers and whisky chasers. A bowl of chips to soak it up
I am so very glad I am no longer doing that, and I hope he isn't either. There is nothing worse than two heavy drinkers getting together and forming a relationship.
I hope you are enjoying your time on the SW coast Hodd!

Yes… the UK has many morning drinkers. I used to see some regulars in my 7am commuter train many years ago. Scary, I was usually hangover then but often asked myself if I would end up that way too.

Glad you are in a good place Hood, enjoy the coast!

As a binge drinker I've definitely drank in the morning....at home.
it's weird to me you can order alcohol with breakfast there at all lol. Here you cannot serve alcohol until 11am...."brunch", which I have never been to, but is very popular here.

manys a time....shudder

I was in the same pub chain (a different branch obviously) a few days ago as I popped in to have some breakfast and a pint of coke zero. This was at 9am too and it was quite busy. Many people were being sensible and like me were having something to eat and a drink of something non-alcoholic.Others were drinking alcohol though. A couple of them I recognised as heavy drinkers because I've seen them in there at opening time (8am) when I was there drinking too at not too long after opening time. That was a couple of years ago and I still feel ashamed about it. Others who were there are nightshift workers who call in the pub on the way home (we have Nissan and many other factories not too far away so our local W's does a roaring trade at opening time).

Where are you staying Hodd? Is it Cornwall or Devon? Both are beautiful counties with my favourite being West Cornwall and Penzance, Mousehole and Newlyn. I spent a week in Penzance back in July 1995 just as the weather was turning very hot at what was a glorious July and August. I'd love to go back there someday but it's a very long journey for me. It took over 14 hours and 2 bus journeys when went there in 1995. The alternative is the train but even that is a meandering 11 hour journey as the train stops just about everywhere in England.

Grateful to be sober 🙏

Cornwall, and funny you mentioned Mousehole as I stopped off there for a couple of hours. I’d been before during tourist season, but it’s like going back a hundred years going there in January. That’s an epic voyage from your place! I’m toying with the idea of going to the Scilly Isles, but the only way there right now is a £270 return helicopter ride. Doable, but I’m not some jet set just yet 🤣

Regarding your morning drinking, you’ve got nothing to be ashamed off, Robbie, as you’re making big efforts and by and large succeeding. The others, those who are morning drinkers without any effort to stop will almost certainly have health problems eventually. It’s not a good life.

Hope you’re doing ok, Robbie.

^
I'm fine Hodd, just a bit bored of not having a job and getting up on a morning trying to think of what to do to fill in the time. I need to get a job soon as my savings (I took my Civil Service pension 3 years early last January) are fast running out and will be gone within the next two or three months unless I seriously cut back on my spending.

Mousehole is a wonderful little village and is a great place for walking around to get fit as the streets are quite steep. I do remember feeling sad when I saw the memorial dedicated to the 16 people who died in the Penlee lifeboat disaster in December 1981. The memorial is in Penlee which is on the outskirts of Mousehole https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penlee_lifeboat_disaster

I’ve got these nice Wellingtons for walking. It’s much much more tiring to walk in wellies all day. I think I did 30000 steps one day this week! Exhausted!

I didn’t see that memorial, but it does ring a bell. Funnily enough, whilst driving - my car stereo isn’t the greatest - I heard the end of the shipping forecast. Some areas this week were “cyclonic”! Those fishing boats aren’t big, and the potential danger they’re in if the weather turns is scary. Back to mousehole, there’s the story of the mousehole cat

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mousehole_Cat

Any plans? A part time job would kill two birds in getting some money in and cutting back on the spending. One thing my drinking days taught me is that the likes of us shouldn’t be left to our own devices. I’d prefer a few controls in my weekly routine such as getting up to go to a yoga class, etc. I think genuine 100% retirement isn’t a good option, especially for us. We mightn’t drink again, but we’d slip into other bad habits. Maybe a part-time job or a training course? You’d be surprised what you can do now you’re sober.

A part time job is what I'm after as I wouldn't need to work full time due to getting my works pension. 20 to 25 hours would be ideal, even if paid at minimum wage as it would still give me enough to live on. I've still got another 10 years to go before I qualify for my state pension and I can't imagine that sitting around doing nothing for those 10 years would be good for me. The problem is of course that as I haven't worked for quite a while it's hard to get any employer to show an interest in employing me. I do think my confidence has gone as there are plenty of employers recruiting people in their 50s, I just never feel confident of applying for jobs.