Sober Splendour (Dave Hateley)

Splendour in the grass is a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

To the music lover it is an expensive musical utopia.

To the scenester, it is somewhere to be seen.

… Continue Reading

The Curse of the Reds (by Dave Hateley)

If at any one point in the whole year I would be drawn to drinking to drown my sorrows, I think last night was it. NSW Waratahs 30 – QLD Reds 28. The most frustrating loss in the history of rugby union (clearly I am not into making rash statements). However the aim of this post is not to bore people about my thoughts on that game of football.

Football is something that is very strongly associated with alcohol in our society. It also has had its fair share of problems associated with it. All you have to do is search alcohol and NRL and you will get some interesting results. There are some obvious problems there.

Prior to this year it was a common past time to either go to a game or watch it somewhere else with mates and have a few beers. Last night I went to Lang Park to watch the Reds with my friend Ed. We landed some free tickets from a friend’s Dad who was in Vail skiing (thanks Alec), and I drove down from home (the Sunshine Coast) on Saturday afternoon. We were sitting out of the yobbo section with a bit more of a “proper” crowd.

I actually went to the football primarily to watch the football. As stupid as this statement sounds it holds quite a bit of truth and aside from the Reds losing it was a concept that had been long lost in my mind and proved to be thoroughly enjoyable.

The second was going to the Caxton Sreet Hotel afterwards. The football brings a lot of old friends out of the woodwork and for someone who doesn’t live in Brisbane anymore, it provides bang for your buck in terms of catching up with people. Most people are supportive of what I am trying to and no one has really voiced their opposing opinion to my face.

The most surprising thing was though, that people who were drinking were more worried about me judging their drunkenness, than judging me for what I am doing. I found this really interesting because to be honest, who am I to judge someone for doing this when I have done it so many times in my life before. It can be entertaining to take the moral high ground but my aim for this year is not to take it with respect to alcohol.

Dave

GETTING BACK ON THE HORSE (by David Hateley)

Hi, my name is Dave. If one year ago you told me that I would be an internet blogger I probably would have told you to that you were daft. If you then tried to tell me that I would be an internet blogger about my year of sobriety I probably would have told you to f&^% off.

You may be interested in why I have decided not to drink alcohol for the year of 2010 because it is a pretty big thing to commit yourself to. When you try to explain it to people they sometimes look at you blankly like they don’t understand.

The biggest reason I decided not to drink this year was so that I could apply myself to my studies and finally finish University. I know what you are thinking, this guy is 26 and still hasn’t finished uni, he must be one of those annoying mature aged students. This isn’t really the case, I would be about the average age for my degree at the moment. In say that though, I have been at uni since I was 18 with only one full semester off.

I am what you would call a student with enough intellectual capacity for university but a below average study ethic. At the start I got by doing this, but over the last 4 years when things got a little more serious in my studies, I have spent a lot of time cramming last minute study in, repeating whole years (another story for another day) and doing supplementary exams. This year I want to actually develop a proper study ethic so I pass everything on the first go (and two tests from last year) and finally finish uni come November.

Other smaller reasons I am not going to drink this year are more the “gunnas” that you always say that you are going to do and never end up doing (sort of like studying). Like not missing a great morning of surfing because you are hung over, getting fit, waking up early and reading more books.

Back to the drinking. As a drinker I was your typical youth drinker, a binge drinker. Although my drink of choice and the number of times a week I partook in this hobby has changed over the years my pattern of drinking never really did. It was all or nothing; there was no such thing as drinking 1 or 2 for enjoyment. This sometimes led to things that I am not proud of, like being caught drink driving but I am also not going to try and tell you that I didn’t have a bucket load of fun during these times.

If you actually stayed interested enough to finish reading my first blog, thanks. Hopefully I can provide you with a little entertainment and insight throughout the year.

Dave