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I'm gonna have to agree with pittsteelerfan on this one. Not that everyone should live life the way I do, but I've known the kind of people age 40-60 who still close down bars on a regular basis. I've not known them to truly be happy people. I've known them to have serious issues with addiction, depression and life in general. At best, the few I know in their 40's are not seriously addicted or depressed, but they are struggling with the fact that they are not 20-something anymore. Just my observation.
Good observation Samantha. Especially the part of the "40 something's struggling with the fact that they are not 20-something anymore". It's almost immature to drink like that at a certain age. Drinking all night and sleeping til noon or later, is something kids are suppose to do, not middle aged adults. And I don't care who they are, if they drink like that on a regular basis, it's going to effect aspects of their lives. Which is the definition, of someone who has a 'drinking problem'.
Jeez. Way to group everyone together into one pot.
Actually my friend is in his mid-40's but normally passes off for mid 30's. Somehow he's up by 9am, even if he's out till 4am. I need to sleep until at least 10am on weekdays, but I realized that my body naturally goes to bed around 2am and wakes at 11am when I was layed off last year. Of course he's not married with kids! If he was he would have a problem. He runs 2-3 miles every day, and is in the gym swimming 3 days a week. I've never known him to sleep past 10am in my life, and he's out at least 4 to maybe 5 nights a week. Certainly not until 4am, but normally until 1am. Maybe once a week till 4am.
I drink 3-4 times a week, and I have a blast. I get up for work just fine when I happen to get to sleep at 1am, I love my friends and my life.
My mother is a school teacher and my dad is the business services director for a large public university. I was at home with them this past weekend and they had a party at their house until 3am. Everyone there was between 55 and 60 and I haven't laughed so hard in months. They have parties every weekend in the summer, and are fine going out for a few on weeknights as well. We did tequila shooters and had rum punch all night till people were pretty sloshed. I was up at 9am to head back to Chicago, and my parents had already been up to clean the entire house. For whatever reason neither my family or some of my friends ever get hangovers.
My friend doesn't have set hours because he's progressed up quite far at his consulting job. He doesn't go into work drunk by any means, but a Tuesday to him is a Friday to anyone else.
Some people are just happy living hard, other people do it because they're lonely or have issues, some people just can't do it at all.
I grew up in a famly of heavy drinkers, but they're all the happiest drinkers I've ever met. In fact the more drunk my family gets the more funny and nice they are. Never in my life have I seen any of my family ever get angry drunk. I choose my friends the same way. We all tend to drink a LOT, but I can't say I've ever been in a drunk fight with them, let alone a physical fight!
My main point is everyone handles their lives different, and you obviously have a lot of predispositions. A person can be a night owl who loves going to bars without HAVING to be some sad lonely person who's just trying to cover up some issues.
Last edited by Chicago60614; 02-05-2009 at 10:31 AM..
Oh well, who is to tell anyone what is 'normal' living. You've had your experiences and they have had theirs. You can in no way assume who a person is based on how they choose to enjoy themselves. Maybe they didn't get to have their fun in their 20's or they got sick of being enslaved to the office for 30 years. No one here has room to tell exactly what makes other people happy or unhappy. The armchair psychology in this thread is noxious.
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I think the main things to consider for the OP are pretty simple. Moving to Chicago will mean a significant change in your career path (if you can find a job in this economic climate). You will not find a decent place for $200 per person. NYC and Chicago are very different and you should visit a few times to see how you feel about it. Finally, the decision to move here should be mutual and you should not feel like you are being dragged here.
Jeez. Way to group everyone together into one pot.
Actually my friend is in his mid-40's but normally passes off for mid 30's. Somehow he's up by 9am, even if he's out till 4am. I need to sleep until at least 10am on weekdays, but I realized that my body naturally goes to bed around 2am and wakes at 11am when I was layed off last year. Of course he's not married with kids! If he was he would have a problem. He runs 2-3 miles every day, and is in the gym swimming 3 days a week. I've never known him to sleep past 10am in my life, and he's out at least 4 to maybe 5 nights a week. Certainly not until 4am, but normally until 1am. Maybe once a week till 4am.
So if he were married with kids, he'd have a drinking problem, but because he has no one depending on him, he's okay? Sorry, I don't buy that logic.
You said he goes out multiple times a week and "he normally ends up closing bars at 4am." Now you're toning it down.
Hey, it's none of my business. But based on your original characterization, I'd say he has a drinking problem. Based on the revised characterization, I'd say there's still a strong possibility.
Quote:
I drink 3-4 times a week, and I have a blast. I get up for work just fine when I happen to get to sleep at 1am, I love my friends and my life.
Having a few drinks a few times a week is not the same as "normally closing bars at 4am"
Quote:
My mother is a school teacher and my dad is the business services director for a large public university. I was at home with them this past weekend and they had a party at their house until 3am. Everyone there was between 55 and 60 and I haven't laughed so hard in months. They have parties every weekend in the summer, and are fine going out for a few on weeknights as well.
Again, not the same thing. That sounds more like occasional social drinking. But I'd bet dollars to donuts that more than a few of those folks who are up partying at 3 am would easily qualify as having a "drinking problem."
Quote:
I grew up in a famly of heavy drinkers, but they're all the happiest drinkers I've ever met. In fact the more drunk my family gets the more funny and nice they are. Never in my life have I seen any of my family ever get angry drunk. I choose my friends the same way. We all tend to drink a LOT, but I can't say I've ever been in a drunk fight with them, let alone a physical fight!
You don't have to be an angry drunk to have a drinking problem. Substitute some other drug besides alcohol into your paragraph above and see how it sounds.
I don't personally have a problem with people who drink to excess. I choose not to, but to each his own. I do have a big problem with people whose drinking affects me. Such as people who insist they are okay to drive.
Jeez. Way to group everyone together into one pot.
Actually my friend is in his mid-40's but normally passes off for mid 30's. Somehow he's up by 9am, even if he's out till 4am. I need to sleep until at least 10am on weekdays, but I realized that my body naturally goes to bed around 2am and wakes at 11am when I was layed off last year. Of course he's not married with kids! If he was he would have a problem. He runs 2-3 miles every day, and is in the gym swimming 3 days a week. I've never known him to sleep past 10am in my life, and he's out at least 4 to maybe 5 nights a week. Certainly not until 4am, but normally until 1am. Maybe once a week till 4am.
I drink 3-4 times a week, and I have a blast. I get up for work just fine when I happen to get to sleep at 1am, I love my friends and my life.
My mother is a school teacher and my dad is the business services director for a large public university. I was at home with them this past weekend and they had a party at their house until 3am. Everyone there was between 55 and 60 and I haven't laughed so hard in months. They have parties every weekend in the summer, and are fine going out for a few on weeknights as well.
My friend doesn't have set hours because he's progressed up quite far at his consulting job. He doesn't go into work drunk by any means, but a Tuesday to him is a Friday to anyone else.
Some people are just happy living hard, other people do it because they're lonely or have issues, some people just can't do it at all.
I grew up in a famly of heavy drinkers, but they're all the happiest drinkers I've ever met. In fact the more drunk my family gets the more funny and nice they are. Never in my life have I seen any of my family ever get angry drunk. I choose my friends the same way. We all tend to drink a LOT, but I can't say I've ever been in a drunk fight with them, let alone a physical fight!
lol lol lol ....lol lol lol Please stop, you're KILLING me here! I swear to god, I KNEW you were going to come back with this kind of retoric! Honest to God I did.
I knew 'this' guy, was going to be the 'guy', who "closes bars", and then heads straight to his gym for a 3 hour workout! lol He's runs around with 6% body fat too I bet.
Your family are heavy drinkers? And they are the "happiest drinkers" that YOU ever met? What about when the drinks ain't in their hands?
I'm not wasting ONE more second debating this issue after this post. Because anyone who reads this knows where I'm coming from, and what you are saying ain't true (even though you believe it is).
I'm an Irish kid from Pittsburgh, I know ALL about being, being around, and living with HEAVY DRINKERS, believe me I do.
I'm going to give you of example here before I go. Take a look at the 'Rat Pack'. I'm talking about Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. They ALWAYS looked like they were happy and having a great time drinking, in fact, they were famous for it. But here's the truth behind all of it. Dean Martin ONLY drank 'Mott's apple juice on stage. He actually liked to go home and be with his wife. Not saying he didn't drink at all (they say he drank very little), but NOTHING like it was was protrayed in the papers or on stage. Frank, was a heavy drinker. But you know what his daughter (and gf) said about him, he was ALWAYS depressed thru his ENTIRE life. That's why he always wanted his friends around him. Sammy Davis, wasn't considered a big drinker either, he was a very slow-and-steady type of drinker (another words he would nurse his drinks).
Now, I doubt than ANY of us will live the life of 'Old Blue Eyes'. And I HIGHLY doubt that ANY of us could possibly have any more fun than him when 'painting the town'. But you see, in the end, all those 'late nights' and all that partying, left him feeling empty.
I used the Rat Pack for an example because drinking was their 'claim to fame'. But even with them, it was ALL an illusion. By the way, Dean Martin, later on in life, did start to drink "heavy" like you talk about. But that was ONLY after his son was killed in an Air Force fighter jet accident in California.
You seem to think that someone's 'job title' , means that they don't have a drinking problem. From your post, I take it that your still pretty young (probably early 20's). And you seem kinda 'wet behind the ears'. If you weren't either, you wouldn't posted what you just did. I've seen enough, and experienced enough in life, to know when I'm talking to someone who hasn't.
I've been around the happiest-go-lucky people in the world, or so I thought. You, your family, and 'that' guy go ahead and drink away. Let me ask you this before I go (it's a retorical question). If EVERYONE you know is SO happy with their lives, why do they have to altar that happiness with alcohol? Or better yet, why would they even want to?
I know this seemed liked I veered off the op's topic, but I didn't. I was saying that Chicago is a better place to live than NYC because of this very subject "partying lifestyles" (among other things). I think Chicago is city to 'settle down' in. Where NYC is geared more towards her type of thinking.
I am with my boyfriend who had moved to NYC from Chicago to be with me a little over a year ago. Now he is mentioning how he's over NYer's attitudes, the hussle, the stress and wants to move back to Chicago where his friends are and life is much more relaxed (and the rent is cheaper). I've been in New York for 15 years (I'm 30 now) but this is my second home. I have a job here that I havent been layed off from, and if I drop my job as a graphic designer for the fashion industry to move to Chicago during this economic crisis, I feel as though I'm screwing myself over. I looked on some job boards and there's not much fashion jobs in Chicago! My boyfriend said that the rent will be 200$ each instead of the 1000$ each we pay in NY and he said life is more relaxed there and would be good for me because I am always stressed.
I know I'm 30, but in NY, we don't really have to grow up but I admit going out to bars and clubs, hussling for connection to get that small "fame" is getting old. I'm scared that if I move to Chicago though that I am going to fall into depression from the change of pace of life. I'm also scared that because of the economy, I might not find a job and I might have to start working as a waitress (not that there's anything wrong with that but that's like going backwards for me as a career step).
He's going to move back to Wicker Park, which reminded me of Williamsburg BK where theres cute cafes and shops etc. and he really wants me to move there with him, or we'll go back to the long distance thing, and our relationship will probably fizzle away and become memories. I can go both ways, get over my boyfrien and keep hussling in NY, or buckle down and try something new in Chicago. I'm just really scared of things that are unfamiliar with me......any suggestions?
Hey,
We'll, hopfully, this will help
You've, got to make a choice..................................Don't do anything for the sake of sustaining garbage. As, the man he's suppose to have everything set up for you in advance home, job etc. Now, what's properly going to happen is that you'll get down here living in chicago with friends. Now, during that time to keep yourself from getting depressed you must keep moving. The same effort that you placed in creating this life you have now it's got to transform because it came from you. As, far as the economy goes that's going to stay that way for as long as it does in the mean time you can always go back to school(which we always have art schools here/financial aid) Now, an increase in your education can't hurt. That extra education can lead to connections which could lead to what?????????????????????????Your, own business........................There, are so many kids out here who are in these classes spending a life time to get the skills that took you no time to get. Armed with the graphic arts thing you can basically write your own ticket. Instead of looking for some one else to cut you a check and an employee there are tons of options in Chicago for the type of experience that you have.
The scariest thing in the world, for me was to pack up and move to another state. I sold my car to carmax for 750, dumped an entire house out and left with nothing leaving all that I knew and now I'm in the process of starting my own business!
There are so many kids in the inner city who could and would benefit from what you know. Value, Life is more then just educational levels and bills being paid. It's, about using what talents you have to change the very lives of the ones around you.
or
You, may want to try the seperation thing
It's true what they say "Absence, makes the heart grow fonder
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....lol lol lol 
Please stop, you're KILLING me here! I swear to god, I KNEW you were going to come back with this kind of retoric! Honest to God I did.
He's runs around with 6% body fat too I bet. 
Hearing your chicago blues
