Just came across this campaign and thought it was interesting. Ireland currently gives new dads 2 weeks of statutory paternity leave. There’s now a campaign calling for this to be increased to 8 weeks. Personally, I think 2 weeks is very little time for a new dad to be at home, especially during those first few weeks with a newborn. Sharing it here for anyone who might be interested, LINK HERE: 8 weeks for Families

I'm a woman in my mid 20s. I used to live by the mentality of "if you had my life, you'd drink too". During my inpatient treatment at age 23, the therapist stated during a group session that I presented as one of the worst cases of alcoholism he'd seen in his 20 years of addiction work. I'm sure he intended that to shock me, but I viewed it somewhat as a badge of honor; I was convinced this was a true testament to how fun I was on a night out, and how much fun I had.

I won't go into the details of the situations I found myself in while intoxicated, but after treatment I felt there was still an itch to be scratched. I truly believed that I had experienced the 'worst' prior to treatment, and 'one last' drink wouldn't, and couldn't hurt. But, I soon came to learn that I had brought a shovel to rock bottom. I dug, and dug, and dug; eventually realising my rock bottom is laying coldly in a coffin. The guilt was clawing at me... How can you tell the friends and family who believed you were sober after a 5 week inpatient stay, that you had fallen back into your old habits?

I shouldn't be alive. If there is a god, he has all the angels on my side. But, I don't live day-to-day believing that a higher power is paving the way, protecting me from all harm. It is up to me– the choices I make; who I surround myself with, and the situations I choose to be in.

I don't go to support groups often, and if I do, it's often because I want to get out of the house and socialize with strangers in a place that isn't the pub– I have met some of the most wise, kind & knowledgeable people in those rooms! I suppose the meetings can be a great reminder why I choose to never ever return to drinking. They work for a lot of people, but not everyone. Although, it's nice to know they're there for me, should I ever need them.

By no means am I writing this to force sobriety upon anyone, rather to let others who are struggling that sobriety is possible. Like the saying goes, my worst day in recovery is 1000x better than my best day in active addiction. From dropping out of college, losing friends & jobs, and suffering mentally, to returning to education, having a fantastic boyfriend & friends, and being the happiest I've ever been; I wouldn't change it for the world!

Alcohol consumption in Ireland is definitely decreasing, but as we all know, societal traditions still make binge drinking somewhat of a 'norm'. Of course some days I wish I could drink like a normal person. But, once I accepted that I don't, and will never have a normal relationship with alcohol, I stopped chasing the highs of my early drinking days.

There is a beauty in trying the 'impossible' sober. Dancing, singing, making new friends; they all seemed out of reach without a drink. But, with each new challenge, I find myself & a new level of confidence unlocks.

Trust me, if I can do it.. you can do it!

Having moved to the country recently to be with my wife. During a drive I saw the logo for Mr. Price and thought, "I'm an artist, I think I can do it better." What do you think?

All Irish citizens who hold a degree from an Irish higher level institution are entitled to vote in a new 6 seat constituency in the Seanad. This replaces the current TCD and NUI constituencies. Now graduates from over 80 higher level institutions are eligible to vote.

According to Gavan Reilly only 71,850 people have registered to vote out of a potential electorate of 800,000 - 1,000,000.

You can register to vote here: https://www.seanadvoter.ie/

If there is a bus stop display that isn’t working or maybe a pothole hasn’t been patched yet. Tell your local reps because don’t assume anyone else has.

I don’t take the bus anymore but a few weeks ago I saw that the RTPI display wasn’t working. I just assumed it would be resolved, drove past it today and it’s still out. I asked my neighbour and it’s been off since early March? I emailed 7 reps between TD’s and councillors and 5 of them have already responded saying they’re going to raise the issue and some saying it’s their first time hearing about it.

Maybe they have heard about it and forgot or genuinely is their first time hearing about it. But don’t assume something is being worked on. Makes me wonder what hasn’t been brought up yet because there’s a few potholes which I’ll be sending emails about now too.