Retirement, bars and gambling not far behind.

[Hyper]

Dang we're odd balls. The very little we are around family, very few friends, majority of them are into bars and constant drinking.
We drink but not every day, all day long. Seems to be the norm with gambling usually tied to the drinking.
I'd prefer just meeting up at one of our homes and visiting with a few drinks is fine. And I can actually hear to conversate compared to bars.
Is everyone just bored to death?
Constant drinking fills the boredom void?
I don't gamble. We made little $ from the markets. Most is from our backs and I can feel every ache, pain with each $ gambled and lost!

 

[COcheesehead]

That’s why I don’t go to Vegas, any of the reservation or mining town casinos. The few times I did, I saw a crowd that did not reflect me. It has zero appeal to this retiree.

 

[Out of Steam]

I haven't associated with a drinking crowd since my early 30s, and even that group wasn't hardcore. Sometimes, we need to look for a different social group.

As for gambling, I failed to get that gene, and have never in my life won or lost more than $50 in a day.

 

[audreyh1]

I don’t understand. What does excessive drinking and gambling have to do with retirement? Plenty of non-retired folks drink excessively and/or gamble.

Retirement boredom? Hasn’t happened to me, nor many other early retirees here who are busy doing interesting things.

Ha ha, the only gambling I’ve ever done is buy the occasional raffle ticket long ago.

 

[Kings over Queens]

While it's been a while, I used to enjoy a low stakes poker game with friends. We used to play nickle dime at work during lunch with clients, and then once a month .25/.50. The winner had to bring bagels or pastries to the office the next day. Lots of laughs. Today, I don't even enter superbowl pools. Not a gambler.

I do enjoy a cocktail, and generally drink wine with dinner, because I'm an adult, and prisoners drink water with dinner.

 

[Kings over Queens]

I don’t understand. What does excessive drinking and gambling have to do with retirement? Plenty of non retired folks drink excessively and/or gamble.

Retirement boredom? Hasn’t happened to me, nor many other early retirees here who are busy doing interesting things.

Ha ha the only gambling I’ve ever done is buy the occasional raffle ticket long ago.

There is a certain allure at sitting by the pool under an umbrella with a beer or something boozy and frozen, reading a book, at 1pm in the afternoon. I wouldn't call it boredom.

 

[Koolau]

Yeah, I've long ago given up on trying to understand people and their various proclivities. I have my faults but drinking and gambling are not two of them.

You can't live anyone else's life for them, so live your own and enjoy it as best you can.

 

[Dash man]

I quit my limited gambling nine years ago when my first grandchild was born. The money I might have put into gambling and the travel associated with it goes into 529 college plans for our grandkids and a couple of nieces and a nephew.
I to like my scotch, bourbon or wine, but I don’t overdo it. I like to be in control of myself.

 

[freedomatlast]

There seems to be an explosion of adds for online gambling. There must be plenty of people that partake. I saw a study that determined that the poorest members of society are those that partake the most.

 

[Diogenes]

Managing one's social-circle is itself something of a job. My current Barista-FIRE job is nominally convivial, but there is almost zero socialization outside of work, and even inside of work, it's just anodyne meetings. This puts the onus on finding and building a network of acquaintances outside of work. But how? Most of my so-called peer group is awash in launching their near-adult/young-adult children, or is busy with grandchildren. Unlike in the OP's post, few are heavy drinkers. Most don't drink at all. But they're busy with their internal lives. That busy-ness could be drinking/gambling, or it could be writing poetry and watching birds. Either way, it's an activity that they pursue, for themselves. One has to pursue one's own activity, for one's own self. And then actively seek out folks with whom one's interests align. Not easy!

 

[Kings over Queens]

There seems to be an explosion of adds for online gambling. There must be plenty of people that partake. I saw a study that determined that the poorest members of society are those that partake the most.

I've heard or read that the lottery and scratch off lotto tickets are a tax on the poor.

 

[TheWizard]

There seems to be an explosion of adds for online gambling. There must be plenty of people that partake. I saw a study that determined that the poorest members of society are those that partake the most.

Sounds about right.
I don't gamble, never bought a lottery ticket.
I did, however, put 25¢ into a 100-square pool for the Super Bowl a few times at work, decades ago...

 

[Chuckanut]

If a person is addicted to gambling and/or alcohol becoming retired will not change that.

I agree that gambling is boring. Maybe it's because I STUDIED my math in high school. Like my grandpappy used to say "The definition of a state lottery is a tax on people who did not study their math." The same logic applies to all other forms of gambling. The one exception is small betting poker games between friends with no house to skim off the top and rig the odds in their favor. Maybe.

 

[joesxm3]

When I retired I decided to give up drinking. I figured that I might end up like General Grant who always drank to much when he was not at a battle. Also, even drinking moderately priced wine or buying drinks at the bar makes a big hit on your spending. Easy to ignore when a fat paycheck is coming in and you rationalize the much needed stress relief that you can afford.

I also liked to play poker at the casino. But for that to work you need to go every week so your wins and losses average out. When you only go once in a while the losses are real. And with no paycheck to resupply the money they hurt.

That being said, my gambling in the stock market now makes my casino losses look like less than a rounding error. And while working my high saving rate compensated for my stupid stock market moves, but now there is no money flowing in.

Go figure. . .

 

[Dtail]

That’s why I don’t go to Vegas, any of the reservation or mining town casinos. The few times I did, I saw a crowd that did not reflect me. It has zero appeal to this retiree.

We go to the Hard Rock Cafe casino around twice a year. The crowd is definitely different overall from us.
However, it is 20 minutes away and we do have fun there and there is a really good steak and seafood place there.

 

[Retired Expat]

Rarely if ever gamble these days. Worked to hard to save the money and too easy to lose it. If I go to a casino I invest $100. When it is gone I leave. Have rarely if ever left with more

As to booze I kind of lost the taste for it and never really liked it too much anyway. Would rather have a Diet Coke.

Now some cocktails are delicious but too much sugar and I won’t do that anymore!

 

[joesxm3]

I just saw a clip from the Supreme Court where one of the justices pointed out that during the time of the founding fathers there was a definition of a "habitual drunkard."

Eight shots of whiskey a day?

That was enough to declare you an "occasional drunkard." Twice that amount was needed to be declared a "habitual drunkard."

Another founding father (I forget which) said "I hardly drink. Only three or four glasses of wine a night."

 

[RetiredHappy]

I don't drink nor gamble. The funny thing is that quite frequently when I win something trivial at our ladies golf tournament, I am given a bottle of wine. The other ladies would complain loudly that I don't even drink and that I need to give them my bottle of wine. Most of them drink, and some drink more than they should. My bottle of wine goes home and my husband drinks it if it is red, or open for others when we entertain.

We go to shows alot in Las Vegas and walking through the casinos offer zero temptation for us to lose our money.

 

[jollystomper]

If folks want to gamble, and can afford it, that is their thing. I have never seen a casino go broke by paying out too much . I will raise my eyebrows at those who cannot afford it (one sign is the "I just need to win a few things to get my finances back in order" attitude). The gambling I do are home poker gatherings with friends, where the only wagers are chips.

Before the pandemic DW and I enjoyed going to Las Vegas - it was fun to bring her along to on some of the IT conferences I attended, which them became partially paid for vacations. Even traveling on our own it was easy to get cheap flights and hotel rooms on short notice at the strip hotels. It is not expensive when you do not gamble . The shows, going dancing, the general "bright lights big city" vibe entertained us as a continual "date night" vacation, and we enjoyed dressing the part. Just walking through the large hotels, or observing the strip goings on there provided great entertainment. But sing the pandemic we have heard that the vibe has changed, prices have gone up - especially the added "resort fees" - and we have not been back.

We rarely drink, but just going out to drink bores us because we prefer to be doing an activity. But where there is an activity, I do not feeling like drinking. For example, we might go to a bowlingallwy with a bar, with friends. Some will choose to sit and drink, but we will spend the time bowling. Or we will go to a casino in the Mid-Atlantic if there is a musical event that we enjoying listening and dancing to. In retirement, we try to go where the action is .

 

[rk911]

I've had alcohol in my life (I'm approaching 76) exactly twice...and one of those times was by accident (story available upon request). Never saw the appeal. That's one reason I hated going on overnight work trips...the daytime sessions were boring and all everyone did at night was drink. Wife claims she used to imbibe a bit at work things but i've known her since she was 16 and have never seen her drink an alcoholic beverage. Mom and dad were beer drinkers but I was never tempted or curious enough to try one.

 

[Just_Steve]

I actually miss the pub scene of my 20's and 30's. No modern bar in my area can compare.

 

[Dtail]

When we go to the Hard Rock Cafe, we do set a loss limit of $250. It is considered our entertainment for the night.
As for drinking, the fiance has basically given up alcohol beverages and I probably have 2 drinka a month.

 

[Lorenzo]

Seems to be the norm with gambling usually tied to the drinking.

I don't understand what this means. Is this to say that the people are going to a casino and drinking there? Or is it just that you observe the same people partaking of both drinking and gambling, even if not always together at the same place?

I have never been into gambling, and I don't know anyone in my circle of friends, retired or not, who has spoken of gambling other than a one-off time they went to Las Vegas for some event. We do get together at one local pub or another quite often to socialize. I suspect I am from an age group for which drinking was and still is a social norm. But no connection between drinking and gambling in my world. And "constant" would not be how I'd describe the drinking. I try not to judge, and I'm not a professional in any health field, but I believe if one has a habit of drinking throughout the day, one has a problem.

 

[Car-Guy]

I was gambling long before I retired. I enjoy (still do) the travel, break of my daily routines, the excitement, etc. I drank a lot more a few years ago but these days a few beers while at the tables is all I need or want.

 

[rk911]

When we were traveling around the country in the motor home my wife would act like a kid hearing the bells of the ice cream man when she spotted a casino. Once, in Mississippi or Louisiana, we were heading home on I-55 when my bride spotted a riverboat. We pulled into the adjacent RV park. checked in and made a beeline for the slots. Within a very short time she was way ahead and she decided to quit while she was ahead.

The next morning we checked out and were headed north on I-55 when she spots yet another slot palace and she wants to stop. Well, you can probably guess, it didn't take her more than 30-min to lose everything she had won the previous day. Me? Like drinking I don't see the attraction of gambling.