OVER THE COURSE of last weekend, there was considerable online reaction to the conversation Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody had with Ryan Tubridy during his appearance on The Late Late Show.

In addition to discussing his years as a struggling artist and reflecting on the success he subsequently experienced, Gary opened up about his relationship with alcohol, and the warning signs which caused him to stop drinking.

“I think the shift was drinking alone. Drinking alone. A lot,” he told Ryan. 

Gary, who made the conscious decision to stop drinking, was met with a round of applause from the audience when he explained that he no longer has to avoid social situations which involve alcohol, but has cultivated the ability to abstain of his own accord.

I told myself ‘You need to change this’. The first six months was tough. I couldn’t go out with anyone else that was drinking, but now I’m on the tour bus a lot at the moment and the rest of the lads enjoy a drink and I don’t feel it.

Responding to the applause, Ryan told Gary: “Congratulations. It’s a big thing to do, to get over that, to come out the other side.”

He added:

I think everyone appreciates that, especially in this county.

YouTube / The Late Late Show YouTube / The Late Late Show / The Late Late Show

Gary’s conversation with Ryan clearly struck a chord with viewers the length and breadth of Ireland, and is likely to have either ignited discussion in social circles or brought forth memories of similar circumstances among respective peer groups.

As a nation, we are often guilty of trivialising the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption and/or abuse, failing to draw parallels between problematic behaviour and behaviour to which we have become culturally accustomed.

Gary’s candour was exceptionally refreshing, and clearly resonated with tens of thousands of viewers at home, who shared footage of the clip and sang his praise on Twitter.

We’re keen to know how you felt upon hearing Gary’s story: Have you ever questioned your relationship with alcohol, and feared you may have a problematic one?

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