h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If you donate blood in Ireland, you get a free pint of Guinness
Definitely beats the tea and buscuits!

Now can someone in the UK 'research' some 'facts' as to why this is a better idea.
(The higher number of donations would be a good one. I suspect that the blood of guiness drinkers is of above-average quality, but I can't prove that)

It's great when you have a pint after you have given blood as you have 1/8th less blood to dilute the beer with so you get 12.5% more drunk on each pint.

Lets assume it normally takes you five and a half pints to get screamingly drunk,(eleven units)
if you give blood first you will only need to drink four and a half pints (9.5 units)
thus giving a real cash saving of between £1.50 and £2.50 depending on where you live and what you drink!!

Sound economic sense I say!!!

LOL! Sounds a bit extreme though!

Well, the two times I've given blood Iwas light-headed before I had a pint anyway - and they do say that you shouldn't drive for half a day afterwards.

The reasons for having a pint of Ginness are:
- high in iron
- pretty much isotonic
- provided free by the brewery to the Irish blood bank
I suspect the third reason is the most important one. However, this custom may be under threat due to the "compensation culture" whereby people are suing for everything - the government can no longer be seen to be encouraging people to drink.

What I do find odd is that they won't tell me what my blood type is...so if I want to know I have to pay a doctor to do a separate blood test. That's mad.

I have been told (by my parents I'm not that old) that Guinness was proscribed on the NHS in the UK at one time, due to it's high iron content.

In the US, we were required to take a blood test before marriage. If you nipped down to the local blood bank, they'd do the test for free while they drew down a pint of the good stuff (blood).

I'm O-positive by the way, pretty much a universal donor.

And yes, I give as often as I'm allowed.

- X

In Northern Ireland the Blood Transfusion Service give label badges (buttons to my American readers) you get one for your first donation, a silver one for 25, an gold one for 50 etc. As men can donate 3 times a year and women twice the gold really is a lifetime achievement award.

My dad as a teacher in a school where they gave blood in the sixth form, and he made the local press for recieving his gold badge with a lot of newbies at the same time.

In the US they give you really nice pins for every gallon you donate. My mother is a four gallon donor.

My did managed to get into the local press when he reached the 50 pint mark, a few years back. The picture of him, had him sat down with 50 1 pint milk bottles surrtounding him. Sort of puts a bit of perspective into the volume of blood he'd given.

And he still says that he started giving blood at work to get a bit of time off the shop floor and a free cup of tea and some biscuits

My grandmother was instructed by her doctor to drink a bottle of Guinness a day to help her get over the birth of my mother. This would have been back in the late 1940's sometime, and , yes you guessed it - in Ireland!!

Hi Oxygene,
Does that me if I keep drinking it I'll be able to conceive.

One distaught Irish Male.

As a male, you shouldn't be able to concieve no matter how much Guinness you drink - but you may find a couple of pints might help you "beget"...especially if you're not the one drinking them .

Phew

*Wipes sweat off brow*

That's ok I was getting a little worried about last weekend there.

You never know your luck!! You might be the first male pregnancy of the new millenium, and all achieved without the slightest bit of genetic tinkering! what a coup for Guinness!

Trying to get the JABBERWOCK's attention... i see you online, but dunno how else to contact you... come say hi on my page and i'll tell you why i'm tracking you!