Alchohol and you

[TheRightToArmBears]

Well, usually these days when I'm drinking I'm getting smashed, being in my first year of university & recently broken up with it's the way I'm dealing with being less socially awkward and forgetting my problems (respecting my heritage with the Irish method of dealing with emotions). Also, it's just what people do at university. That's not to say I never drink just to appreciate a good drink, but it rarely happens when I'm not at home. I'm not as bad for reckless drinking as I used to be though, I tend to avoid spirits these days because I know I'll drink them too quickly and it will be a mess. I probably drunk a lot more regularly when I was fifteen/sixteen than I do now anyway, I could probably handle more then too. I remember (term used loosely) getting through a litre of vodka every friday in the summer a couple of years back, I could never do that now.

 

[Dr. Doomsduck]

Well, There's a complicated question...

First off, both my maternal grandfather and my father were alcoholics (The latter is recovering, the former is dead), so both my older brother and I don't drink in the traditional sense to avoid the risk of becoming like one of them (My younger brother doesn't share the sentiment and is frequently lying hungover on the couch during the weekends).

That said, I'm perfectly willing to take a sip of a drink to taste it, or eat it when it's put in meals or chocolats or something like that.

I'd like to think that I don't have a problem with people drinking around me, but I still find myself quickly annoyed by some drunk people. Not all of them, but more often than I should. So, yeah, there is a social allergy there and that also means that by 2 AM the party is usually over for me, because everyone is just getting less coherent and I'm not running on an alcohol-high to keep me energized.

One of the things that bothers me the most about it is the social acceptance of it, as opposed to other soft-drugs. Alchol-use, abuse and alcoholism is so widely accepted that making people realize they have a drinking-problem is virtually impossible. As long as someone can drag their ass out of bed to do their job, no-one (but a few familymembers and friends) will acknowledge the problem. This isn't the case with say...marijuana, smoke a splif a day and you're labelled a junk, drink your ass into incoherency every day, and people will just say you've got a rough job/life.

I think this one just sort of says it all:

 

[Mr Fixit]

I've never found a beer or anything other "weak" drink that I really like, so I end up with a bottle of whiskey or rum & I really love the taste of both so I can find myself drinking too much very easily. I prefer to drink with at least one other person just because I like the company. I will drink alone if the mood hits me & since all my drinking buddies are either broke, working all the time or there significant others won't let them out to play, I end up drinking alone way too much for my taste.

 

[Quaxar]

Never had more than one glass of new-year champagne per year and even that I've now reduced to a non-alcoholic kid's version because I simply hate the taste. Beer and wine I consider among the most repelling drinks I've ever tried and I don't understand the appeal of mixed drinks when a glass of juice without the alcohol is about a third of the price.
Plus I REALLY enjoy a good raspberry soda.

 

[an annoyed writer]

I've tried wines, beers, vodkas, and other drinks to see if I liked any, but didn't find anything I particularly liked, so I don't drink. Add an alcoholic mother to the mix, well, you get the idea. Nothing says "Don't drink, kids!" like your plastered mom barging into your room while you're bare-ass naked and getting ready for bed. Yes, that actually happened. Haven't touched a drink since, and I don't plan to.

 

[Zoe Castillo]

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[Fappy]

I don't drink at all. I've never had more than a sip of anything and only did so to get a taste here and there. I don't really have anything against drinking (in moderation), but I made the decision never to drink a long time ago. Having an alcoholic father will do that to you

 

[Guffe]

If it has alcohol in it it's worth tasting!!
Don't blame me, I am a Finn and the majority of the year is cold, alcohol makes your blood run closer to the surface of your skin so you feel warmer!
Beer not so much, enjoy whiskey and mixes... Mix quite a lot of drinks to myself since I find the taste and effect better than in other bevarages bought immediately from the store.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

I've done an about face on alcohol over the years. I'm still not a fan of party culture though. Unless it's a bunch of people I know, and it's at one of their houses, and there's videogames, movies and board games involved, I'm not much of a party person. You won't be seeing me at a club, that's for sure.

I used to not care about drinking. Then, my two high school friends (whom I no longer hang out with since we don't have common interests anymore) invited me after we graduated to go hang out and drink together. They DEMANDED I try beer. I did. It was disgusting.

Then, we went to another pub a few months later. AGAIN they demanded I drink beer with them. It was disgusting.

The third time we hung out at a bar (that's pretty much the only places we met up to hang out at) I ordered a soda. one of the friends was all "0_0 YOUCANTDOTHATWEREATABARYOUNEEEEEDTODRIIINKBEEEEEEERRRRR!!!" To which I said "Watch me. Waitress, I'll have a 7-up". And that friend was deeply offended for some reason... There was no fourth hang out time.

So...at that point I hated drinking. Then I tried a bit of white wine at family dinners an liked it. Then I got introduced to Smirnoff ice and went "Huh...this is actually really good!", and then I tried Jack daniels at another friend's house and went "This isn't bad!".

Since then I've tried a few other drinks, with mixed results. And then I found Rum and coke. ^_^ Love that drink.

I'm at the point now where I enjoy drinking once in a while. I like the taste of certain drinks and I don't mind getting a bit tipsy. although I don't want to get really drunk. Sadly, there is no booze in my house that I'm aware of, since my parents don't drink anything but wine. Which is a shame, since once in a while I could really use a drink.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

I'm actually on the opposite end...

I turned 21, there was nothing I liked more then relaxing after a hard days work with a couple cans of Four Loko.... Either I'd play video games or I'd write as I got drunk.

I've kinda come full circle. It has stopped being fun. As for why it's sad to drink alone? Theres a certain wall you hit, after it stops being fun, where you're clicking through youtube videos at 3 am in the morning amongst your empty cans and taco bell wrappers wondering "where the fuck is my life going?"

EDIT: Have you played Max Payne 3? That's when drinking alone starts to become sad.

 

[Berithil]

I'm 19 and I've only had alcohol two (no, wait, three times. I'm getting bad ) and they were all special occasions (champagne on new years day, 115 year old wine at a Titanic themed dinner, and a sip of some wine my moms friend makes)

I'm not anti-alcohol, but when I come of age, I'll probably just save it for certain times. I don't think I'll become a regular drinker.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Mostly I don't drink, but I can be persuaded to have a little red wine or a whisky here and there.

It's fine. I just don't value it enough to be devoting time/money to it.

 

[Esotera]

I drink quite a bit on the weekends, as long as I don't have work to do. And despite what others are saying, I quite enjoy drinking alone, although I'll sometimes go out with friends or family to the pub.

If you drink lots of coffee on your own, then that's essentially the same as having a couple of pints by yourself, and is potentially more dangerous.

 

[Tiger King]

[b/]whats your attitude towards alchohol?[/b]

I know quite a few people here don't drink at all due to not being "party/social" people or just having a distaste for the stuff in general

I don't think I was ever "anti-alchohol", I'd gladly have some if given the chance, but there were certain aspects that put me off,but to be honest it was probably more the "party culture" than the actual alchohol that I didn't like (that and age group...last time I was ever doing that kind of thing was around high school age) I was never a social person so I just never drank it because that was the only setting I figured it was appropriate, plus I never liked any of the stuff.

that was untill some time ago I developed a taste for cider,and after reading yahtzees colum about how its odd that society sees drinking alone as "sad" or "problematic" I shook the preconception and started drinking now and again after work..while playing some games..and it was nice.Mabye its bad in that I'm getitng the alchohol without the social connection or whatever but really when I think about it....it doesnt feel that bad...like doing heroin or whatever

I guess it depends on what kind of drinking you are doing. if you are just having a few and watching a film or playing a game then it's not an issue, if your getting seriously drunk by yourself on a regular basis that could be a bit worrying but I agree drinking alone isn't 'sad'.

the opposite of this could be people that go out and have to drink to interact and enjoy themselves.

 

[Folji]

I drink, I get drunk, I stick my butt out and I get cuddly!

Just kidding. I'd get cuddly without drinking any. It's kind of a casual thing, although I just hate drinking on my own. Don't like it, not one bit. If I'm gonna get drunk, I want it to be in the pleasant company of others! I'd also get drunk on anything, but cider's the definite favourite and usually what I wind up bringing along to a party when there is one.

 

[scorptatious]

I have never drank in the past, and I don't really intend to now or ever. Mostly because my parents were both alcoholics that had to get help. So chances are, if I started drinking, I probably wouldn't stop.

 

[Boris Goodenough]

Love it! Just had a wee bit of some Havana Club 7 year with cola.
Drank a fair bit this weekend to a "Julefrokost" that is Christmas dinner with lots of schnapps, beer, and cider.