Pressure to Drink

[ireskimo]

Alcohol itself tastes awful, people add ingredients and mix drinks so that the taste is more pleasant or it may even form an interesting sensation with the drink intself, I've never noticed the latter and when I ask for advice on a drink that "I might like" people always end the sentence with something along the lines of "...you won't even taste the booze", to which I respond "Then why mix fucking booze into it? Why not just mix the rest of this shit in with water or buy a fucking coke?!" there's no response. The fact of the matter is that alcohol is a drug and people enjoy the very mild buzz that they get from it (it causes no real detrimental effects if a person drinks in moderation, however this limit is easily passed since by the time your body indicates you've drunk too much you've probably already ingested more), and it's something of a global custom (with some exceptions, mainly middle-eastern countries) now for people to drink heavily during celebrations and other similar events.

People often find it strange when people don't follow a custom that is often showed and enjoyed, for example if you met a person and outsretched your hand to shake their hand in greeting and they didn't understand you would most likely show and explain the custom, in effect mildly enforcing it as the person may feel compelled to use it next time they are in a similar situation. This is a very general example, but I think it applies well here.

EDIT: You can carry a vodka bottle with you and fill it with water, works for me when I'm at parties and shit, pretend to take a swig every so often.

This is a rather shallow view. People mix drinks to give it a better taste. I don't know if you've ever tried a spirit on it's own. It's not the most pleasant tasting thing in the world and really burns your throat. People enjoy alcohol as it lightens them up. Some people do take it to the extreme by getting drunk but that is their choice. Social drinking is one of the good things in life. I've made soo many friends just by going to a party and talking to random strangers. All i'm saying is that you should stop moaning when someone offers you a drink. Just be glad that people are nice enough to do that.

 

[Faine']

Sounds familiar. The sad fact is that I now don't have any close friends offline for the simple reason that in order to maintain 'real life' friendships I'm expected to spend what little money I earn on booze and get myself utterly wasted.

Outside of my family, out of all the people I know, I know only one. single. person. who doesn't drink. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind drinking - though it's not really my thing - but drinking for the single purpose of making yourself so drunk you're puking everywhere and hung over the next day, seems to me, completely counter productive when it comes to having a fun evening. Come morning and they're all groaning about how awful they feel and don't even remember most of the 'fun' they had the night before, but give it a week or even a few days and they're at it again. People don't seem to know how to enjoy themselves without alcohol, and for someone like me who would rather not touch the stuff, it means a great big 'FAIL' stamped all over your social life.

Anyway, as people might have gathered, no I didn't get pestered into drinking this New Years because I wasn't even at a party. If I had been, I'm absolutely certain I'd have been hounded about it though, yes.

I know how you feel. Trying to get a taxi to take someone home at 3am who's puking is not my idea of fun. I know no-one that is my age and who wants to socially engange in an activity that doen't involve drinking. The greatest nuisance about this is the moan the next day about hangovers and they are eager and willing to do this again and spend at least £40 a night on booze alone. My "new" uni friends never ask me to social events now because I don't drink. Another thing I would like to know is why people wish to take 1 to 3 hour drives to adjacent cities to go drinking, when they know there is no-where for them to stay the night and a raxi home is sbout £65 at least? Sorry it's a bit of a rant.

I still manage to have a lot of fun on nights out without drinking and my wallet thanks me. Most of the time the people around me are too drunk to notice if i'm drinking towards the end of the night. Nor do they remember the next morning.

By all means, rant away; I certainly did.

Actually, I just checked your profile and realised we're both British. Might explain the similarities given the fact the UK has a big drinking culture. As for the part of your post that I bolded: same here. I'm 19, 20 next month, and I can't find anyone of similar age to me who would be happy doing something that doesn't involve alcohol. It's not just my age range either; I know of people 30-40 who behave similarly. It's apparently impossible to drink and not over do it for a lot of people.

I've been fortunate in that I haven't found myself trying to get puking friends home as you have, mostly because I haven't let myself get into those situations in the first place. Of course, now I've just kinda isolated myself. Ah well. I've never been a big party-goer anyway; it's just not my thing. I just wish I could have a couple of friends who I could say "Hey, wanna go see a movie?" to and not have "Sure! But after we could go to this pub and that club and-" as a response. Sometimes I'd just like to watch a movie, y'know? Or invite a few folks over and stay at home eating crap food and playing stupid games. Maybe I'm just boring but I could actually have fun with that and I'd remember it the following morning.

 

[CK76]

42c with 30% humanity isn't nice, it's hell.

Australians lose their humanity as the temperature rises, good to know when planning a trip.

 

[Guffe]

Nagging can be a ***** and I personally think you did the right thing in walking away from there after you said you don't want to and they continued to "harass" (sry couldn't find a milder word and already used nag xD) you. If they can't respect your decision they can just go and drink themselves to a very nice next day.
I drink sometimes and sometimes I don't, I have a few friends who never drink alcohol (we are all drinking age) and some drink a bit too much too often according to me but no one nags about the other peoples drinking habits so for us it's alright.

 

[Da pyro man 999]

Ah yes, there have been many a time where the champange was flowing but i was cradling a pepsi. It really annoys me when people ask why i'm not holding a glass of corner shop piss and im instead holding a cold,refreshing cola.

 

[lightningmagurn]

I have had that issue a few times. I will be at a party and then somebody realizes that there are no adults (I'm 16 I have no business drinking) andthen the booze starts flowing.

 

[CarpathianMuffin]

I've never gotten shit for not drinking. I mean I do drink, but I've never been pressured into it before. I know my limits, and I abide by them.
Then again, I never cared about it in the slightest.

 

[Rzepik]

I'm 100% nondrinker and yes, people are trying to 'convert' me all the time.
But I don't find it irritating, I guess I enjoy standing out.

 

[Chrono180]

I am unable to drink because the medicine I use to maintain my sanity combines with alcohol in very bad ways and could cause blackouts and other dangerous effects. The one time I went to a mature party (which was around a year ago for halloween)the others harassed me to drink so much that I left only a couple hours in. Haven't been to a party since and my social life has stagnated because of it.

 

[haruvister]

So anyone else have a similar new years? being pestered to drink?

Yup. Like you, my interest has gradually waned over the last few months. Previously I would drink Coke and pretend it was a mixer just to avoid a scene, but now I just say "No thanks" and my peers get kind of bored of pushing me.

Only in sobriety do we stay in touch with our soul. Someone clever said that. Probably.

 

[BrassButtons]

I wasn't pestered to drink on New Years (stayed in with my fiance, who understands that I don't like to drink), however the pressure to drink is a large part of why I skipped the office christmas party this year. There have been office parties in the past where people kept bugging me to drink, even though I'm much happier with just a mountain dew or a root beer. "No thank you" doesn't stop them, and "I don't want to you dumb fucker so leave me alone already asshole" doesn't go over to well when it's a coworker or manager you're talking to. Though I cam very close to saying that when the server started pestering me as well.

Alcohol tastes nasty, I don't want it. Why is that so hard to accept?

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

My brother sometimes tries to get me to drink things, claiming "I will totally like them", but that is rarely true. Other than that though, nobody ever bugs me about imbibing alcohol, which I do so infrequently I'm statistically a non-drinker. The allure almost completely escapes me.

 

[WolfThomas]

Alcohol itself tastes awful, people add ingredients and mix drinks so that the taste is more pleasant or it may even form an interesting sensation with the drink intself, I've never noticed the latter and when I ask for advice on a drink that "I might like" people always end the sentence with something along the lines of "...you won't even taste the booze", to which I respond "Then why mix fucking booze into it? Why not just mix the rest of this shit in with water or buy a fucking coke?!" there's no response.

Excerpt two of the most popular types wine and beer that are drunk un-mixed...

Incidentally those are the only two things I'll drink (aside from the ocaisonal Gin and Tonic when I'm adventuring). I love the taste of a cool beer or a nice (red) wine.

But actually more recentally I've been drinking a lot more light beer. It initally stemmed from the fact I got my open driver's license (meaning my BAC limit is .05 not .00) so with light beer I can ostensibly down some beers with my mates and then legally drive home. But the more and more I drink of it I love it, I can have as much as I want at a party (aslong as I'm not driving home) and not end up acting like a dick or being hungover. Also a pint of it at the end of a hard days work is as dehydrating as full strenght.

Alcohol tastes nasty, I don't want it. Why is that so hard to accept?

Your nast is another persons delicious, it that way with lot of things, I hate the taste of licorice, makes me want to puke. But give me a can of Victoria Bitter and I'll down it in delight.

What I can't understand is people who have the enthusiasm to try and make other drink, I may just be apathetic but if I offer someone a drink and they say no, I just stop, I can't be fucked expending anymore precious beer-drinking energy on try to convince them.

 

[Geekosaurus]

Just don't drink. I'd much rather spend my money on something other than alcohol.

 

[Baron_BJ]

This is a rather shallow view. People mix drinks to give it a better taste. I don't know if you've ever tried a spirit on it's own. It's not the most pleasant tasting thing in the world and really burns your throat. People enjoy alcohol as it lightens them up. Some people do take it to the extreme by getting drunk but that is their choice. Social drinking is one of the good things in life. I've made soo many friends just by going to a party and talking to random strangers. All i'm saying is that you should stop moaning when someone offers you a drink. Just be glad that people are nice enough to do that.

I said that people mix drinks to give them a better taste because alcohol itself tastes terrible and gives a painful burning sensation (improving the taste is merely a way that people can enjoy the "buzz" without dealing with the bad taste alcohol itself has), I'm failing to see what is shallow regarding my point.

Alcohol itself tastes awful, people add ingredients and mix drinks so that the taste is more pleasant or it may even form an interesting sensation with the drink intself, I've never noticed the latter and when I ask for advice on a drink that "I might like" people always end the sentence with something along the lines of "...you won't even taste the booze", to which I respond "Then why mix fucking booze into it? Why not just mix the rest of this shit in with water or buy a fucking coke?!" there's no response.

Excerpt two of the most popular types wine and beer that are drunk un-mixed...

What do you think has been done to the beer and wine? they mixed INGREDIENTS in with the alcohol to change the taste, for example one of the most well known ingredients in beer is hops. The ingredients were added for the latter reason I mentioned, because they mix well with the alcoholic burn (I don't think they taste well, but others do).

 

[Outright Villainy]

If someone is pestering me to drink, I probably won't just to spite them.

And I love a good beer. People telling me how to behave can fuck right off.

 

[BrassButtons]

Alcohol tastes nasty, I don't want it. Why is that so hard to accept?

Your nast is another persons delicious, it that way with lot of things, I hate the taste of licorice, makes me want to puke. But give me a can of Victoria Bitter and I'll down it in delight.

I meant it tastes nasty to me, I know many people enjoy it. Sorry if that was unclear.

 

[Paksenarrion]

At first it was peer pressure. Aside from two Irish Carbombs, I don't usually cave in.

After that was depression. Tried to get drunk, but ended up making myself sick.

Now it's rage. I'm tempted to drink so I forget the reason for my anger.

Unfortunately, the only thing that appeals to me is if I take out my aggression on...something.

 

[Berethond]

Damn you Australians and your nice weather in the middle of our northern hemispheircal winter!

42c with 30% humanity isn't nice, it's hell.

I live in California, in the middle of a desert.

You do not comprehend true hell.