I've had the occasional drink myself but it's always been heavily monitored by my family (who also aren't big drinkers), either way I can't say I'm a big fan of alcoholic beverages myself (at least when it comes to taste).
This got me curious if people who are fond of alcoholic beverages actually enjoy the taste of boos or for some other reason such as social purposes, like being intoxicated, etc.
I like to learn the different tastes of alcoholic drinks; finding out what I like and dislike....so far, im enjoying the tastes of wine. Tbh I would be a bit of a hypocrite if I were to get drunk.
When I have, it was purely because I was in the mood for it or it was the only thing available at the time.
The after-effects of what I can only describe as my body's rapid expulsion of alcoholic stomach contents (or vomitting everything back up as if hadn't been touched) put me off drinking (I didn't exactly drink a lot whenever it happened either).
I didn't exactly like the taste or the effects, so finding out my body had no liking for it either pretty much sealed the no drinking deal.
Because a decent mead, mixed 50/50 with honey heated up in the pot till it flows like water and drink by the pint makes me happy. I like being happy. It makes me forget that I don't like people. Its delicious.
This is not to say I like being hammered, I do not. Hangovers from mead generally involve a headache the size of my house. Just a drink or two until I have that wonderful heavy feeling.
I don't really drink to get hammered anymore, but a couple of drinks can change my mood a little. Just occasionally I'll drink to get hammered, it can be a good, cathartic experience after something terrible has happened, or just a good way to mark a big event like a close mate's buck's party.
And it is a social thing. It can be very distancing to be the only one sitting around not drinking, and it can be an important part of bonding to drink (a little or a lot, depending on the group and the event). More than that, though, lately I've gotten to drinking wine because I enjoy sharing a bottle with my fiance, it's a far more social experience than her sitting there with one kind of drink and me sitting there some other choice (whether alcoholic or not).
GazzyG wrote:As others have said, I do it to be social.
I don't drink to be antisocial
And I don't like the taste or effect. And I don't really get the point of going out with the sole intention of getting so drunk you don't actually remember anything.
Social drinking with a meal, or having a chat, sure, go ahead, I quite enjoy sitting around in the sun with a soft drink. But going out to a noisy, crammed bar or club? No thanks.
GazzyG wrote:As others have said, I do it to be social.
I don't drink to be antisocial
And I don't like the taste or effect. And I don't really get the point of going out with the sole intention of getting so drunk you don't actually remember anything.
Social drinking with a meal, or having a chat, sure, go ahead, I quite enjoy sitting around in the sun with a soft drink. But going out to a noisy, crammed bar or club? No thanks.
Nope, neither do I. Perhaps when I was 18/19/20, then yeah. Even back then I wasn't a big fan of clubs really.
A quiet pint down the local with mates is where it's at. Or a glass of wine at home with the mrs.
I don't drink that much anymore, but when I do it's just a bottle of cider to wind down after work, which I guess falls into the intoxicating effects category. I never get drunk anymore though.
It's my last resort. I drink when I have absolutely no other way to get fethed up. It's incredibly easy to get, and I enjoy the effects somewhat, but I recognize how awful it is for you and try to stay away from it whenever I can.
I prefer to drink alone, as I never get too drunk by myself. I can get exactly where I need to be, and I don't have to deal with fumbling around with my words and actions. Being drunk in front of people makes me get way too drunk, and I always feel like an idiot whenever I can't finish a complete sentence.
I drink a glass of whisky, or brandy, or vodka, or rum, or something, or have a beer most nights. I like the taste of most alcoholic beverages, including vodka. I rarely get drunk anymore, I can't handle the hangovers these days. Gettin' old before my time.
When I get there: taste and social. I like the smell of several, namely Mead and Guinness and think I'll like them, and its kind of a rite of passage if you will, a tradition I plan on enjoying. I never plan on getting drunk though, just enough for a buzz if that much.
Albatross wrote:No offence, but you sound like an alcoholic.
Haha, I thought someone might say that. But one glass a night does not an alcoholic make. I've known some genuine alcoholics in my time, it's a very sad and destructive thing.
Albatross wrote:Yep, I've known a lot of alcoholics too, and one thing they all seem to have in common is that they don't see drinking every day as a big deal....
True. Also the need to drink themselves to a point of intoxication at any opportunity. And delerium tremens. And lying about how much they drink. And drinking alone excessively.
I appreciate the concern, but enjoying a single small glass of a spirit or a beer of a night with your girlfriend with or after dinner is hardly a downward spiral of addiction. Fear not the demon booze! It can be controlled.
I'm actually not a drinker at all, last time i drank and got drunk was ten years ago at my 21st birthday party! my dad carried me to the car with a garbage bag over my head about half past eleven, not a fun experience and i don't enjoy not being in control of my own body in case I need to drive someone who's sick or injured or be in control of my limbs for any other reason I may find. I don't mind going out with my mates who drink, I just don't like it at all, i'll stick to my double sars thanks! :-)
Albatross wrote:Yep, I've known a lot of alcoholics too, and one thing they all seem to have in common is that they don't see drinking every day as a big deal....
I thought having one drink a day, was a common thing in Europe. I didn't think it made you an alcoholic.
Albatross wrote:Yep, I've known a lot of alcoholics too, and one thing they all seem to have in common is that they don't see drinking every day as a big deal....
I thought having one drink a day, was a common thing in Europe. I didn't think it made you an alcoholic.
It's fairly common but Alby has a point, a lot of people with a problem never seem to think they have one.
Albatross wrote:Yep, I've known a lot of alcoholics too, and one thing they all seem to have in common is that they don't see drinking every day as a big deal....
I thought having one drink a day, was a common thing in Europe. I didn't think it made you an alcoholic.
It's fairly common but Alby has a point, a lot of people with a problem never seem to think they have one.
I have a drinking trick by the way. If you're aiming at getting hammered. Get Everclear, eat a spoonful of pure sugar, hold it in your mouth for a few seconds, swallow, then drink. You won't taste a damn thing.
htj wrote:You'd be hard pressed to become an alcoholic on one drink a day, though. Unless it was one really large one, I guess.
Problems like these tend to be insidious... they snowball until it becomes a really big problem.
That's a fair point. I'm possibly just a bit ratty because of being accussed of being an alcoholic above. It's when people start craving that drink all day, looking forward to the moment they can have it, that's the first warning sign. Being distraught of panicked at the idea of missing it, that kind of thing. It's a serious problem, and one that I've seen to a greater or lesser extent in several people in my life. It's destroyed lives in some cases.
On a less bleak note, my girlfriend and I enjoy the taste of most strong liquors, and will, often as not, choose to have a beer with our dinner, or a spirit afterwards. There's no reason you can't enjoy alcoholic drinks on a regular basis without succumbing to alcoholism. Yes, it is an addictive substance, but most people can drink regularly without developing a reliance on it.
htj wrote:You'd be hard pressed to become an alcoholic on one drink a day, though. Unless it was one really large one, I guess.
Problems like these tend to be insidious... they snowball until it becomes a really big problem.
That's a fair point. I'm possibly just a bit ratty because of being accussed of being an alcoholic above. It's when people start craving that drink all day, looking forward to the moment they can have it, that's the first warning sign. Being distraught of panicked at the idea of missing it, that kind of thing. It's a serious problem, and one that I've seen to a greater or lesser extent in several people in my life. It's destroyed lives in some cases.
On a less bleak note, my girlfriend and I enjoy the taste of most strong liquors, and will, often as not, choose to have a beer with our dinner, or a spirit afterwards. There's no reason you can't enjoy alcoholic drinks on a regular basis without succumbing to alcoholism. Yes, it is an addictive substance, but most people can drink regularly without developing a reliance on it.
Man, you should be able to pick more than one option...
It tastes wonderful, Its great fun being gak faced, It makes socialising much better and easier (Im a big mouthed fether but most people aren't, it makes my missus come alive for example!)
It also makes food taste better, and women look better..
Basically, booze is fething mint. But sadly, its awful for your health when it is drunk as intended (huge volumes) so since I hit 30 I force myself to stay sober 5 days a week, diet and train hard those 5 days, then drink myself into oblivion every weekend.
But if it was calorie and hangover free? gak, Id be pissed every day!
Man, you should be able to pick more than one option...
Well, I just want to know the primary reason you drink alcohol I'm sure plenty of you drink for more than one reason, and if you can't decide just click "other".
Sometimes, just sometimes it lets me become detached enough from reality that when I see someone smile, I can, for a moment convince myself they're smiling at me.
Albatross wrote:Yep, I've known a lot of alcoholics too, and one thing they all seem to have in common is that they don't see drinking every day as a big deal....
True. Also the need to drink themselves to a point of intoxication at any opportunity. And delerium tremens. And lying about how much they drink. And drinking alone excessively.
I appreciate the concern, but enjoying a single small glass of a spirit or a beer of a night with your girlfriend with or after dinner is hardly a downward spiral of addiction. Fear not the demon booze! It can be controlled.
sub-zero wrote:OMFG, I'm actually drunk while posting this, HAHAHAHA
That's so ironic...don't you think.
Drunk while posting on dakka. You sound like you have a great life ahead of you.
I don't drink because 1. it's not really all that healthy (wooo empty carbs and calories), 2. I don't like the taste, and 3. I can enjoy myself without getting drunk off my ass
By the way I don't get all this "alcoholism is a disease" bullcrap. It seems like a politically correct way of saying that you have no self-control. Just like 99% of fat people say they have a thyroid disorder when in reality they can't put the fething twinkies down
Asherian Command wrote:I can't drink or else my kidney literally will explode.
Really? That sounds like you may need to visit a doctor...
I have. I can't do drugs or drink alcohol. Sad face :(
But eh i'm 17 its illegal and my school punishes the weak.
Most people i know had already gotten pissed several times before they could drink legally...
That sucks actually...
Yeah it sucks. But I still can do parkour. . Last thing you need is drunk ninja then everyone at the parties i go to no one would come out alive except me with a bloody katana and hundreds of wounds from my own sword of course.
when I was a kid i drank an entire bottle of wine, thats what screwed up my kidney, Thats what happens when parents leave out the wine. You get me, evil, intelligent and clever. The worst mix.
Anyway I laugh at peoples drunk stories.
Asherian Command wrote:I can't drink or else my kidney literally will explode.
Really? That sounds like you may need to visit a doctor...
I have. I can't do drugs or drink alcohol. Sad face :(
But eh i'm 17 its illegal and my school punishes the weak.
Most people i know had already gotten pissed several times before they could drink legally...
That sucks actually...
Yeah it sucks. But I still can do parkour. . Last thing you need is drunk ninja then everyone at the parties i go to no one would come out alive except me with a bloody katana and hundreds of wounds from my own sword of course.
when I was a kid i drank an entire bottle of wine, thats what screwed up my kidney, Thats what happens when parents leave out the wine. You get me, evil, intelligent and clever. The worst mix.
Anyway I laugh at peoples drunk stories.
Wouldn't alcohol have a bigger effect on your liver than your kidney?
Asherian Command wrote:I can't drink or else my kidney literally will explode.
Really? That sounds like you may need to visit a doctor...
I have. I can't do drugs or drink alcohol. Sad face :(
But eh i'm 17 its illegal and my school punishes the weak.
Most people i know had already gotten pissed several times before they could drink legally...
That sucks actually...
Yeah it sucks. But I still can do parkour. . Last thing you need is drunk ninja then everyone at the parties i go to no one would come out alive except me with a bloody katana and hundreds of wounds from my own sword of course.
when I was a kid i drank an entire bottle of wine, thats what screwed up my kidney, Thats what happens when parents leave out the wine. You get me, evil, intelligent and clever. The worst mix.
Anyway I laugh at peoples drunk stories.
Wouldn't alcohol have a bigger effect on your liver than your kidney?
both, It kills my liver and my kidney, kidney cleans up toxicions in your blood liver holds other stuff, my kidney is damaged though in like 10 years i will be fine.
Asherian Command wrote:I can't drink or else my kidney literally will explode.
Really? That sounds like you may need to visit a doctor...
I have. I can't do drugs or drink alcohol. Sad face :(
But eh i'm 17 its illegal and my school punishes the weak.
Most people i know had already gotten pissed several times before they could drink legally...
That sucks actually...
Yeah it sucks. But I still can do parkour. . Last thing you need is drunk ninja then everyone at the parties i go to no one would come out alive except me with a bloody katana and hundreds of wounds from my own sword of course.
when I was a kid i drank an entire bottle of wine, thats what screwed up my kidney, Thats what happens when parents leave out the wine. You get me, evil, intelligent and clever. The worst mix.
Anyway I laugh at peoples drunk stories.
Wouldn't alcohol have a bigger effect on your liver than your kidney?
both, It kills my liver and my kidney, kidney cleans up toxicions in your blood liver holds other stuff, my kidney is damaged though in like 10 years i will be fine.
Dude to me the human body is just a tool to be used for pleasure or for anything else you can think of.
Anyway. I have found a few funny stories. "So Today, I woke up with a glass of tequilia and I couldn't remember what happened last night." thats not a Tequllia problem. Johnny cash woke up with a bag of salt under his pillow and all over him he smelled of perfume and couldn't remember anything that is a f--king tequila problem right there! You have a mild drinking problem at best.
Asherian Command wrote:Dude to me the human body is just a tool to be used for pleasure or for anything else you can think of.
Anyway. I have found a few funny stories.
"So Today, I woke up with a glass of tequilia and I couldn't remember what happened last night."
thats not a Tequllia problem.
Johnny cash woke up with a bag of salt under his pillow and all over him he smelled of perfume and couldn't remember anything that is a f--king tequila problem right there! You have a mild drinking problem at best.
Grabzak Dirtyfighter wrote:As a teen I drank a case of beer a day give or take, that was alcoholism.
A drink a day is a far cry from alcoholism, in fact isn't it has a few health benefits?
Depends what you are drinking.
Red wine does, whiskey or vodka probably don't.
No, it's any alcohol, between one and two drinks a day (averaged over roughly a week, I believe it was).
Vladsimpaler wrote:By the way I don't get all this "alcoholism is a disease" bullcrap. It seems like a politically correct way of saying that you have no self-control.
Just like 99% of fat people say they have a thyroid disorder when in reality they can't put the fething twinkies down
No, it's a full-blown neurological disorder, or several separate ones more likely. That's a well-documented fact. Neither it nor overeating is some moral failing, but a defect in the reward system of the brain which results in abnormal behavior.
I voted other, because i drink for equal parts taste and social setting.
I never get so trashed that I dont remember what happened (only happened once, and my wife cleaned up afterwards.. its what they get for 'force feeding' me drinks at her [the wife's] baby shower).
Also, we discovered quite the hard way that it is just too damn expensive for me to get so wasted. in one weekend, when i was single, i myself went through a 6 pack of Guiness, 12 pack of Warsteiner, and a large bottle of Goldschlager.. like i said to expensive to get very wasted, now i settle with 2-4 drinks, just to sort of maintain a happy buzz.
Grabzak Dirtyfighter wrote:As a teen I drank a case of beer a day give or take, that was alcoholism.
A drink a day is a far cry from alcoholism, in fact isn't it has a few health benefits?
If someone was shooting heroin only once a day, you'd consider that person a heroin addict. The fact is alcohol is an extremely addictive substance. If you can't go without your one drink of the day, you look forward to it all day, and feel irritable and unwell when you DON'T get it, you're probably developing a dependency on alcohol.
There's more to alcoholism than simply being drunk all the time. The worst alcoholic I ever met died in his early 40s from liver failure, and I saw him drunk like, once? Twice maybe? Genuine alcoholics drink to 'maintain'.
Well I don't really drink much,and I mean I can count the number of drinks I've had so far this year on my hands.
When I do,I do it because it's a party or hanging out with chums after an exam.
Once or twice I used drank something out of bordem,I guess that's the only real reason,I don't get any sort of buzz from alcohol,it's just a depressent.
Albatross wrote:The fact is alcohol is an extremely addictive substance.
No, it's not, as evidenced by the fact that 99.9% of people who drink aren't alcoholics. Nicotine is an extremely addictive substance, with around 30% of people who try it going on to become addicts, and you won't find many who smoke who aren't addicted to some extent or another. Alcohol is a slightly to non-addictive substance, with alcoholics being those who are genetically predisposed to addiction to it.
Huh. Social Purposes fits me best, although that's not exactly right. I drink alcohol alone, every time. Never with others. I think it has something to do with entertaining myself. Or maybe I'm afraid of getting into drunken fights
Albatross wrote:The fact is alcohol is an extremely addictive substance.
No, it's not, as evidenced by the fact that 99.9% of people who drink aren't alcoholics. Nicotine is an extremely addictive substance, with around 30% of people who try it going on to become addicts, and you won't find many who smoke who aren't addicted to some extent or another. Alcohol is a slightly to non-addictive substance, with alcoholics being those who are genetically predisposed to addiction to it.
Sources for any of that or....?
Alcohol is substance which is easy to obtain, hard to withdraw from, and kills more people (by a huge margin) in the UK than heroin and cocaine combined. It regularly places highly in lists of most addictive substances. A quick google search will bring up pages of relevant material. I suggest you check it out.
Albatross wrote:The fact is alcohol is an extremely addictive substance.
No, it's not, as evidenced by the fact that 99.9% of people who drink aren't alcoholics. Nicotine is an extremely addictive substance, with around 30% of people who try it going on to become addicts, and you won't find many who smoke who aren't addicted to some extent or another. Alcohol is a slightly to non-addictive substance, with alcoholics being those who are genetically predisposed to addiction to it.
Sources for any of that or....?
Alcohol is substance which is easy to obtain, hard to withdraw from, and kills more people (by a huge margin) in the UK than heroin and cocaine combined. It regularly places highly in lists of most addictive substances. A quick google search will bring up pages of relevant material. I suggest you check it out.
You're confusing potential for harm and presence in culture for addictiveness. Almost no one who drinks, even on a regular basis, is addicted, and addiction follows a distinct pattern of behavior from normal use. Likewise, one doesn't need to be addicted to suffer health problems over time, nor to injure oneself while under its influence. Compare it to other common psychoactive chemicals, like caffeine or nicotine, where almost everyone who ever uses them is addicted to some extent or another. Granted, alcohol is more deleterious to one's health than either (someone who drinks like a smoker smokes is an alcoholic, and suffers worse effects than the smoker, faster; most people who drink, however, don't drink like that, while most smokers do), but it also demonstrably doesn't have anywhere near the same addiction potential.
I think I might be borderline addicted to it. I don't always look for a buzz but I find myself drinking a lot of times now a days... maybe 2 to 3 beers a day.
I don't drink to get drunk, or to forget - or remember.
I also don't smoke or take other chemical assistants (although I have in the past).
I don't do it alone (it's not something I have to hide).
I do it as a choice - it's not something I HAVE to do ('m not an alcoholic - they go to meetings.) and I CAN stop if I choose to.
EVERY human culture on this planet has found a way to chemically "get off" - whether it was by smoking, drinking, chewing or whatever. It's harwired into your genes.
Albatross wrote:The fact is alcohol is an extremely addictive substance.
No, it's not, as evidenced by the fact that 99.9% of people who drink aren't alcoholics. Nicotine is an extremely addictive substance, with around 30% of people who try it going on to become addicts, and you won't find many who smoke who aren't addicted to some extent or another. Alcohol is a slightly to non-addictive substance, with alcoholics being those who are genetically predisposed to addiction to it.
Sources for any of that or....?
Alcohol is substance which is easy to obtain, hard to withdraw from, and kills more people (by a huge margin) in the UK than heroin and cocaine combined. It regularly places highly in lists of most addictive substances. A quick google search will bring up pages of relevant material. I suggest you check it out.
You're confusing potential for harm and presence in culture for addictiveness. Almost no one who drinks, even on a regular basis, is addicted, and addiction follows a distinct pattern of behavior from normal use. Likewise, one doesn't need to be addicted to suffer health problems over time, nor to injure oneself while under its influence. Compare it to other common psychoactive chemicals, like caffeine or nicotine, where almost everyone who ever uses them is addicted to some extent or another. Granted, alcohol is more deleterious to one's health than either (someone who drinks like a smoker smokes is an alcoholic, and suffers worse effects than the smoker, faster; most people who drink, however, don't drink like that, while most smokers do), but it also demonstrably doesn't have anywhere near the same addiction potential.
You're thinking in terms of physical dependency, but addiction isn't just as simple as that. Yes, crack cocaine may carry an increased risk of physical dependency in purely chemical terms, but consider this: What are you more likely to come into contact with? Beer or crack? Alcohol consumption, as you rightly pointed out, is pretty much ubiquitous amongst adults in the west, and so a person is at far greater risk of alcohol addiction than of cocaine addiction, in terms of probability. It's far, far easier to become an alco than it is a junkie. It's socially acceptable to drink regularly - hell, even every day, apparently. Take a drug every day and you will become addicted eventually.
Incidentally, I know plenty of occasional smokers who are not addicted to nicotine at all. However, if they smoked every day you wouldn't hesitate to call them an addict, right? How is drinking every day different?
Addiction implies that you can't stop, and would suffer withdrawal if you did. I know there's the old 'I can stop anytime I want to' stuff, but frequent use does not equate to addiction. Reliance is a necessary factor.
To get pished or a couple to get to sleep. Everytime a group of friends and i settle down to have a few pints i see that as a challenge, i must drink more than them. Oootcha...
