Why people drink?

[KiDisaster]

hey easy on the accusing but I just think if you dont like drinking, just be quiet about it.

don't go around preaching how drinking is this or that. or making accusations that you "dont need" this or that....

I can accept some people have problems with drinking but others make good use of it and are able to appreciate a good wine or beer just like good food.

have a laugh with friends.... if you never had im sorry for you.

You don't need alcohol though. It's completely unnecessary to live a full, happy life. In fact doing without is almost certainly the smarter choice.

I enjoy alcohol as much as the next guy, and I do so responsibly and with other people who do so responsibly. He wasn't suggesting that anyone who drinks has a problem, just that people who use it to avoid their issues or drown their sorrows do and he's totally correct.

Also you can have a great time with your friends without being drunk.

[Balefont]

There are some delicious drinks out there that happen to also have alcohol in them. "Why give up half the world's pleasures?"

Sometimes a nightcap in bed reading is a pleasurable experience. A buzz and laughing with friends can also be a very pleasurable experience.

[JonCon's Red Beard]

lcoholism tore my family apart and led to my dad's early demise at the age of 54, so I have seen what happens when people can't control themselves...the very reason I will never let myself get 'out of control' with it, so to speak.

I'm sorry about that. I know the feeling.

The problem with alcohol -and many things that might cause any kind of addiction- is that people don't take it seriously. They say "oh, alcohol is fun!" without even considering the chances of being susceptible to addictions or diseases caused by alcohol.

I know someone who, by suggestion of a friend, visited a casino. Later, they went often. The friend didn't have much of a problem about it, only gambled the money her husband would give to her to "have fun". The other person, otoh, got addicted until the point of spending all of her money, the money of her family, husband, work and having to sell her house and car to pay debts and survive. She didn't know that her father was actually a little bit to fond of gambling because she never realised that he had a problem and it didn't affected his family.

Alcohol, drugs, gambling and many other things like that is like having a box in front of you. If you open it, you can have a moment of fun and happiness. But there is also the chance that that same box blows up and kill you and hurt your family. Some take the chance. I definitely won't never take it, I love my family very much.

[Arch-MaesterPhilip]

I drink because I like myself better when I'm drunk.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Nami,

I don't depend on drinking to have fun. If you do, good for you

I was talking about people that get agressive or depressed, not "nice drinkers", which are rare to find IMHO.

I drink beer because tastes good. Is that a problem?

JonCon,

I have a beer or three a month, am I an addict?

[Jagged]

I don't depend on drinking to have fun. If you do, good for you

I was talking about people that get agressive or depressed, not "nice drinkers", which are rare to find IMHO.

Really in my experience it has been the other way around. The aggressive / depressed are the big minority. Maybe it's just the people you hang out with

[Cyvasse Khal]

I will never drink to get drunk again or let myself have more than i know it would take to get me drunk. The last time I did was about 5 years ago at a birthday house party thing, was about half way through a bottle of whisky and decided to just walk out to the front to get some fresh air, then decided i'll just go round the block and by the time i got back I would be ready to keep partying. My phone was in my gf's handbag for safe keeping. Ended up somehow getting lost in an area I wasn't familiar with and was wandering around for 4-5 hours trying to get back but getting further and further away, encountering drug deals, threatened by a group of other drunks, and a vicious dog during my travels. Since that night, I decided losing control of yourself is just about one of the worst feelings you can do to yourself and is nowhere near worth going past that initial buzzy social butterfly stage after a few. I also decided to avoid any situations or place where I know for sure there will be drunk people.

I'm a pretty shy, reserved sort of guy usually. So a few beers with people at a small get together or dinner function or something I'll have to get me talking a bit more. Plus I actually like the taste of most light to mid-strength beers like Corona or Heineken over soft drinks or juices anyway.

[Balefont]

I don't depend on drinking to have fun. If you do, good for you

I was talking about people that get agressive or depressed, not "nice drinkers", which are rare to find IMHO.

Hahahaha! Oh my god. Don't go to a Con. ;)

[Castel]

Nami,

I drink beer because tastes good. Is that a problem?

JonCon,

I have a beer or three a month, am I an addict?

Beer tastes good?

I remember a blogger once saying that it was absurd to say that coke would taste good to some hypothetical reclusive civilization and that the "good" taste was constructed using billions of dollars of advertising money and tradition. I found this silly until I actually drank alcohol.

I'm sure that part of it is the fact that I'm a poor student and can't afford the good stuff but so much of what I tried was so disgusting I couldn't understand the scenes in movies and ads where people ordered this shit. And beer...beer is the worst. Horrible and it doesn't get you drunk fast enough. Christ. It's basically the decaf coffee of alcohol: completely and utterly pointless.

/rant.

[JonCon's Red Beard]

JonCon,

I have a beer or three a month, am I an addict?

Doubt it. But to be honest, mostly addicts aren't able to recognise they are addicted to anything. And addictions aren't the only negative outcome of drinking. There are diseases, also.

Anyway, I didn't mean that anybody who drinks is an alcoholic. But anyone has the potential to be. People don't consider to check if there are family incidences of alcoholics, or a tendency to develop hepatic diseases. Few years ago I had a close time around addicts, and there isn't a rule to identify them: they were young, old, women, men, kids, happy people, unhappy people. They simply one day said "oh, this will be fun!" and they ruined their lives forever, also, their families. None of them wanted that to happen nor thought the could actually cause any harm. In fact, none of them even realised that they had a problem until it was late. It's not true that people can avoid addictions by "controlling" themselves: that's the point, they can control the fact that they can't stop.

[armidil0]

Beer tastes good?

I remember a blogger once saying that it was absurd to say that coke would taste good to some hypothetical reclusive civilization and that the "good" taste was constructed using billions of dollars of advertising money and tradition. I found this silly until I actually drank alcohol.

I'm sure that part of it is the fact that I'm a poor student and can't afford the good stuff but so much of what I tried was so disgusting I couldn't understand the scenes in movies and ads where people ordered this shit. And beer...beer is the worst. Horrible and it doesn't get you drunk fast enough. Christ. It's basically the decaf coffee of alcohol: completely and utterly pointless.

/rant.

+1

Also, when the OP says why people drink, do they mean get really drunk or just in general? Because some drinks do taste good and getting drunk can be fun if your friends aren't dicks or overly sad.

[The Abominable SnowOther]

People should drink to have fun and relax, not that you have to, its just an option

I also think beer tastes good

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Castel,

Bad beer is swill. Beast light, natty light, bud light, corona are all bad beers. Try a good Belgian trappist ale. It's worth the added cost.

[KiDisaster]

Beer tastes good?

I remember a blogger once saying that it was absurd to say that coke would taste good to some hypothetical reclusive civilization and that the "good" taste was constructed using billions of dollars of advertising money and tradition. I found this silly until I actually drank alcohol.

I'm sure that part of it is the fact that I'm a poor student and can't afford the good stuff but so much of what I tried was so disgusting I couldn't understand the scenes in movies and ads where people ordered this shit. And beer...beer is the worst. Horrible and it doesn't get you drunk fast enough. Christ. It's basically the decaf coffee of alcohol: completely and utterly pointless.

/rant.

Completely disagree. Beer, good beer, is delicious. It is an acquired taste though. I used to hate it, but after I drank a lot of it because I had nothing else to drink (this was in my drink to get drunk days) I started to enjoy it. You appreciate the different flavors in a good beer. There are plenty of strong beers out there too if getting hammered is what you care about. But if that's the only goal just shoot some liquor.

I love a nice Russian Imperial. Nothing finer.

[Balefont]

Alrighty then.

Can we all agree that not everyone who drinks

- is an addict?

- is trying to make fun where otherwise they would be unable to do so?

- is trying to cover up or deal with "problems"?

Enough of the value judgements already, people. Some people suck even without drinking.

[Balefont]

Mmmmm, Russian Imperial Stouts are delish. I can sip on one throughout an entire evening. Too bad my gluten intolerance has put a harsh restriction on the frequency I can enjoy a tasty beer. :(

[Paxter]

I don't depend on drinking to have fun. If you do, good for you

I was talking about people that get agressive or depressed, not "nice drinkers", which are rare to find IMHO.

I've enjoyed many a beer with many friends (including quite a few from this board) and rarely encounter aggression or depression. I don't think "nice drinkers" are quite as difficult to find as you might think (though I admit I cannot speak for your own personal experiences).

[armidil0]

Never had a Russian Imperial Stout, just some poorly made and cheap beers (I am poor after all), but a White Russian I can get behind, and the Dude abides. :smoking:

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

This thread has prompted me to put a Belgian style tripel called Cerebus in the fridge. Yum.

[Larry of the Lawn]

I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer to chase it with the blood of my vanquished nemeses.