Why people drink?

[Galactus]

I do not understand them. Are the drinks afraid of getting wet? Do they need shade? Are you supposed to pick your teeth with them?

[kungtotte]

I think it's supposed to create a feeling of being on some beach in a tropical paradise

[Filippa Eilhart]

Guzzling straight 80 proof on an airplane might kill some airborne illnesses (science!)

I know a lot of my friends visiting Egypt started their day with a glass of vodka for that reason!

I like the taste of alcohol (although the kind of beers I like are probably bad beers. I dislike stouts and I'm not a big fan of the darker Belgian beers. I like Corona, I think it's quite refreshing :p). I had the most amazing beer when we went to Poland for easter - it was unpasteurised beer with honey. I could drink it every day and not get bored.

I'm still working on that fine line between a nice buzz and getting drunk :p

[sologdin]

I find that a few glasses of scotch steadies my aim when I go shooting.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

I don't mind air travel unless I've been drinking. Alcohol on a plane gives me terrible headaches.

[S John]

It is a fine line. I think my magic number is around 4 beers. That is enough that I'm feeling a decent buzz but not enough that I will be hungover the next day. The hard part is to stop there because it is right about the time that I'm starting to feel like its a good idea to have a couple more! I've gotten pretty good at stopping there though.

To get me actually drunk usually takes about 7 beers. That's about what I'll have if I'm going out to the bar specifically to drink with friends. I can handle quite a few more than that without getting foolish but that's where I try to cap it off for the sake of being a productive human the next day.

[Greywolf2375]

Can't quote it for some reason, but basically what Bale said 2 pages ago.

I drink because I enjoy it. "It" could mean the taste, the signal that it sends to me that I don't have certain responsibilities in the near future, I have fun, the taste, many many many reasons.

[kungtotte]

Yeah, I have the same kind of progression, S John. A few beers is enough, six or seven and I'm actually drunk, but I can drink a ton after that before I get into "oops I can't stand" territory with the accompanying hangover.

[Greywolf2375]

I drank to change the way I felt. Which, with prolonged use, brought me into recovery lol

I don't drink anymore :P

And still fun on a galactic scale! :grouphug:

[protar]

I drink because it's fun, and nice to loosen up a bit and not be so shy. I never feel like I need to drink and don't drink loads. I'm also a very happy drunk in most cases. Stupid, but happy.

[Nas!]

I drink because I have a rare genetic condition that requires me to have a steady amount of hops, yeast and barley in my system at all times. I'm like that bus from the movie Speed. Sort of.

[Larry of the Lawn]

I drink because I have a rare genetic condition that requires me to have a steady amount of hops, yeast and barley in my system at all times. I'm like that bus from the movie Speed. Sort of.

Get him a beer! If he doesn't have 50 beers an hour he'll explode!

[Prince of the North]

It is a fine line. I think my magic number is around 4 beers. That is enough that I'm feeling a decent buzz but not enough that I will be hungover the next day. The hard part is to stop there because it is right about the time that I'm starting to feel like its a good idea to have a couple more! I've gotten pretty good at stopping there though.

To get me actually drunk usually takes about 7 beers. That's about what I'll have if I'm going out to the bar specifically to drink with friends. I can handle quite a few more than that without getting foolish but that's where I try to cap it off for the sake of being a productive human the next day.

Yeah, I have the same kind of progression, S John. A few beers is enough, six or seven and I'm actually drunk, but I can drink a ton after that before I get into "oops I can't stand" territory with the accompanying hangover.

Yep. Me, too! Coincidentally, when I basically left the whole "drinking to get drunk" thing behind in college about 20 years ago that was also about the time that I realized I would much rather enjoy a little of some alcoholic beverage that I consider good than a lot of some alcoholic beverage that I consider not so good (fully acknowledging that my taste is not necessarily the same as or better than anyone else's) :cheers:

[Dany's Silver]

I drink from time to time because I like the taste and the experience. Like with coffee, it's not just the taste. I like the feel of a beer in my hand, the smell of hops, the popping sound of the cap coming off the bottle, or the sight of a well-poured tap in its class. In my younger days, I would drink to get drunk, but these days I rein it in quite a bit more. Now, it's an accessory to some other activity - going to a bar with friends and talking for hours, playing board games or watching a movie, having dessert, or it's been a long day and the worky part is over...so I am enjoying a beer or two in the quiet of my own home and just laying back.

And just to counter OP's ludicrous claim, most drunks are happy, lovely people, IMHO. The other kind make a bigger scene...but that's just like non-drunk life, where assholes get more attention.

:agree: This reminds me of a quote by Robin Williams: "I realized when I quit drinking, that I was still the same asshole - I just had fewer dents in my car!" Assholes are assholes, with or without a drink in their hand! What aggressive/angry drunks need is a joint or one of Mary Jane's brownies/cookies to settle them the fuck down.

[Derfel Cadarn]

Due to being on azathioprine for 18 months due to an auto-immune disorder, I drink a lot less now. I lowered it to about 16 bottled beers a month (about 4 once a week) but still felt crappier than I should the next day, so I'm lowering it further.

But nothing beats a couple of beers in a beer garden on a sunny day.

[Alex.]

But nothing beats a couple of beers in a beer garden on a sunny day.

A truly magnificent past time

[Lightning Lord]

But nothing beats a couple of beers in a beer garden on a sunny day.

Pub-patio = beer garden? If not...then I want to go to there.

Summer, lovely shady/warm weather, people watching or just enjoying sitting with friends, beer in hand...ahhhh :cheers:

[Ferrum Aeternum]

My job can be incredibly stressful, so unwinding at the end of the workweek with a few beers is one of the great pleasures of my life. Besides that, I do really like the taste, smell and mouthfeel of a good quality brew. My typical consumption is 6-10 twelve oz. bottles per week (more in summer)

I rarely "drink to forget" anymore except when my sports teams embarrass themselves. :crying:

But nothing beats a couple of beers in a beer garden on a sunny day.

Oh yes. Out-fucking-standing. :cheers:

I'm currently searching for a new home, and one of my primary criteria for purchase is a quiet back deck/patio suitable for beer consumption.

[Relic]

I drink because I like building up a little buzz. It's relaxing and makes everything slightly fuzzy. I rarely get trashed.

If you don't like drinking, fair enough. Go easy on the generalizations tho. On this topic and all others. That path leads to ignorance.

[Sparrowyn]

I went to a club and it played Blondie, Joy Division, Bowie, Smiths and I did not dance AT ALL at some of my FAVOURITE songs because I was completely sober and was miserable afterwards.

That's another thing, some folks think it's unhealthy to use alcohol to change your mood... I don't think it's bad at all to use alcohol for a bit of courage or to get yourself primed up to dance, or talk to somebody, or do whatever.:) I remember last year I went to a neighbor's get together but I wasn't allowed to drink alcohol because I was on medication after my appendix was removed... it was no fun at all.