Maybe we can keep this thread insightful, informative and education. I will do my utmost…… A question I’ve so often pondered. I, myself, drink socially….sometimes I go months without a drink. But I notice my friends who treat alcohol like a god. It’s the centerpiece of the conversation before the conversation gets started. Based on personal observation, I gather there are many who look forward to any excuse to drink, because they are anxious about life, worried. I have so many friends who glamorize drinking. To me, it dulls the senses. Eases the pain. But it’s nothing to glamorize. The problems are still present once you sober up. I am not being judgmental. Indeed, so many are dealing with hardships and pain. Their family members are sick or they’re experiencing an economic hardship. It seems bourbon, vodka and whiskey have become a solace for so many. It’s all that is spoken about. I go to a social gathering and it’s Jell-O shots and try this liquor. And again, I don’t judge. I just ask why so many are looking to alcohol to find their happiness. Or so it seems.
Lots of reasons people use any mind altering substance. Typically, the number one reason is to change the way they feel. Slippery slope as it pertains to dependence and the impacts usage can have on a person's health, legal status, occupation, school, relationships, and finances. It is well documented that alcohol consumption spiked in the age of covid (plus the isolation and other consequences). I'll shut up and grab some popcorn.....
Yes, Covid did a number on our society. Not blaming either side. It is what it is…a global pandemic. And I agree, people are looking to something to make them feel good. I am not immune to it. I have done so many a time myself. So many people I know use various social gatherings as another reason to drink. Again, I’m guilty myself. People are just trying to feel good in a world that is very troubled. But then , you realize there are billions in this world who don’t even have the option to drink to feel better. Man, we have it good, yet we still drink, because life brings us down.
I don't drink, so I have no personal insight into your question. However, my guess is that with so many people chasing money in this country that there are a lot of truly unhappy people in the United States up and down the economic success line. When people are unhappy, they look to escapde from their reality and alcohol is the most easily available, legal option.
Yep, I agree. That’s why when people talk about legalization of all hard drugs, I’m thinking, be careful what you ask for because people will absolutely end up looking for excuses to have a cocaine or a heroin party. Most parties these days are based around alcohol, because it’s legal and if you’re careful, you can still have a good time. The truth is alcohol kills a lot of people and destroys families. I’m not calling for a ban, but rather looking at why. And the truth is many people are dealing with extreme anxiety and worry about their future and their families, so they take to the bottle. Yet, it’s always camouflaged in “party and we’re just having a good time.”
I stopped cold Turkey 10 years ago but I drank heavily for 25 years. It was a lot of fun and for me a crutch I used in social situations to compensate for anxiety. But I started drinking at home and I started not to be able to run bike and workout at a high level and hangovers grew worse. Both my grandfathers were alcoholics and I saw the writing on the wall. interestingly I never did much pot and now 35+ years after college it’s something I really enjoy. Zero unwanted side effects or diminishment in function.
My wife and I drink mostly wine these days. Prior to moving to Gainesville in 1997 we hardly touched it. Then we met our neighbor who worked for ABC liquors in the wine division. I think he was the area manager? He invited us to a fancy wine party at his house where we met he and his wife’s wine club friends. He educated us about the different wines and invited us to numerous wine tasting events where sampled some fantastic wines. Once we learned the basics having a glass of wine became an event of taste rather than a way to escape reality. Thanks to him I tasted a “one off” wine (my opinion) that hadn’t been duplicated in taste since back in the 2000s. It was a Petit Verdot by Murphy Goode. It only occurred one year when everything went right. Sun, temperature, moisture, etc. To this day it’s the best I’ve ever had and that includes Caymus cab. my favorite. I also enjoy a good scotch, bourbon, and tequila straight up but can’t and won’t pay what the top of the lines cost. My bottle of Don Julio 1942 is about as much as I’m willing to spend in any liquor. We drink for taste. When I cook I like to drink wine. That’s probably the only time I do it out of habit.
No offense, but I always thought the “we drink for taste” was just another excuse to indulge. I do recognize many wines have their own exquisite tastes, but at the end of the day, it’s just another iteration of alcohol. I have friends that swear by bourbon, but I’m not fooled into thinking they are just taste testing Earth’s finest. I see them out. They are looking to get bombed.
It's been said that people ultimately do things either to gain pleasure or reduce pain. Of course, people often seek short term pleasure or relief even when the net consequences are negative in the medium or long term. Anyone that's ever had a bad hangover or felt guilty after avoiding the gym to watch tv can understand that people have different levels of discipline and impulse control and maybe it's even different for different things. I think most people have at least one vice they have to monitor whether it's food, nicotine, sex, alcohol, gambling, etc. There are people who drink only socially and never at home and vice versa. There are people who drink to quiet their demons. There are people who started drinking just to help them get to sleep at night yet become seriously addicted over a period of time. Some drink moderately on occasion, yet I know a few people who almost never drink but just yet get tanked on those rare occasions. Some heavy drinkers are quite functional and yet some people are not. I know some folks who used to be heavy drinkers but have cut way back or quit. Alcohol is also a social drug, and there's nothing new about using it to mingle or celebrate. There's just a huge variety of drinkers.
I drink Yuenglings. Every weekend (either Friday or Saturday, both during the summer when I'm by the pool) except once a month because I have a week of on-call duty for work. I drink them because they make me feel good. Work can be stressful and being able to unwind with a nice buzz keeps me sane. I had 20 of 'em when I was down for the LSU game. Good times! I don't drink liquor except for the occasional Margarita. Or maybe once or twice a year I'll have a tequila shot with a pickle juice chaser. I dont care for pickles, but the pickle juice is a nice match and it kills the burn 100%. Try it.
On the "drinking for taste" angle, I always ask whether I (or someone else) would still drink it if it were were non-alcoholic. I simply don't like the taste of beer enough to think I would ever consume non alcoholic beer; I've never bought one. I "like" vodka, but it would not occur to me to buy a non alcoholic drink that tasted like vodka. Having said that, I could hypothetically see myself having a really great non-alcoholic wine such as a Caymus with a steak. But if I'm being honest, I'm not sure I'd pay as much for the taste of even a great wine if I didn't get the buzz to go with it.
I think some must be drunk when they are comparing Napier to Saban. Not to be a downer, but we all know that's not the real reason.....
It's a good question. My consumption is similar to yours. I enjoy a drink here or there and particularly like bourbon and margaritas, but it's not something that is particularly important. I have known a couple of people who have put themselves in the ground over the stuff, but the same thing can be said of food. The biggest difference is that I don't think anyone has killed an innocent while driving due to having had a 12 ounce steak.
Seriously. Its an interesting question. I do it rarely. Generally with food when eating out. A craft burger and a craft beer are heaven on earth. Maybe at get togethers with friends I never overindulge. Have no desire to not be in full control. But the answer is that I enjoy it when I do. Similar to why I drink only good coffee, ...although if coffee had the impact of beer, I'd have no liver, because I drink a LOT of good coffee.
Thanks for your honesty. I too am not a fan of beer, because of the low yield of buzz versus taste. Vodka is great with a variety of flavors. In my opinion, it is the most versatile liquor. But nobody (including myself) is drinking vodka for the taste. I'm sure you realize that.
Yeah, the buzz from one or two shots of almost anything is amazing. Beyond that, it gets troublesome. I'd venture to say many folks are looking for an escape, even if it's a short-lived buzz. Why else would you drink something that has a bad rep, is toxic to your liver and body and could potentially put you in a DUI status? Folks are looking for the buzz and it provides a temporary reprieve from life's stresses.
