I didn't realize we were doing confessionals here.... (hi MrHan'sDuck).... So, I am still a heavy drinker but a fraction of how much I used to drink, which may be how I justify it. I went from not drinking at all until my freshman year in college..... to then being able to put down a handle of liquor or more in a night if I got serious about it. Relatively speaking, I have gradually cut back over the years but still drink a lot more than I should. When I had Covid a few months ago, I didn't drink for four days and was pretty impressed with myself because I felt good enough to drink by day three. It was a lot easier than I expected given that I used to have pretty bad withdrawls when I would stop for a couple days. Recently, I have gotten in the habit of entirely taking a night or two off during the week partly just to prove to myself that I can do it. I do wake up fresher and more clear-headed even though I don't seem to have the same type of hangovers that other people complain about. What's a bit strange to me is that I've always identified myself as a heavy drinker on all medical forms but my doctors never seemed that worried about it. I guess they assume that if you're open about it, it's not a problem since you're not in denial. But then I started wondering if I was open about it as some sort of reverse-psychology tactic. But it's also true that heavy alcohol consumption is still pretty socially accepted so long as you're making it to work on time and paying your bills.
That's what I see a lot... the social crutch, which sort of goes together with the sense of confidence/invincibility. I've definitely been guilty of it myself. Perhaps I shouldn't judge the ones who say they drink just for the different tastes. What I see out there are people who are doing it to forget their troubles and have a good time. There may not be anything wrong with that at all, as long as it's done in moderation. But I suppose it could be purely for wine/liquor tasting and that's all.
My apologies. I probably could have worded my last reply better. I do think you are in the minority if you are doing it purely for taste alone.
Like many of y'all, I grew up partying like a Gator. Now I've cut back, but am an avid whiskey enthusiast (see the pub thread). My whiskey collection is pretty damn impressive right now and I enjoy it during the weekends. Why not enjoy good spirits (or beer for that matter) for the buzz and the aesthetics? If your friends swear by bourbon, they have probably learned a little bit about it and located some good bottles. I am quite enthusiastic about good whiskey and it's become like collecting baseball cards or any other hobby of passion. I enjoy reading about it, watching reviews, and hunting for ridiculously good drams. And yes, I like a good buzz.
Sinatra definitely cracked this joke in an opening monologue during a concert with the Count Basie orchestra. The album is titled Sinatra at the Sands and is fantastic, both for the monologue and the music. One other note - I stopped drinking beer when I got into whiskey. The unfortunate thing is that we are in a golden age of brewing beer and I'm missing it. Probably have a beer two or three times/year.
I don’t doubt the tasting, but often the tasting invokes feelings memories and associations, so it may not be as simple as it tastes good.
I just poured a healthy dose of Flor De Cana. It tastes good. I think I can even taste the carbon neutrality.
Alternative question: why not consume foods and beverages because they promote, shall we say, positive dispositions ? What’s wrong with that ? I find it ironic that the industry that counsels moderation, or even abstinence the medical profession - is at the same time keen to prescribe pharmaceuticals that promote good feelings.
It's def not as simple as it tastes good. Good spirits smell good, taste good, coat the mouth with either a pleasant oily or creamy feel, and they present lingering flavors (sometimes long) after swallowing. The notion of tasting whiskey involves some of the things you mention, like associations. A big part of tasting notes are based upon the impressions one gets and not necessarily natural/real flavors from the juice. Exceptions to that include grains (corn, rye, barley) and the fruit flavors from spirits aged in oak and wine barrels. Some flavors I've detected/associated from good whiskey: - fruits like red apples, plums, cherries, and orange peel - sweets like frosting, rum cake, toffee, and dark chocolate - tobacco, hay straw, coffee, vanilla
Moderation in all things. I don’t drink because I learned in high school that I could not be moderate when it came to booze. One night with slo gin cured me. I truly thought I was going to die. I haven’t touched it since.
I suspect many drink for just this reason, though maybe not to the point of getting drunk. We are conditioned as we watched parents and relatives with alcohol while we grow up and it becomes our norm. My father would come home from work and have two stiff drinks, but nothing more. I drank in college mostly because I was an introvert and it helped with social anxieties. About 12 years ago I decided to curb my caloric intake and I didn't need alcohol in any form so just went up and quit. Well, that and I didn't want my daughter to remember me ever drinking. The hardest part was just breaking the habit of drinking as I was not physically addicted. I wasn't a heavy drinker, but it felt weird not having a beer during football games, after work, or red zin with a steak and such. And, you also start to notice how inundated you are from all forms of advertisements and movies/TV shows about alcohol. It is everywhere in our society. That also plays a part in why people are inclined to drink. After three months, the odd occasional feeling of not going for a beer or wine faded and I wished I had quit much sooner, or better yet never picked it up in the first place. Heck, it was like I had gotten a raise and who knows how many calories I have avoided.
Haven't seen anyone mention why I have some drinks during the work week. I work (and own) a very stressful job that beats the shit out of me both mentally and physically pretty often. I have to wake up early and can sometimes end up working a solid 14 hour day if trucks break, employees don't show up, etc. I like to have a drink as a reward for making it through another long, bust ass day. It's something I can look forward to and treat myself to, because life is short and I earned it. It just feels good.
Others have mentioned a state of bliss. You work your ass off all day, you want a little reward. The alcohol gives it. I totally get it and I myself have imbibed at the end of many days. But I worry that I’m a slave to that blissful feeling and that my health will eventually suffer if I continue. That said, a drink a day is probably not all that unhealthy.
The state of bliss is what I'm after on the weekend. The after work drink is just a Pavlovian reward for a hard day's work. I think I could replace it with other things I could look forward too. A hot tub, video games, etc.
I've seen a few mentioning taking breaks, so thought I'd share more since this seems to be share thread: I take a month off every year. I start the day after the last ski day of the season and go dry for 30days. It's mostly my check down, but also a healthy break from boozey ski weekends and it helps shed some winter weight.
