The comradery of drinking

[berettafan]

What makes us drink more than one or two at a function? I suggest it's possible to master ones own mind and thoughts to the point that booze is no more effective a mood modifier than simple will......so why does anyone bother with any alcohol beyond a polite amount? Is it the fellowship one feels? The 'we are all experiencing the same effects of excess right now' aspect? If one person can find a happy place on their own without aid of chemicals how is it so hard for a group of persons to do the same? How does killing a six pack with friends (something I can understand) relate to drug addicts passed out in a boarded up shack (something I have no concept of)? Are they simply points on the same line? Or are they different lines altogether?

How are some people so unfortunate as to descend into the darkness of drug abuse and addiction while others never step past a polite buzz at the office party? What is the psychology of this?

Silly rambling no doubt but wouldn't it help some avoid a terrible fate if they could see what was coming just a bit earlier? Or does the alcohol industry forever fight shedding light on this?

I struggle with excusing an occasional beer buzz while condemning illicit drug use. I know illicit drug use is a bad thing-undesirable for society at large. So why then is it generally accepted that groups of the same society should get a little drunk every so often if they gather together and call it a party?

The question posed to me was 'what do we say to our kids when they show up drunk after a high school party?' To me the next logical step is 'why is my arbitrary line between socially acceptable and junkie the right line?' Alcohol, pot, carbs, sugar......all things that induce a pleasure response....why so damn arbitrary?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fanaudical]

This is something I've never really understood either. While I enjoyed the occasional drink, I never got into getting totally drunk just for fun. My brother struggled with pot and alcohol use when younger as did most of the kids I went to high school with. College was a real eye-opener for me, with the massive consumption and big parties. I knew a couple fellow students who I am sure were never sober once in the four years they attended college.

Maybe the closest I've come to understanding the appeal is in reading Jack London's John Barleycorn. It's an interesting book - quite repetitive actually as he recounts how he made the same mistakes over and over with alcohol.

[Bill Douglas]

I often wonder why the morons that can't even manage a regular job and life in general, decide to get heavily involved in drugs, duh, talk about setting out to fail. AND the people living in poverty, a hand to mouth existence living on a benefit, can afford to have a very expensive drug habit. It annoys me. Wake up morons; your drug habit is about the same cost as a mortgage on a nice house.

A nice pinot noir; now I can see the logic in that...

[pavulon]

Some people use alcohol to give themselves the confidence to "loosen up" and/or let their emotions out.

Others use substances to numb themselves from the things that have and are happening to them (real or imagined). I think these people are most susceptible to becoming addicted but suppose it could happen to anyone.

The addict mentality will often persist after the substance use stops. Dry drunks are really tough to be around.

[DanielDudley]

I don't really imbibe any more, and I have to leave parties early, ''just as things start to get interesting''. When I was younger, I hung with some really brilliant people, and no one got wasted at our gatherings.

Some people can drink one beer an hour at a party, and not really get much of a buzz. The last party I went to, a good number of people got soused. And that is pretty typical.
When I was younger, a couple of drinks made me feel less self conscious, and more at ease. When it stopped being fun, I stopped doing it.

FWIW, some parties are way better than others, and it isn't the substances consumed. If I am someplace where the people aren't comfortable if you aren't keeping up with them, I leave. My wife feels the same way.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by berettafan

How are some people so unfortunate as to descend into the darkness of drug abuse and addiction while others never step past a polite buzz at the office party? What is the psychology of this?

It's not psychology it's physiology.

[ckelly78z]

I will end up drinking a few beers if good friends are present, and I feel relaxed, with no other plans. I truly don't know why some of my friends have to sneak a nip before going to work, or slip a spiked drink into a high school football game. These same friends also have a breast pocket flask with thier favorite gentlmen jack. I find if I am thirsty, nothing beats ice water for me on a hot day, I have beer in the fridge (cold), and it just never occurs to me to pull one out when I am alone, but I will drink 1-2 with a good dinner maybe twice a week.

For me, a couple beers is a mood lifter after a long, stressful week at work, and is much more of a social function, than a need.

I have always been of the opinion that I am a strong willed bastard who just says no to anything that might be addictive. When you NEED that drink, and think about it all day long, you may have an addictive personality, that doesn't allow you to refuse.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by berettafan

How are some people so unfortunate as to descend into the darkness of drug abuse and addiction while others never step past a polite buzz at the office party? What is the psychology of this?

There is some evidence that it has a genetic component. My es-wife's brother was an alcoholic. She was a prescription drug addict. Both were educated, upper middle class earners with good jobs and bright futures, but they couldn't leave the substances alone.

[David]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

I often wonder why the morons that can't even manage a regular job and life in general, decide to get heavily involved in drugs, duh, talk about setting out to fail. AND the people living in poverty, a hand to mouth existence living on a benefit, can afford to have a very expensive drug habit. It annoys me. Wake up morons; your drug habit is about the same cost as a mortgage on a nice house.

A nice pinot noir; now I can see the logic in that...

Actually facts show it's the higher educated and higher income folks who drink and do drugs the most. I imagine since they're more successful in life, they're also more successful at hiding it.

[VincentVega]

I'm too smart to get caught up, I know better. I need an escape. I want to feel good. I'm curious. I want to be like my friends, I heard it was cool.

A million reasons to get high/drunk/whatever. I'm sure most of us have overdone it more times than we want. I was having a great time, just one more...

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

It's not psychology it's physiology.

Yup. True alcoholism is an addiction, not a habit.

My wife and I both enjoy beer, particularly in social settings. We have beer on draft in the kitchen, and a nice variety in a garage beer fridge. We had an impromptu group last night sitting around the kitchen enjoying a few drinks while the kids played, it's a nice way to unwind after a long day and share an experience between friends. We also genuinely enjoy trying new beers and visiting breweries, it's something I can see us doing a lot of post-kids as a fun weekend road trip.

To me, the big difference I see between drinking and hardcore drugs is the long term physical effects. The CDC considers healthy consumption of alcohol for an adult male to be two drinks per day. Can you do crack, heroin, or cocaine 2x per day without long term health impacts? Obviously if you are an alcoholic and pounding a 12 pack nightly, that's a different story.

[impactbumper]

You know, some people just like getting lit...

[sc_rufctr]

I enjoy a drink with friends but I've seen alcohol ruin people & it never ends well.

My ex wife is a hopeless alcoholic. She's dry right now (about 6 months) but just one drink and she can't stop until she passes out.
Her father was much the same but he had the good sense to stay away from it. She also has issues with food.

My uncle was a smoker & drinker. Smoked a pack a day and most nights he'd have more than a few scotches.
But I never saw him dunk and when he got the flue he'd stop smoking & drinking until he was better. Drinking was never really an "issue" with him

Is it self medicating? I'm not sure. For what I've seen it's not the booze but who they are.

[asphaltgambler]

I see casual / moderate drinking a part of fellowshiping with friends & family. Largely because it's socially acceptable, legally acceptable from the manufacturing to consumption. Where 'other' drugs are not except for medical marijuana.

Flame me if you want but I see weed as the same level / class as booze. It should be legal from alpha to omega. Unfortunately, there exists in some people the chemical addiction to certain 'drugs' be it alcohol or other substance where it's all or nothing,

But to the OP, it does take the edge off quickly, relax you thus making people 'open' to conversation obviously ....

[Jolly Amaranto]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpzqQst-Sg8

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by David

Actually facts show it's the higher educated and higher income folks who drink and do drugs the most..

They might start out with higher incomes, but I've seen people lose their professional licenses and lose jobs because of drinking and drugs.

[MikeSid]

Alcohol is a highly marketed and image driven product. All other drugs are not.

Imagine any alcohol image, from an ice clear martini in a crystal glass at a hotel bar, to a couple of soldiers passing a flask in a foxhole, to some dudes sippin' Lowenbrau because "tonight is kinda special". The image that most people have of alcohol is highly manufactured, marketing driven and very distant from the reality of everyday life This image has been cultivated over hundreds of years in virtually every culture - from Chartreuse to Glog, to Sangria, to Mead.

Smoking used to carry a widely accepted positive image of manliness and cool until the image was replaced in our minds with gray lungs, throat microphones and cancer patients. And as far as I am aware, that image shift is largely an American thing, and perhaps ever mostly West Coast.

In spite of alcohol's obvious harmful affect on the human body, the image remains and is so ensconced in our culture that it will only change on an individual basis for those whose lives have been directly and negatively affected. Worldwide, the beat goes on.

Full disclosure: I drink a lot. Part of it probably family DNA/physical addition, part of it plain old social drinking based on culture and image. And a good measure of it just because a good wine really does make a meal.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by asphaltgambler

I see casual / moderate drinking a part of fellowshiping with friends & family. Largely because it's socially acceptable, legally acceptable from the manufacturing to consumption. Where 'other' drugs are not except for medical marijuana.

Flame me if you want but I see weed as the same level / class as booze. It should be legal from alpha to omega. Unfortunately, there exists in some people the chemical addiction to certain 'drugs' be it alcohol or other substance where it's all or nothing,

But to the OP, it does take the edge off quickly, relax you thus making people 'open' to conversation obviously ....

I agree. It's not something I enjoy, but I personally don't see it as any more harmful as alcohol or cigarettes. Legalize it, tax the hell out of it, and stop weighing down our prison and court system with a lot of very punitive "crimes".

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Yup. True alcoholism is an addiction, not a habit.

My wife and I both enjoy beer, particularly in social settings. We have beer on draft in the kitchen, and a nice variety in a garage beer fridge. We had an impromptu group last night sitting around the kitchen enjoying a few drinks while the kids played, it's a nice way to unwind after a long day and share an experience between friends. We also genuinely enjoy trying new beers and visiting breweries, it's something I can see us doing a lot of post-kids as a fun weekend road trip.

To me, the big difference I see between drinking and hardcore drugs is the long term physical effects. The CDC considers healthy consumption of alcohol for an adult male to be two drinks per day. Can you do crack, heroin, or cocaine 2x per day without long term health impacts? Obviously if you are an alcoholic and pounding a 12 pack nightly, that's a different story.

Excellent post.

I like craft beer, I meet with friends we go to various micro breweries in the area.

I also belong to a Mug Club at a pub half way between an old friend and I . we are 70 miles apart and meet up for beers and talk cars once a month or so.

I am also into whisk(e)y and Bourbon, I joined Flaviar about a year ago, and have an extensive collection of the stuff. I feel where I am at now vs. a year ago with my palette and my knowledge of Whisk(e)y and Bourbon has come a long way.

I also do a "Check yourself before you wreck yourself" at least 2x a year usually corresponding with a diet. I cut it out completely from my diet. Last time was not even for dieting purposes, I just felt like stopping. I was supposed to go 3 weeks ended up not bothering to drank again for almost 2 months.

I can take it or leave it regarding getting a buzz, I do however enjoy the complexities of the drink, be it beer or booze and that in itself is a hobby of mine.

I understand some let it get a hold of them and ruin them, it has its place and as long as you can keep it in its place I see no problem with it.

[ckelly78z]

I am of the opinion that the choice is completely up to you to start or quit. I have never understood addiction, because i have tried it all (several times), and just decided not to do it any more.

I do have a friend that seems to get addicted to everything he tries....alcohol, drugs, crime, prescription meds, womanizing. No one has ever been able to explain this behavior to me.