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Of course it isn’t. Drink water. Unfortunately some people believe they can’t enjoy themselves without alcohol. It’s curious: - babies have fun without drinki

Of course it isn’t. Drink water. Unfortunately some people believe they can’t enjoy themselves without alcohol. It’s curious: - babies have fun without drinking - kids have fun without drinking - some teens have fun without drinking Then at some point some people, as adults, feel like they have to drink to enjoy themselves? I wonder what happened. Edit: explicitly clarifying that I’m only talking about some people here

WithinReason 5y ago
We run out of fun
hiptobecubic 5y ago
As we age, we feel more pressure to conform socially, I think. Alcohol lets people feel uninhibited like kids temporarily.
gambiting 5y ago
>>I wonder what happened. I think you start working and the only "fun" situations you are in are meetings at a pub after work with drink involved. After few years you naturally start to associate fun off-work time with drinking.
jedimastert 5y ago
You forgot many to most adults that can have fun can do so without alcohol
- endisneigh 5y ago
  Not at all, I’m referring mainly to those who feel like they have to drink to enjoy themselves. Of course there are adults who don’t have to drink to enjoy themselves (there are many who have never had a drink)
eljimmy 5y ago
My take on it is that as adults you mature and begin to abide by all the rules of society. Alcohol lowers your inhibitions and "allows" you to act like you were as a child.
marcodiego 5y ago
I saw some drunken adults. Looks like they are having more fun than babies, kids and teenagers. And they get some form of "support" by other adults, unlike babies, kids and teenagers would get if they behaved the same. Until it starts ruining your life, being a drunken adult seems fun and acceptable.
lazyjones 5y ago
Babies and kids have a lot of fun with sugar, does that mean it's OK to consume it recklessly?
shane_b 5y ago
Ignorance is bliss
misiti3780 5y ago
Yes, but wine makes food taste infinitely better. I don't want to eat my rare filet with a glass of water, I want to eat it with and chilled bottle of natural Syrah from the North Rhone (preferably Dard et Ribo)
- WithinReason 5y ago
  You chill red vine? Savage.
  - rrrrrrrrrrrryan 5y ago
    Most reds are meant to be served a good notch below room temperature, but not quite as cool as whites.
  - misiti3780 5y ago
    Not all -- but some. Syrah tastes better at cellar temp or below (IMO), Gamay usually tastes great chilled also.
  - selimthegrim 5y ago
    Why yes, I freeze all my candy.
dfinninger 5y ago
I have tremendous enjoyment in my life without drinking. Running, hiking, biking, cooking, movies, road trips, museums, concerts, new restaurants, etc… There are also enjoyable things that involve drinking too, but _needing_ a drink to enjoy oneself seems a bit hyperbolic for the average adult, no?
- kstrauser 5y ago
  I hike and camp a lot with my kid’s Scout troop, and agree: there’s so much fun you can have without alcohol. That said, there’s also a time factor. When we’re up in the mountains, we have a couple of days dedicated to the activity, and we can all relax into it. When a bunch of coworkers go out after work, they’ve got a couple of hours to go from work-mode to play-mode before going home for the night, and alcohol can greatly facilitate how quickly a person can switch from one to the other. I enjoy the same things you’re talking about sober (except maybe concerts — is that even legal?), but understand why a group of friends would start their evening together with a round of drinks.
- peanut_worm 5y ago
  Sure but if you are stuck at home because its 8pm on a tuesday because you work all day you can’t exactly go hiking. If you have money and time its easy to entertain yourself.
asdf_snar 5y ago
> Then at some point people, as adults, feel like they have to drink to enjoy themselves? I wonder what happened. It feels like this question is disingenuous. You don't need fire starter to start a fire either, but wouldn't it be silly to conclude fire starter doesn't make starting a fire easier? Moderate alcohol consumption in an intimate environment is a lot of fun. Put differently, if alcohol didn't present such serious health risks, I wouldn't be making an effort to cut it out of my social circles. As it stands, though, my friends, family and I have started referring to it as "poison", just to be totally transparent about what we're doing when we meet for drinks.
- endisneigh 5y ago
  I don’t understand your comparison with a fire. Your claim that moderate alcohol consumption makes things more fun is part of the point of my post. Is this actually true, or just a rationalization of people who already drink? No judgement for those who do drink, by the way.
  - tshaddox 5y ago
    I mean come one, are we really going to argue that huge numbers of people are just fooling themselves into thinking that alcohol is fun? Yes. It is actually true that alcohol consumption makes many social situations more fun for many people.
  - penjelly 5y ago
    It is true. It allows some people open up in ways they wouldnt before. Your point could apply to psychedelics, are they necessary for personal growth and changing perspectives? No. Can they help & accelerate the process? Yes. - anecdote from someone who doesnt like drinking much
  - xenocratus 5y ago
    I used to hate drinking and only drank very small quantities of alcohol at parties/gatherings. That's changed somewhat in the past few years. I've only been drunk 3-4 times in my life (I'm 29, male, living in a Western country), and even then it was mild (no blackouts, hangovers, feeling sick, etc.). However, I believe that when I do drink for social lubrication purposes, it does help. I'm quite introverted/withdrawn usually, and a few drinks definitely help with altering that balance a bit. Of course, I've not done control trials on myself, with placebos and so on. It's just anecdata.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
kubb 5y ago
> I wonder what happened. What's the difference between the life of a child and that of an adult? You seem to be very close to figuring it out. (Tip: adults have little to no leisure time).
TrackerFF 5y ago
A bit of alcohol makes you feel good, there's no two ways about it. And, for many, it soothes their anxieties - or just loosens them up. I can have fun without alcohol, no problem. But I can't deny that I like the taste of alcoholic drinks / beverages, and I enjoy the effect. Same with sugar - I can enjoy a life without candy, but once in a while, I enjoy eating candy. It's all about moderation.
haroldp 5y ago
"People with as yet undeveloped pre-frontal cortexes to limit their inhibitions, and analyze, second-guess and evaluate their actions before they take them, don't need a drug that specifically suppresses the executive functions of their PFC, so why do you?"
roughly 5y ago
> I wonder what happened. Among other things, alcohol became legal to drink. Adults take more road trips than babies and teenagers too, I wonder why they can’t have fun at home anymore.
tshaddox 5y ago
I don’t really get this jump from “I enjoy drinking alcohol with friends” to someone accusing me of “being unable to enjoy myself without alcohol.” You could throw the same accusations at anyone for literally everything they enjoy doing. You can’t enjoy yourself without going out to see a movie! You can’t enjoy yourself without camping! You can’t enjoy yourself without listening to music!
srg0 5y ago
- babies have fun without money - kids have fun without money - some teens have fun without money Then at some point /some/ people, as adults, feel like they need money to enjoy themselves?
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
tsol 5y ago
I believe it's really just cultural. If you spend time with people who don't drink, they often have just as fun a time as drinkers. Humans have been around for a while and if we couldn't have fun once in a while we'd be long extinct. I think people overestimate the necessity of social lubricants. This probably goes hand in hand with the greater culture as well-- at least in America I think it's seen as more necessary because socially its seen as weird to behave really friendly with strangers unless you're imbibed.

WithinReason 5y ago

We run out of fun

hiptobecubic 5y ago

As we age, we feel more pressure to conform socially, I think. Alcohol lets people feel uninhibited like kids temporarily.

gambiting 5y ago

>>I wonder what happened. I think you start working and the only "fun" situations you are in are meetings at a pub after work with drink involved. After few years you naturally start to associate fun off-work time with drinking.

jedimastert 5y ago

You forgot many to most adults that can have fun can do so without alcohol

endisneigh 5y ago
Not at all, I’m referring mainly to those who feel like they have to drink to enjoy themselves. Of course there are adults who don’t have to drink to enjoy themselves (there are many who have never had a drink)

eljimmy 5y ago

My take on it is that as adults you mature and begin to abide by all the rules of society. Alcohol lowers your inhibitions and "allows" you to act like you were as a child.

marcodiego 5y ago

I saw some drunken adults. Looks like they are having more fun than babies, kids and teenagers. And they get some form of "support" by other adults, unlike babies, kids and teenagers would get if they behaved the same. Until it starts ruining your life, being a drunken adult seems fun and acceptable.

lazyjones 5y ago

Babies and kids have a lot of fun with sugar, does that mean it's OK to consume it recklessly?

shane_b 5y ago

Ignorance is bliss

misiti3780 5y ago

Yes, but wine makes food taste infinitely better. I don't want to eat my rare filet with a glass of water, I want to eat it with and chilled bottle of natural Syrah from the North Rhone (preferably Dard et Ribo)

WithinReason 5y ago
You chill red vine? Savage.
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 5y ago
  Most reds are meant to be served a good notch below room temperature, but not quite as cool as whites.
- misiti3780 5y ago
  Not all -- but some. Syrah tastes better at cellar temp or below (IMO), Gamay usually tastes great chilled also.
- selimthegrim 5y ago
  Why yes, I freeze all my candy.

dfinninger 5y ago

I have tremendous enjoyment in my life without drinking. Running, hiking, biking, cooking, movies, road trips, museums, concerts, new restaurants, etc… There are also enjoyable things that involve drinking too, but _needing_ a drink to enjoy oneself seems a bit hyperbolic for the average adult, no?

kstrauser 5y ago
I hike and camp a lot with my kid’s Scout troop, and agree: there’s so much fun you can have without alcohol. That said, there’s also a time factor. When we’re up in the mountains, we have a couple of days dedicated to the activity, and we can all relax into it. When a bunch of coworkers go out after work, they’ve got a couple of hours to go from work-mode to play-mode before going home for the night, and alcohol can greatly facilitate how quickly a person can switch from one to the other. I enjoy the same things you’re talking about sober (except maybe concerts — is that even legal?), but understand why a group of friends would start their evening together with a round of drinks.
peanut_worm 5y ago
Sure but if you are stuck at home because its 8pm on a tuesday because you work all day you can’t exactly go hiking. If you have money and time its easy to entertain yourself.

asdf_snar 5y ago

> Then at some point people, as adults, feel like they have to drink to enjoy themselves? I wonder what happened. It feels like this question is disingenuous. You don't need fire starter to start a fire either, but wouldn't it be silly to conclude fire starter doesn't make starting a fire easier? Moderate alcohol consumption in an intimate environment is a lot of fun. Put differently, if alcohol didn't present such serious health risks, I wouldn't be making an effort to cut it out of my social circles. As it stands, though, my friends, family and I have started referring to it as "poison", just to be totally transparent about what we're doing when we meet for drinks.

endisneigh 5y ago
I don’t understand your comparison with a fire. Your claim that moderate alcohol consumption makes things more fun is part of the point of my post. Is this actually true, or just a rationalization of people who already drink? No judgement for those who do drink, by the way.
- tshaddox 5y ago
  I mean come one, are we really going to argue that huge numbers of people are just fooling themselves into thinking that alcohol is fun? Yes. It is actually true that alcohol consumption makes many social situations more fun for many people.
- penjelly 5y ago
  It is true. It allows some people open up in ways they wouldnt before. Your point could apply to psychedelics, are they necessary for personal growth and changing perspectives? No. Can they help & accelerate the process? Yes. - anecdote from someone who doesnt like drinking much
- xenocratus 5y ago
  I used to hate drinking and only drank very small quantities of alcohol at parties/gatherings. That's changed somewhat in the past few years. I've only been drunk 3-4 times in my life (I'm 29, male, living in a Western country), and even then it was mild (no blackouts, hangovers, feeling sick, etc.). However, I believe that when I do drink for social lubrication purposes, it does help. I'm quite introverted/withdrawn usually, and a few drinks definitely help with altering that balance a bit. Of course, I've not done control trials on myself, with placebos and so on. It's just anecdata.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

kubb 5y ago

> I wonder what happened. What's the difference between the life of a child and that of an adult? You seem to be very close to figuring it out. (Tip: adults have little to no leisure time).

TrackerFF 5y ago

A bit of alcohol makes you feel good, there's no two ways about it. And, for many, it soothes their anxieties - or just loosens them up. I can have fun without alcohol, no problem. But I can't deny that I like the taste of alcoholic drinks / beverages, and I enjoy the effect. Same with sugar - I can enjoy a life without candy, but once in a while, I enjoy eating candy. It's all about moderation.

haroldp 5y ago

"People with as yet undeveloped pre-frontal cortexes to limit their inhibitions, and analyze, second-guess and evaluate their actions before they take them, don't need a drug that specifically suppresses the executive functions of their PFC, so why do you?"

roughly 5y ago

> I wonder what happened. Among other things, alcohol became legal to drink. Adults take more road trips than babies and teenagers too, I wonder why they can’t have fun at home anymore.

tshaddox 5y ago

I don’t really get this jump from “I enjoy drinking alcohol with friends” to someone accusing me of “being unable to enjoy myself without alcohol.” You could throw the same accusations at anyone for literally everything they enjoy doing. You can’t enjoy yourself without going out to see a movie! You can’t enjoy yourself without camping! You can’t enjoy yourself without listening to music!

srg0 5y ago

- babies have fun without money - kids have fun without money - some teens have fun without money Then at some point /some/ people, as adults, feel like they need money to enjoy themselves?

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

tsol 5y ago

I believe it's really just cultural. If you spend time with people who don't drink, they often have just as fun a time as drinkers. Humans have been around for a while and if we couldn't have fun once in a while we'd be long extinct. I think people overestimate the necessity of social lubricants. This probably goes hand in hand with the greater culture as well-- at least in America I think it's seen as more necessary because socially its seen as weird to behave really friendly with strangers unless you're imbibed.