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> I've never known anyone who would think less of someone for not drinking alcohol. At most it would have been a passing curiosity. This is subject to some maj

by retrac 4y ago

> I've never known anyone who would think less of someone for not drinking alcohol. At most it would have been a passing curiosity. This is subject to some major sampling bias. Drinkers cluster with drinkers. Non-drinkers with non-drinkers. For example, I've noticed that people tend to either know very few alcoholics or heavy drinkers personally, or almost everyone they know has an alcohol problem to some degree. "Thinking less of someone for not drinking alcohol" would fairly describe much of my social circle. I've witnessed the abstinent be subjected to some remarkable barrages. Oh, you don't? Is it a health issue? It's not? Then why? You don't like it? Why not? Do you think you're better than us? Are you a recovering alcoholic? No? Then what's the problem? Aren't you perfect! Why are you so uptight? Why are you trying to ruin the fun? He bought the drinks for you, it's really rude to refuse. Don't you want to have a good time? Why are you such a buzzkill? Here, try this drink (that I spiked without telling you). Yeah, there's booze in it. What's your problem? When nearly everyone drinks heavily, and they view that as normal, then deviance from that is perceived as just that, social deviance.

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bmacho 4y ago
> This is subject to some major sampling bias. Drinkers cluster with drinkers. Non-drinkers with non-drinkers. Or they don't, and virtually in every community above 4 people you will find drinkers and non-drinkers as well.
- retrac 4y ago
  It's certainly no hard binary! But drinking behaviours are socially determined, so unsurprisingly it does tend to cluster: > People were 50 percent more likely to be heavy drinkers if one of their friends or relatives drank heavily. However, if a friend-of-a-friend drank heavily, people were only 36 percent more likely to do so, and if a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend drank heavily, they were 15 percent more likely to do so. > The pattern worked in reverse, too, although it wasn't as pronounced. People with a friend or relative who didn't drink were 29 percent more likely to be teetotalers themselves. > The quantity of relationships mattered as well. The more connections to drinkers--or nondrinkers--a person had, the more powerful the effect was. People "surrounded by" heavy drinkers were 70 percent more likely to drink heavily themselves, while those with many abstinent friends and relatives were 50 percent more likely to also abstain, according to the study. http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/06/drinking.alcohol.family.friends/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/06/drinking.alcohol.family... Other studies mostly point in the same direction.
vlod 4y ago
Sounds like a bunch of jerks. Maybe it's time to find another circle?

by retrac 4y ago

deleted 4y ago

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bmacho 4y ago

> This is subject to some major sampling bias. Drinkers cluster with drinkers. Non-drinkers with non-drinkers. Or they don't, and virtually in every community above 4 people you will find drinkers and non-drinkers as well.

retrac 4y ago
It's certainly no hard binary! But drinking behaviours are socially determined, so unsurprisingly it does tend to cluster: > People were 50 percent more likely to be heavy drinkers if one of their friends or relatives drank heavily. However, if a friend-of-a-friend drank heavily, people were only 36 percent more likely to do so, and if a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend drank heavily, they were 15 percent more likely to do so. > The pattern worked in reverse, too, although it wasn't as pronounced. People with a friend or relative who didn't drink were 29 percent more likely to be teetotalers themselves. > The quantity of relationships mattered as well. The more connections to drinkers--or nondrinkers--a person had, the more powerful the effect was. People "surrounded by" heavy drinkers were 70 percent more likely to drink heavily themselves, while those with many abstinent friends and relatives were 50 percent more likely to also abstain, according to the study. http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/06/drinking.alcohol.family.friends/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/06/drinking.alcohol.family... Other studies mostly point in the same direction.

vlod 4y ago

Sounds like a bunch of jerks. Maybe it's time to find another circle?