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> Becoming more intentional about one’s relationship with alcohol can only ever be a good thing. “It’s a myth really that you are boring if you’re not drinking,

> Becoming more intentional about one’s relationship with alcohol can only ever be a good thing. “It’s a myth really that you are boring if you’re not drinking,” Misell says. “As anyone who’s ever been sober with a drunk friend will know that when people are drunk, that can be extremely boring too.” Well, yes. I've been working in a bar (and in charge of it) and drunk people are really annoying. I always used to drink myself too for that reason (well, also because I liked to), with specific limits because I still needed to maintain order. I found it's actually easier to maintain order while drinking a bit because the interaction with drunk people is more natural and smooth. If you're 'dry' you're too strict and only triggering them more. But maybe that's just me. Mind you this was in the mid-90s when things weren't as strict as they are now. Our bar was a private club and pretty much a dive and we didn't obey any noise, closing hours, or maximum occupancy regulations either. If we had a big party I'd wear a police scanner sometimes to hear them coming so we could turn the music down :P I find bars a bit boring in general these days. No smoking, grumpy security goons everywhere, strict opening hours and drinking limits. Not to mention the closing of bars for almost 2 years. I really do feel for the younger people now. Because back then the going out scene was really important in my life too and later in life these things are different. What the article says about the price increase is a good point though. Our place was extremely cheap and even a round for the whole bar was usually in the range of 20 bucks. These days alcohol is a lot more expensive. However soft drinks are usually in the same price range as beer these days so I don't really see how that would stop people from drinking alcohol. FWIW I had several periods in my life with extremely heavy party drinking but I've never got addicted. Every time I was able to just drop it when my circumstances changed and right now I drink only once a month or so. I don't regret those periods at all and I wouldn't have wanted to miss them. It did help me socialise and stretch my barriers which I really needed as an adolescent. Because I was a lot more shy than I really wanted to be. It was really an invaluable tool to get 'out of my shell'. Alcohol is not always a bad thing IMO.

ChuckNorris89 4y ago
I always hated alcohol consumption and what it did to me if I abused it. But I'm really starting to see the benefits of alcohol sometimes. I have issues with anxiety and depression. I have seen a psychiatrist and all the medication he ever prescribed to me had side effects worse than my actual condition. The only thing I noticed that could take the edge off without any major side effects were a couple of pints of beer. Also, I'm trying to date after a brutal relationship breakup followed and a long dry spell, and Tinder makes me even more miserable and depressed so I deleted it, but I noticed some pubs in my city have lots of girls hanging around and sometimes looking at me. Without alcohol I probably wouldn't have the courage to talk to them as the anxiety would kill me and they probably wouldn't have the courage to stare at me. Alcohol seems to be this lubricant of social interactions. As a good friend of mine put it: "if it weren't for alcohol, half of us wouldn't be born and we wouldn't be here today", and he's right lol. Us humans have a very long relationship with alcohol from the tribal days. Even animals love getting drunk eating fermented fruit. Sometimes, if I have to make a very difficult life changing decision that triggers my anxiety like signing the contract of a new job or a lease, I think about it once sober, and once drunk, and if the decision of sober me and drunk me are the same, then it means it's the right decision for me :) So if some pharma company could make a medicine that does what two pints of beer do, please let me know, as I'd like to invest. YMMV of course, this is not professional medical or life advice. And I do see the negative sides as well, where people with mental issues instead of seeking professional help or moderating their consumption, look for the solution at the bottom of a bottle, ending up as addicts and ruining their lives and those of others. To me, Japan, Eastern Europe and Scandinavian countries seem to have a real problem with alcohol abuse.
- GekkePrutser 4y ago
  I also have had depression and it's very important to note that Alcohol while temporarily lifting it, will cause an even worse depression the next day. At least it does for me, like clockwork. I've always coped with this by realising that it is purely chemical and ignoring it because it goes away by the next evening, but sometimes it was tough. Still, it helped me fix the 'root cause' of being depressed which was being too shy to really connect with people and being lonely as a result. I still view it as a tool.
  - ChuckNorris89 4y ago
    >Alcohol while temporarily lifting it, will cause an even worse depression the next day. At least it does for me, like clockwork. Not for me. As long as I keep my empirically determined 2 pints of beer limit, I'm at that perfect sweet spot between my anxiety and inhibitions going away, while still staying mentally sharp and avoiding any negative side effects of alcohol. The best code and most successful solutions I ever wrote was when I was a bit drunk. Remember to drink plenty of water though and have a healthily lifestyle of good diet, sleep and exercise. Also, the quality of the alcohol matter a lot. Cheap and shitty industrial alcohol will f*ck you up and you'll feel like shit the next day but good quality one (Belgian Trappist beer for me) has less side effects and can be more easily tolerated and filtered out by the body. YMMV and each to his own obviously.
    - GekkePrutser 4y ago
      Yeah for me that doesn't work because if I stop drinking I get a splitting headache and that instantly ruins my social skills. Even when hydrating with other stuff, strange enough. With very moderate drinking I can hold it off for a while but it will still come. I also get this restless/irritable mood when I stop drinking which is also a moodkiller. Once I start I'm committed till the end :) At the bar I just used to stop a while once I started dropping things and that was ok. I used to say: "I'm intolerant to small amounts of beer" :) Of course after drinking a lot I get it too but by that time I tend to be asleep and don't really notice if I can sleep in the next morning.
ipaddr 4y ago
You can only drink so many pops/sodas two or three before you hit a sugar limit. With beer you could easily hit higher limits.
- GekkePrutser 4y ago
  Does anyone still drink sugared sodas when going out? Most people are very conscious of this and only drink zero.. Edit: by Zero I mean coke zero or other 'diet' drinks. I was talking about the sugared versions only that have become really unpopular here in Spain.
  - diogenescynic 4y ago
    >Does anyone still drink sugared sodas when going out? Is this a real question? You don't ever see soda being served at a restaurant? I see it all the time and it's obvious people are still drinking it since it's on the menu at literally every restaurant.
    - pwinnski 4y ago
      The original question is in the context of a bar, not a restaurant. Obviously people drink sugared sodas at mealtimes. The question was whether many people are serially downing sugared soda after sugared soda in a bar context, keeping pace with the alcohol drinkers.
      - GekkePrutser 4y ago
        Yeah exactly. Even at meal times here in Spain most people drink zero by the way. It's even more of a thing now that the Spanish government restricted airconditioning to 27 degrees (80 degrees Fahrenheit) which means that bars are really hot now (the AC setting is 27 so a full bar is much hotter than that). And I often actually drink because I'm thirsty. Taking that much sugar in is really a bad thing.
  - ChuckNorris89 4y ago
    You can also drink water, juices or non-alcoholic beer and cocktails when you go out to bars. Nothing says you need to drink alcoholic beverages only. As long as you're paying, bartenders are happy to tailor something non-alcoholic for you without judging.
k__ 4y ago
Drinking limits? Never heard of those!
- GekkePrutser 4y ago
  I mean the "you've had enough, go home" thing :) When I was a student this was only a thing in the most upmarket of bars. These days it's much more common as far as I've seen (mostly to other people, it's never happened to me, only been kicked out due to closing time)
shafyy 4y ago
> I find bars a bit boring in general these days. No smoking, grumpy security goons everywhere, strict opening hours and drinking limits. You should come to Berlin :-)
- GekkePrutser 4y ago
  I have indeed never been there... Will have to visit some day, it sounds good! >:) I hear the techno scene there is also amazing.
  - shafyy 4y ago
    Yes, best clubbing and electro city I've ever lived in. Hit me up if you ever visit, email in my profile.
- ChuckNorris89 4y ago
  >You should come to Berlin :-) Error 404, rental apartment not found :-)
  - shafyy 4y ago
    Yeah well, I think Berlin is still doing better than most big cities on this front.
    - ChuckNorris89 4y ago
      Better? Compared to what other big cities? Even in London it's easier to find rent.

ChuckNorris89 4y ago

I always hated alcohol consumption and what it did to me if I abused it. But I'm really starting to see the benefits of alcohol sometimes. I have issues with anxiety and depression. I have seen a psychiatrist and all the medication he ever prescribed to me had side effects worse than my actual condition. The only thing I noticed that could take the edge off without any major side effects were a couple of pints of beer. Also, I'm trying to date after a brutal relationship breakup followed and a long dry spell, and Tinder makes me even more miserable and depressed so I deleted it, but I noticed some pubs in my city have lots of girls hanging around and sometimes looking at me. Without alcohol I probably wouldn't have the courage to talk to them as the anxiety would kill me and they probably wouldn't have the courage to stare at me. Alcohol seems to be this lubricant of social interactions. As a good friend of mine put it: "if it weren't for alcohol, half of us wouldn't be born and we wouldn't be here today", and he's right lol. Us humans have a very long relationship with alcohol from the tribal days. Even animals love getting drunk eating fermented fruit. Sometimes, if I have to make a very difficult life changing decision that triggers my anxiety like signing the contract of a new job or a lease, I think about it once sober, and once drunk, and if the decision of sober me and drunk me are the same, then it means it's the right decision for me :) So if some pharma company could make a medicine that does what two pints of beer do, please let me know, as I'd like to invest. YMMV of course, this is not professional medical or life advice. And I do see the negative sides as well, where people with mental issues instead of seeking professional help or moderating their consumption, look for the solution at the bottom of a bottle, ending up as addicts and ruining their lives and those of others. To me, Japan, Eastern Europe and Scandinavian countries seem to have a real problem with alcohol abuse.

GekkePrutser 4y ago
I also have had depression and it's very important to note that Alcohol while temporarily lifting it, will cause an even worse depression the next day. At least it does for me, like clockwork. I've always coped with this by realising that it is purely chemical and ignoring it because it goes away by the next evening, but sometimes it was tough. Still, it helped me fix the 'root cause' of being depressed which was being too shy to really connect with people and being lonely as a result. I still view it as a tool.
- ChuckNorris89 4y ago
  >Alcohol while temporarily lifting it, will cause an even worse depression the next day. At least it does for me, like clockwork. Not for me. As long as I keep my empirically determined 2 pints of beer limit, I'm at that perfect sweet spot between my anxiety and inhibitions going away, while still staying mentally sharp and avoiding any negative side effects of alcohol. The best code and most successful solutions I ever wrote was when I was a bit drunk. Remember to drink plenty of water though and have a healthily lifestyle of good diet, sleep and exercise. Also, the quality of the alcohol matter a lot. Cheap and shitty industrial alcohol will f*ck you up and you'll feel like shit the next day but good quality one (Belgian Trappist beer for me) has less side effects and can be more easily tolerated and filtered out by the body. YMMV and each to his own obviously.
  - GekkePrutser 4y ago
    Yeah for me that doesn't work because if I stop drinking I get a splitting headache and that instantly ruins my social skills. Even when hydrating with other stuff, strange enough. With very moderate drinking I can hold it off for a while but it will still come. I also get this restless/irritable mood when I stop drinking which is also a moodkiller. Once I start I'm committed till the end :) At the bar I just used to stop a while once I started dropping things and that was ok. I used to say: "I'm intolerant to small amounts of beer" :) Of course after drinking a lot I get it too but by that time I tend to be asleep and don't really notice if I can sleep in the next morning.

ipaddr 4y ago

You can only drink so many pops/sodas two or three before you hit a sugar limit. With beer you could easily hit higher limits.

GekkePrutser 4y ago
Does anyone still drink sugared sodas when going out? Most people are very conscious of this and only drink zero.. Edit: by Zero I mean coke zero or other 'diet' drinks. I was talking about the sugared versions only that have become really unpopular here in Spain.
- diogenescynic 4y ago
  >Does anyone still drink sugared sodas when going out? Is this a real question? You don't ever see soda being served at a restaurant? I see it all the time and it's obvious people are still drinking it since it's on the menu at literally every restaurant.
  - pwinnski 4y ago
    The original question is in the context of a bar, not a restaurant. Obviously people drink sugared sodas at mealtimes. The question was whether many people are serially downing sugared soda after sugared soda in a bar context, keeping pace with the alcohol drinkers.
    - GekkePrutser 4y ago
      Yeah exactly. Even at meal times here in Spain most people drink zero by the way. It's even more of a thing now that the Spanish government restricted airconditioning to 27 degrees (80 degrees Fahrenheit) which means that bars are really hot now (the AC setting is 27 so a full bar is much hotter than that). And I often actually drink because I'm thirsty. Taking that much sugar in is really a bad thing.
- ChuckNorris89 4y ago
  You can also drink water, juices or non-alcoholic beer and cocktails when you go out to bars. Nothing says you need to drink alcoholic beverages only. As long as you're paying, bartenders are happy to tailor something non-alcoholic for you without judging.

k__ 4y ago

Drinking limits? Never heard of those!

GekkePrutser 4y ago
I mean the "you've had enough, go home" thing :) When I was a student this was only a thing in the most upmarket of bars. These days it's much more common as far as I've seen (mostly to other people, it's never happened to me, only been kicked out due to closing time)

shafyy 4y ago

> I find bars a bit boring in general these days. No smoking, grumpy security goons everywhere, strict opening hours and drinking limits. You should come to Berlin :-)

GekkePrutser 4y ago
I have indeed never been there... Will have to visit some day, it sounds good! >:) I hear the techno scene there is also amazing.
- shafyy 4y ago
  Yes, best clubbing and electro city I've ever lived in. Hit me up if you ever visit, email in my profile.
ChuckNorris89 4y ago
>You should come to Berlin :-) Error 404, rental apartment not found :-)
- shafyy 4y ago
  Yeah well, I think Berlin is still doing better than most big cities on this front.
  - ChuckNorris89 4y ago
    Better? Compared to what other big cities? Even in London it's easier to find rent.