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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 a

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.

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.