3 ms·

First, I agree with people pointing out that alcohol doesn't have to be for getting drunk. At the moment I have three near-empty boxes of beer (bottles), six pa

by corin_ 15y ago

First, I agree with people pointing out that alcohol doesn't have to be for getting drunk. At the moment I have three near-empty boxes of beer (bottles), six part-drunk bottles of whisky, and a few empty wine bottles. None of that alcohol has been consumed by myself or anyone else to the point of being even buzzed, yet alone drunk. However, I do enjoy getting drunk. I've never drunk so much I threw up, or fell over, or hit anyone, or... etc. But yes, when I'm out with friends or colleagues we will happily enjoy a night with much alcohol flowing - enough to be classed by the UK government as "booze drinking", at least. I sometimes do or say something I feel embarassed about afterwards (most recent example was a conversation about poetry with a London taxi driver at ~5am), but nothing I've been ashamed of. Sure, I can have fun without alcohol. Sometimes I do - certainly I've never had the thought that being drunk is a requirement for having fun. It just provides a different type of fun. Different things make you laugh, you have different conversations... Obviously these things vary for different people, I've known people who I don't want to be around when they're drunk - but also plenty of people just like me. edit: Just read the first paragraph of this comment and thought "I wrote that myself and even I think that sounds like an alcoholic in denial". When I'm out and drinking I'll drink a lot, when I'm at home I'll have a glass or two over an evening. If I tried to get drunk off the whisky I have at home it would be a really expensive night.

dariusmonsef 15y ago
I really didn't intend to say drinking or not drinking was right/wrong for everybody... just trying to tell my story and what I've found worked well for me. I would love to know what the beer/whisky/wine brought to your time with your friends, it it wasn't for getting drunk/buzzed? Honestly curious.
- anatoli 15y ago
  Do you only appreciate a nice steak frites because it makes you full? You seem to think that it's impossible to genuinely appreciate the flavour of alcoholic drinks and to have interest in drinking the many kinds for the variety of interesting flavours. Why should I avoid certain drinks simply because they have alcohol in them? Can you explain?
  - dariusmonsef 15y ago
    Not suggesting that. I think there are really people who appreciate the flavors of alcohols. My post was about partyers, not connoisseurs.
    - 13rules 15y ago
      I liked your post and it didn't come across to me that you were trying to convince anyone else to do anything. Seemed more like you were just sharing your own personal experiences and realizations.
- corin_ 15y ago
  Regarding the first paragraph - it brings taste. Same reason we eat nice food rather than the cheapest most nutritional food we can find. It's not alcohol for the sake of alcohol, if I had a bottle of vodka at home I wouldn't bother drinking it. Come to think of it, I think I actually do have a bottle of vodka somewhere in a draw in my bedroom... it's there because I haven't ever wanted to get drunk at home since I was given it 9 months ago. Whisky in particular I can't get enough of (in the hyperbolic way, not the "I literally drink as much as I can" way!) - I forgot to include, when looking around the room, that I have ~15 30ml bottle samples of various whiskies that I haven't tried, which I regularly add to and try. After trying them I might add it to my mental list of real bottles to buy in the future... often won't.
  - dariusmonsef 15y ago
    It sounds like it is really a flavor thing for you, and that sounds awesome. You've found something you really enjoy and are able to share that with others.
    - Locke1689 15y ago
      You're aware that there's an entire profession based around the taste of wine, right? And that wine prices are based on their taste not their alcohol content? I don't understand how it's possible to be incredulous about people liking the taste of alcohol. I think most people like the taste of alcohol. Certainly haute cuisine is about taste. There's no section in Escoffier about getting shwasted.
      - dariusmonsef 15y ago
        I have nothing against this. That's why I said it was awesome they really appreciated the taste of alcohol.
        burgerbrain 15y ago
        They appreciate the taste of the various beverages, not the alcohol (although, to be clear, the alcohol does contribute to the various flavors). Very few people drink alcohol, rather they drink things that happen to contain alcohol. You might be thinking that I'm being pedantic right now, but having a firm grasp on this concept is important if you wish to understand why people drink what they drink. Consider how silly it would sound if we talked that way about baking soda.
jakejake 15y ago
It sounds like you have a really high tolerance for alcohol. I've had a few friends like that, they could drink a whole case of beer. I myself drink 3 beers and I'm pretty well buzzed. Never could drink that kind if quantity. I do enjoy a great beer, though. A few of my buds with the high tolerance seemed to get themselves into trouble eventually with booze, though. DUIs in particular, lots of legals bills. One turned raging alcoholic and is still in a shambles. Not trying to say that will happen to you, I just notice of my friend for whom booze did become a problem - they share that trait of being able to drink a lot without seeking to ever get drunk.
- corin_ 15y ago
  I believe there are various medical reasons for alcohol to effect people differently (one of which is body weight, which presumably is a part of it for me), but also it's very influenced by experience. The more you drink, the better you can hold your drink. I think that's probably the reason for your link between people with high tolerance and people for whom alcohol became a problem. It's not that having a high tolerance is problematic, it's just that anyone who gets drunk enough to have problems with it has probably drunk enough in the past to have built up a pretty good tolerance. Personally I find my tolerance level varies greatly - I assume things like tiredness, what I've eaten, time between drinks and other stuff is in play, but I've never really clocked the exact causes. For example when I'm at Arsenal games I'll always have a couple of glasses of wine at half time, and usually feel a bit buzzed from them - drinking the same while in a restaurant, or at home, wouldn't do anything. Presumably there's a pattern of my behaviour before/during these games that makes it happen.

by corin_ 15y ago

dariusmonsef 15y ago

I really didn't intend to say drinking or not drinking was right/wrong for everybody... just trying to tell my story and what I've found worked well for me. I would love to know what the beer/whisky/wine brought to your time with your friends, it it wasn't for getting drunk/buzzed? Honestly curious.

anatoli 15y ago
Do you only appreciate a nice steak frites because it makes you full? You seem to think that it's impossible to genuinely appreciate the flavour of alcoholic drinks and to have interest in drinking the many kinds for the variety of interesting flavours. Why should I avoid certain drinks simply because they have alcohol in them? Can you explain?
- dariusmonsef 15y ago
  Not suggesting that. I think there are really people who appreciate the flavors of alcohols. My post was about partyers, not connoisseurs.
  - 13rules 15y ago
    I liked your post and it didn't come across to me that you were trying to convince anyone else to do anything. Seemed more like you were just sharing your own personal experiences and realizations.
corin_ 15y ago
Regarding the first paragraph - it brings taste. Same reason we eat nice food rather than the cheapest most nutritional food we can find. It's not alcohol for the sake of alcohol, if I had a bottle of vodka at home I wouldn't bother drinking it. Come to think of it, I think I actually do have a bottle of vodka somewhere in a draw in my bedroom... it's there because I haven't ever wanted to get drunk at home since I was given it 9 months ago. Whisky in particular I can't get enough of (in the hyperbolic way, not the "I literally drink as much as I can" way!) - I forgot to include, when looking around the room, that I have ~15 30ml bottle samples of various whiskies that I haven't tried, which I regularly add to and try. After trying them I might add it to my mental list of real bottles to buy in the future... often won't.
- dariusmonsef 15y ago
  It sounds like it is really a flavor thing for you, and that sounds awesome. You've found something you really enjoy and are able to share that with others.
  - Locke1689 15y ago
    You're aware that there's an entire profession based around the taste of wine, right? And that wine prices are based on their taste not their alcohol content? I don't understand how it's possible to be incredulous about people liking the taste of alcohol. I think most people like the taste of alcohol. Certainly haute cuisine is about taste. There's no section in Escoffier about getting shwasted.
    - dariusmonsef 15y ago
      I have nothing against this. That's why I said it was awesome they really appreciated the taste of alcohol.
      - burgerbrain 15y ago
        They appreciate the taste of the various beverages, not the alcohol (although, to be clear, the alcohol does contribute to the various flavors). Very few people drink alcohol, rather they drink things that happen to contain alcohol. You might be thinking that I'm being pedantic right now, but having a firm grasp on this concept is important if you wish to understand why people drink what they drink. Consider how silly it would sound if we talked that way about baking soda.

jakejake 15y ago

It sounds like you have a really high tolerance for alcohol. I've had a few friends like that, they could drink a whole case of beer. I myself drink 3 beers and I'm pretty well buzzed. Never could drink that kind if quantity. I do enjoy a great beer, though. A few of my buds with the high tolerance seemed to get themselves into trouble eventually with booze, though. DUIs in particular, lots of legals bills. One turned raging alcoholic and is still in a shambles. Not trying to say that will happen to you, I just notice of my friend for whom booze did become a problem - they share that trait of being able to drink a lot without seeking to ever get drunk.

corin_ 15y ago
I believe there are various medical reasons for alcohol to effect people differently (one of which is body weight, which presumably is a part of it for me), but also it's very influenced by experience. The more you drink, the better you can hold your drink. I think that's probably the reason for your link between people with high tolerance and people for whom alcohol became a problem. It's not that having a high tolerance is problematic, it's just that anyone who gets drunk enough to have problems with it has probably drunk enough in the past to have built up a pretty good tolerance. Personally I find my tolerance level varies greatly - I assume things like tiredness, what I've eaten, time between drinks and other stuff is in play, but I've never really clocked the exact causes. For example when I'm at Arsenal games I'll always have a couple of glasses of wine at half time, and usually feel a bit buzzed from them - drinking the same while in a restaurant, or at home, wouldn't do anything. Presumably there's a pattern of my behaviour before/during these games that makes it happen.