Everything is an excuse to drink, and most people are alcoholics: my recent conclusion

[Mashmont]

Alcohol will shorten your lifespan. I don't drink or smoke.

Health "experts" used to say a couple of drinks of wine a day will lengthen your life. They don't say that anymore

 

[Mashmont]

I think drinking is one of those things that is SO common and "normal" in society, to the point where it seems that many people don't even give it much thought. What I mean is, when one is at the age when people start drinking, pretty much everyone does it, so young people start drinking without even questioning it overall. Or maybe that's just my experience, I don't want to speak for others. When I was in high school, I lived in San Diego, and the US / Mexico border was only about 15 minutes away, and at that time a lot of high school and college kids went to TJ to go drinking, since they didn't card there. So I think I was 16 or 17 when my friends and I started going to TJ and we used to have a blast, drinking margaritas and tequila poppers, etc. At that time, I didn't even think about whether or not drinking was a good idea. I just did it, because it was so normal.

But years later (and a few years after becoming a Christian) I finally realized, it doesn't matter if everyone does it, I don't need or want alcohol, at all, and I quit completely, and haven't had a drop of alcohol since. (God had to teach me, and I learned.) I've mentioned this before, but that was tied for second best decision I ever made in my life. After I quit, I remember going out with some friends and I was having fun without drinking and I remember thinking to myself "Why didn't I do this years earlier???" lol

It has absolutely become normalized. We have the flood of beer commercials now. When you watch TV shows from the 60s like Bewitched, they always have drinks. The flood of craft breweries today is another example. Good for you for quitting. I have never had a temptation to drink, though I've had other vices to overcome.

 

[HeyNorm]

1. My wife, son, and I attended a college football game at the former Fedex Field near Washington, DC, home of the Redskins. We got moderate-priced tickets; not the cheapest, not the most expensive. I didn't enjoy the game, because I couldn't see it, because people never sat down. But as the game wore on, people started yelling loudly and incoherently. Many around us were extremely drunk. As we were leaving the game, my ears still ringing, I noticed a lot more inebriated people.

2. My wife and I went on an international trip with a tour group. Dinner was part of the package. So after a day of intense tourning, we arrived at our hotel each evening for dinner. Wife and I were pretty beat, and we often caught a ten-minute snooze before eating. Every night when we arrived at the dining room, the majority of the bus patrons had been at the bar getting drinks, which they brought to the dinner table. Some of them had a lot to drink, and after dinner, they returned to the bar.

3. We have a columnist at our local paper. All he can talk about in his column are reunions with friends at bars, what bars he goes to, what booze he likes to drink with his meals.. It's all under the guise of being a fun-loving guy and having a good time, but alcohol is always the common denominator.

4. I joined a men's group 20 years ago. They were searching for a good restaurant in which to hold the annual Christmas dinner. I suggested a great popular buffet restaurant. Somebody whispered to me "They don't serve alcohol" as if I should have known that would negate it.

5. I have a friend who runs an art museum. Their big fundraiser is a whiskey tasting. Vendors come to the museum annually and dispense their products. 300 people attend, paying $75 for the privilege. It's sold out every year. My friend says the patrons get more generous as the evening goes on. Quite a few are drunk at the end of the night. Now granted this one is different, because people go there to drink.

6. I dated a girl decades ago, Today she and her husband go on an annual cruise with another couple. The men are childhood friends. She posts on facebook photos of the drunken men on the golf course, patrons at the lounge, or the group at dinner, a big glass of wine at each plate. Booze is the common denominator. I never knew people attended cruises to drink.

I must be naive, because I have always taken most things at face value: Golf, cruises, college football games, tailgating, group trips. I thought many people enjoyed these activities for their own merit. But those things for many people are excuses to drink and get drunk.

There is a truth that whatever someone talks about most of the time is where their heart is. And many people are obsessed with alcohol. They talk about it, know about it, expound about it. I went to a cookout with some friends, and the 40-something men, all they could talk about was craft beer; making it, drinking it. It went on and on. I concluded that those guys were alcoholics.

I rarely drink, and have never been drunk, but I never thought of myself an anomaly. I don't abstain because of moral reasons; I just don't like the stuff. As I go to more and more events, though, I encounter more and more people who are drunks. It seems like the country is full of alcoholics.

Is this anyone else's experience?

You pretty much nailed it.

I do have a drink or two occasionally, but haven’t been “drunk” in over 25 years. When I tell most people this they look stunned. Really?

The most amazing thing i see is adults talking about drinking and getting drunk, when they were teens, in front of their children, then can’t understand when their kids get picked up for a DUI?

 

[initforme]

I'm really old. I drank 2 cold beers everyday after work for over 40 years. Why not enjoy life as nobody gets out of here alive.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

I'm really old. I drank 2 cold beers everyday after work for over 40 years. Why not enjoy life as nobody gets out of here alive.

Depends on what "enjoying life" is to you. Drinking isn't it for me. Getting drunk definitely Isnt

 

[initforme]

Depends on what "enjoying life" is to you. Drinking isn't it for me. Getting drunk definitely Isnt

True. America was built around alcohol.

 

[Woodznutz]

1. My wife, son, and I attended a college football game at the former Fedex Field near Washington, DC, home of the Redskins. We got moderate-priced tickets; not the cheapest, not the most expensive. I didn't enjoy the game, because I couldn't see it, because people never sat down. But as the game wore on, people started yelling loudly and incoherently. Many around us were extremely drunk. As we were leaving the game, my ears still ringing, I noticed a lot more inebriated people.

2. My wife and I went on an international trip with a tour group. Dinner was part of the package. So after a day of intense tourning, we arrived at our hotel each evening for dinner. Wife and I were pretty beat, and we often caught a ten-minute snooze before eating. Every night when we arrived at the dining room, the majority of the bus patrons had been at the bar getting drinks, which they brought to the dinner table. Some of them had a lot to drink, and after dinner, they returned to the bar.

3. We have a columnist at our local paper. All he can talk about in his column are reunions with friends at bars, what bars he goes to, what booze he likes to drink with his meals.. It's all under the guise of being a fun-loving guy and having a good time, but alcohol is always the common denominator.

4. I joined a men's group 20 years ago. They were searching for a good restaurant in which to hold the annual Christmas dinner. I suggested a great popular buffet restaurant. Somebody whispered to me "They don't serve alcohol" as if I should have known that would negate it.

5. I have a friend who runs an art museum. Their big fundraiser is a whiskey tasting. Vendors come to the museum annually and dispense their products. 300 people attend, paying $75 for the privilege. It's sold out every year. My friend says the patrons get more generous as the evening goes on. Quite a few are drunk at the end of the night. Now granted this one is different, because people go there to drink.

6. I dated a girl decades ago, Today she and her husband go on an annual cruise with another couple. The men are childhood friends. She posts on facebook photos of the drunken men on the golf course, patrons at the lounge, or the group at dinner, a big glass of wine at each plate. Booze is the common denominator. I never knew people attended cruises to drink.

I must be naive, because I have always taken most things at face value: Golf, cruises, college football games, tailgating, group trips. I thought many people enjoyed these activities for their own merit. But those things for many people are excuses to drink and get drunk.

There is a truth that whatever someone talks about most of the time is where their heart is. And many people are obsessed with alcohol. They talk about it, know about it, expound about it. I went to a cookout with some friends, and the 40-something men, all they could talk about was craft beer; making it, drinking it. It went on and on. I concluded that those guys were alcoholics.

I rarely drink, and have never been drunk, but I never thought of myself an anomaly. I don't abstain because of moral reasons; I just don't like the stuff. As I go to more and more events, though, I encounter more and more people who are drunks. It seems like the country is full of alcoholics.

Is this anyone else's experience?

Everyone used to smoke as well. It was just 'the thing to do'. Alcohol is like money. It's a great servant but a cruel master.

 

[Mashmont]

I'm really old. I drank 2 cold beers everyday after work for over 40 years. Why not enjoy life as nobody gets out of here alive.

I can't imagine anybody liking the taste of beer the first time they have one. That means most people force themselves to drink something they don't like at first. I did that. I stupidly forced myself to drink beer at 19. Eventually it became just OK. Even today, the only beer I enjoy are the first few sips from tap. I can rarely get through even a single beer.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

I can't imagine anybody liking the taste of beer the first time they have one. That means most people force themselves to drink something they don't like at first. I did that. I stupidly forced myself to drink beer at 19. Eventually it became just OK. Even today, the only beer I enjoy are the first few sips from tap. I can rarely get through even a single beer.

.

I hated it. I was 15 and I only drank about a quarter of the can and then when I got home, I just knew my mom could see the fact that I was buzzed! I was scared to death!


.

 

[initforme]

I can't imagine anybody liking the taste of beer the first time they have one. That means most people force themselves to drink something they don't like at first. I did that. I stupidly forced myself to drink beer at 19. Eventually it became just OK. Even today, the only beer I enjoy are the first few sips from tap. I can rarely get through even a single beer.

I hate american beer. Foreign beers are far superior. 2 beers provided relaxation and enjoyment after a long day at work. Something to look forward to.

 

[Zincwarrior]

It has absolutely become normalized.

Its been normalized since someone figured out how to make alcohol...that whole water to wine thing.
But shockingly, the OP and I agree on this topic.

 

[initforme]

Do we expect people to work incessantly and never enjoy life?

 

[HeyNorm]

Do we expect people to work incessantly and never enjoy life?

If drinking is how you enjoy life, you may have a problem

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

I was drunk one time, drinking Southern Comfort. The smell of that stuff makes me gag now. I hate being the only sober person in a room full of drunks.

It’s really incredible just how dumb everybody looks when they are drunk and you’re sober enough to see it. It was a real eye-opener to me when I stopped getting hammered with everybody else when I would be out with them. I’d sit there thinking to myself, holy crap, this is how stupid I looked when I was drunk too.

 

[lg325]

Do we expect people to work incessantly and never enjoy life?

There are ways to enjoy life without polluting your body with alcohol , tobacco or other controlled substances.

 

[initforme]

There are ways to enjoy life without polluting your body with alcohol , tobacco or other controlled substances.

Such as?

 

[initforme]

If drinking is how you enjoy life, you may have a problem

2 beers per day? Pffft. Playing scrabble better?

 

[lg325]

Do we expect people to work incessantly and never enjoy life?

There are ways to enjoy life without polluting your body with alcohol , tobacco or other controlled substances.

Such as?

By setting your mind to have fun Like doing things you would not normally do like surfing or some other physical activity you have never tried. One thing I would recommend to any substance abuser is to make love with out being drunk or stoned or numb from any other substance. It is the best.

 

[MarathonMike]

Health "experts" used to say a couple of drinks of wine a day will lengthen your life. They don't say that anymore

Depends on the type of wine. There's a lot of evidence that red wine contributes to longevity.

 

[Mashmont]

Depends on the type of wine. There's a lot of evidence that red wine contributes to longevity.

Yes, there is evidence for that, and also studies that show no effect.

Modern Myths of Aging: Red Wine and the ‘French Paradox’ - Rutgers

This series is designed to help people use evidence and research to make informed decisions for health and well-being as they age.

ifh.rutgers.edu