[insha]

Originally posted by DeathMan:
I don't drink for religious reasons. <SNIP>

Ditto.

[BRussell]

Isn't it only Islam and LDS that forbids alcohol? I'm not sure I understand how LDS can ban wine, given its role in one of the central Christian sacraments.

[Millennium]

I don't, for two reasons:

1) My wife is allergic to alcohol fumes, and I mean really allergic. If I can't drink with her, I don't see much point in drinking elsewhere.

2) I took two courses of Accutane in my teens, and while it did wonders for my acne, I think it may have messed up my liver. End result: my tolerance for alcohol is shot; after half a glass of champagne I start feeling effects.

Well, it's not quite true that I never drink at all. I'll drink a very small amount on really special occasions (50th anniversaries, New Year's 2000, a toast to the family dog shortly after she was put to sleep, and so forth). But it's typically less than one drink a year.

[RAILhead]

I don't drink. Alcoholism in the family, faith beliefs, etc. Not only that, I have nieces and nephews and I'm an example to them.

And of course, Bill Cosby's words of wisdom...

"I asked a guy what the attraction to alcohol was and he said 'because it enhances your personality.' And I said, yes, but what if you're an a$$hole?"



Maury

[macroy]

Used to drink a lot ... 'cause I was stupid. Not saying drinking is, but we're talking about walking into high school biology 1/2 drunk, and just getting completely s-faced on weekends during high school...
And then there's college... I think I was drunk more than sober during my 1st semester.

I just don't like it anymore. I may have a shot or two every once in awhile... even that's rare. But I haven't had anyone look at me funny when I'm holding a bottle of root beer where there's free alcohol laying around.

Also, I get that blood red complexion and folks start worrying that I may explode. I'm sure someone will fill the rest in on the name of that certain enzyme that I lack to break down alcohol....

[Xeo]

I don't really understand the "never have, never will" attitude. I've gotten drunk twice in the last 6 months, so I'm no party-goer, but how can you even pretend to know what you're talking about if you've never even tried it? It's like people who hate Macs but have never touched them (or vice-versa, the die-hard Mac users who've never touched Windows).

[insha]

Originally posted by Xeo:
I don't really understand the "never have, never will" attitude. I've gotten drunk twice in the last 6 months, so I'm no party-goer, but how can you even pretend to know what you're talking about if you've never even tried it? It's like people who hate Macs but have never touched them (or vice-versa, the die-hard Mac users who've never touched Windows).

I don't think that this is a fair comparison. Most of the people whom I know, who have this "never have, never will" attitude for the simple reason of either Faith/Belief (in my case) and as some of the posts above state the reason being "Alcoholism" in the family.

So I'm not sure how you can correlate this as being the same as Mac vs. PeeCee senario (sp?). Unless I totally missed your point.

[Goldfinger]

Originally posted by insha:
I don't think that this is a fair comparison. Most of the people whom I know, who have this "never have, never will" attitude for the simple reason of either Faith/Belief (in my case) and as some of the posts above state the reason being "Alcoholism" in the family.

So I'm not sure how you can correlate this as being the same as Mac vs. PeeCee senario (sp?). Unless I totally missed your point.

It was actually a perfect comparison. A lot of people here seem to be afraid of alchohol because they are not educated about it. Has a lot to do with the society you live in, a society that claims that alcohol is a baaaad thing will give you 2 extremes: alcoholics and people who never drink. When alcohol is allowed by society, one can be educated about it and drink while enjoying it.

Saying that alcohol immediately leads to alcoholism is just plain dumb. I also can't quite understand people who say that they don't drink because of alcoholism in the family. I can understand it when you really have a trauma because of it but sheez, if you are educated about the stuff and know how to drink you won't become an alcoholic.
I myself have a family that really loves to drink and to the point of semi alcholism sometimes but it doesn't do anything to me. I know how to handle it.
For religions: I have no comment on that. Only that you're missing out some really good stuff

Not knowing how to drink is the only problem alcohol has.

[paully dub]

The most irresponsible drinking-to-get-drunk (outside of a US college campus) I've ever seen was in Morocco after Ramadan. Dudes went beserk over the cheapest, shittiest beer they could get their hands on (it was New years eve, not that that should mean anything).

Good, decent people I was friends with became drunken 12 year olds in the span of a few hours. It was glug glug till you pass out. It was like since alcohol is supposedly bad, and its sole purpose is to get you drunk, let's not do it halfway.

I think I had like a half a beer that evening, and ended up hanging with a rather well behaved, non drinking bourgeois family that I was renting a room from. They were kinda shocked by me, asking me "Why aren't you out drinking with Ibrdahim and the others?" I didn't have the heart to tell them because they were already too far gone, and perhaps passed out on the beach or something (Essaouira). I said I had an upset tummy and they fed me hot mint tea and cookies all evening. Yummy!

Morocco's a fine country, but I had some of the most bizarre alcohol related adventures there of anywhere.

[Turias]

Originally posted by Goldfinger:
Saying that alcohol immediately leads to alcoholism is just plain dumb. I also can't quite understand people who say that they don't drink because of alcoholism in the family. I can understand it when you really have a trauma because of it but sheez, if you are educated about the stuff and know how to drink you won't become an alcoholic.

Hasn't it been shown that people with alcoholism in the family are genetically predispositioned to becoming an alcoholic themselves? I don't have any data on this, but that's what I remember being told in school a decade ago.

[RAILhead]

Originally posted by Turias:
Hasn't it been shown that people with alcoholism in the family are genetically predispositioned to becoming an alcoholic themselves? I don't have any data on this, but that's what I remember being told in school a decade ago.

Yes, it's generational. I have a grand father I never got a chance to know because he couldn't control his intake of alcohol.

Maury

[Goldfinger]

Originally posted by Turias:
Hasn't it been shown that people with alcoholism in the family are genetically predispositioned to becoming an alcoholic themselves? I don't have any data on this, but that's what I remember being told in school a decade ago.

I have a hard time believing that since alcoholism is psychological. Well it starts off as a psychological problem 9 out of 10 en then turns into a physical one. And psychological problems can be solved: like here with some form of education about the subject.

[deomacius]

Originally posted by Goldfinger:
It was actually a perfect comparison. A lot of people here seem to be afraid of alchohol because they are not educated about it. Has a lot to do with the society you live in, a society that claims that alcohol is a baaaad thing will give you 2 extremes: alcoholics and people who never drink. When alcohol is allowed by society, one can be educated about it and drink while enjoying it.

Saying that alcohol immediately leads to alcoholism is just plain dumb. I also can't quite understand people who say that they don't drink because of alcoholism in the family. I can understand it when you really have a trauma because of it but sheez, if you are educated about the stuff and know how to drink you won't become an alcoholic.
I myself have a family that really loves to drink and to the point of semi alcholism sometimes but it doesn't do anything to me. I know how to handle it.
For religions: I have no comment on that. Only that you're missing out some really good stuff

Not knowing how to drink is the only problem alcohol has.

I'll add my name to the list of non-drinkers. I disagree with the comparison to Mac/PC usage. One thing that disturbs me is the tendency to lump drinking in with entertainment. I would say PC usage is either for entertainment or work. I don't think consuming alcohol should be classified under either one. For me the only purpose for a beverage should be to quench your thirst and that obviously isn't the case for many drinkers. It's also bothersome when people create moods or moments around alcohol consumption. I mean, do we do that for Snapple? Root beer floats? No. My last point of contention is the "acquired taste" argument. Why should someone have to choke down alcohol and acquire a taste for it? If it's not such a big deal, why is it such a big deal?

[Mastrap]

Originally posted by deomacius:
For me the only purpose for a beverage should be to quench your thirst and that obviously isn't the case for many drinkers. It's also bothersome when people create moods or moments around alcohol consumption. I mean, do we do that for Snapple? Root beer floats? No.

I am sorry, but that's simply not true.

Of course we create moments and moods around things other than alcohol. A special meal. A concert. A holiday of a lifetime.
According to what you're saying food is only there to make you less hungry, music doesn't have any reason to exist at all and travelling is just to get you from "a" to "b". Which is obviously not the case.

For me, enjoying a good glass of wine is in no way different from enjoying a nice piece of cheese.

[nredman]

i drink alcohol, i try not to drink to get drunk. i try to enjoy my wines and beers. if you don't drink i think thats great, its bad for you and costs money. i have recently learned more about wines and drinking wines and i am having lots of fun with that. like someone else said "to each his own" .

[Mohammed Al-Sabah]

dont drink it, just never liked how it tasted nothing more nothing less

[kcmac]

You shouldn't care what these people think.

Hell, you use a Mac. Aren't ya used to it by now?

Seriously, this is a very personal decision. Not doing it won't hurt you. The opposite may not be true.

[insha]

Originally posted by Goldfinger:
It was actually a perfect comparison. A lot of people here seem to be afraid of alchohol because they are not educated about it. Has a lot to do with the society you live in, a society that claims that alcohol is a baaaad thing will give you 2 extremes: alcoholics and people who never drink. When alcohol is allowed by society, one can be educated about it and drink while enjoying it.

Saying that alcohol immediately leads to alcoholism is just plain dumb. I also can't quite understand people who say that they don't drink because of alcoholism in the family. I can understand it when you really have a trauma because of it but sheez, if you are educated about the stuff and know how to drink you won't become an alcoholic.
I myself have a family that really loves to drink and to the point of semi alcholism sometimes but it doesn't do anything to me. I know how to handle it.
For religions: I have no comment on that. Only that you're missing out some really good stuff

Not knowing how to drink is the only problem alcohol has.

I understand your point. I do think that there are far more better things to enjoy in life than Alcohol. You have your beer and I have my root beer, doesn't mean we can't enjoy life.

[Stradlater]

Originally posted by euchomai:
Deep stuff: Keep it in the circus

Care to elaborate?

[Stradlater]

Originally posted by nforcer:
I do not drink. I never have, never will. I don't see the point of poisoning oneself, impairing your senses, and then calling it "fun". If I bound your hands together, spun you around 50 times, threw crap in your eyes, and then kicked you around the room, would it be fun?

One or two (or more, depending on the person) drinks at a time is actually quite healthy.

Your poison/abuse metaphor is priceless, though; keep it up.

See:

Originally posted by paully dub:
If you drink cheap stuff, it's to get drunk. If you spend a little more money or use your head, you might actually find that drinking an alocoholic beverage can actually taste good.

Chugging cheap beer from a can or even worse- a plastic cup/bottle is not the same as having a good beer served in a glass, taking time to enjoy it over conversation in a warm and cozy pub with turf burning in the fireplace on a cold Irish winter night.

And as for wine, I drink a glass or two of good wine almost every dinner, and I don't feel the slightest bit drunk- that's not the point.

And a glass or two is hardly unhealthy, au contraire. Get real people. Use is not abuse.

And:

Originally posted by Mastrap:
You're confusing 'enjoying a drink containing alcohol' with 'drinking to get drunk'.

The former is appreciating a glass or two of a good wine, beer or whisky. The latter is swilling cheap beer from plastic cups. You cannot compare the two.

[MilkmanDan]

After being hung over all day long.... I don't think I'll be drinking again.

I've never drank that much before.... curse you college! Curse you!

First day of January Term classes... and I never made it to my one class.

[eep]

Originally posted by MilkmanDan:
After being hung over all day long.... I don't think I'll be drinking again.

I've never drank that much before.... curse you college! Curse you!

First day of January Term classes... and I never made it to my one class.

We've all been there!

I always say that when I get a hang over. Just drink Lots of water. You'be ok.

[the_glassman]

I don't drink, smoke or eat meat.

[deej5871]

Originally posted by RAILhead:
And of course, Bill Cosby's words of wisdom...

"I asked a guy what the attraction to alcohol was and he said 'because it enhances your personality.' And I said, yes, but what if you're an a$$hole?"

Hmm..In "Himself" he's talking about cocaine when he says that, not alcohol. But, I guess he might have changed it for another act.

Anyway, unlike all the other 15 year olds here, I actually do drink, sometimes. Drank a little on New Years, drink at parties, any social drinking really. That's about it though.

[LookSee]

Originally posted by BRussell:
As I've gotten older I've started getting headaches whenever I drink alcohol, so now I don't drink much. I just stick to heroin.

I don't drink because it makes me depress and crabby. Also, I grew up around drunks, so I've seen how pathetic and stupid people are when they're wasted. Alcohol? no thanks.

[torsoboy]

these are my favorite posts so far:

I've had wine with Easter, Christmas and New Year's family dinner from when I was 6 to when I was 21. Yeah, illegal, but it taught me to drink responsibly.

and

From when I was about 6 my parents let me have a glass of wine at special meals (like Christmas, Easter etc.) and it taught me to be responsible.


yea, i'm sure that giving alcohol to a 6 year old teaches a lot of responsibility.

count me in with the non-drinkers. never have, never will. you do what you want, i'll do what i want.

[Xeo]

Originally posted by torsoboy:
yea, i'm sure that giving alcohol to a 6 year old teaches a lot of responsibility.

I think it's true that alcohol becomes much less of a problem with teens who didn't grow up with it being some taboo adult-only thing.

[RAILhead]

Originally posted by deej5871:
Hmm..In "Himself" he's talking about cocaine when he says that, not alcohol. But, I guess he might have changed it for another act.

Anyway, unlike all the other 15 year olds here, I actually do drink, sometimes. Drank a little on New Years, drink at parties, any social drinking really. That's about it though.

Nah, Bill Cosby Himself came out in 1983, which is full of his material from the mid-70s. If you're a old school Cosby fan, check out his earlier material (and you'll find most of the originals presented in Himself).

Maury

[jebjeb]

I like an occasional drink. Nothing too major and I am not a full-on party goer. I can go for a month or so without thinking or wanting a beer or wine and then my wife and I may drink a bottle of wine with dinner or when we get home from work. My wife has worked in the wine trade for about 3 years so we tend to only drink decent stuff. I drink it for the taste, experience and the lift it can give when matched well to a lovely dinner.

I love a nice cold beer. Either a nice crisp lager or Guinness (preferably Extra Cold). Going to the pub for a couple of cold ones with the guys from work is great. I have also been known to just have a Coke or lemonade instead.

In a few weeks I am off on holiday back home in Australia. I know that with it being summer and such I will be partaking in a few cold beers with my family. I respect anyones decision to drink or not drink. Moderation is the key for me.

The biggest problem I have regarding alcohol here in the UK is that there are no light (read low alcohol) beers available here. When I am the designated driver sometimes it would be nice to still have a couple of beers and I know I can do that with a 1% alcohol beer. Back in Australia every pub would have at least two different types of low alcohol beer on tap. You could happily and safely have a couple of beers after work and drive home. The amount of people I see drive home after they have had even one pint of full strength (5%) beer is crazy. There are some fantastic light beers that I would challenge most to distinguish from a full strength beer.

The other thing missing is mid-strength beer. One of my beers of choice back home was Castlemaine XXXX Gold. This is about 2.8% from memory which meant that each bottle was exactly one standard unit. This made it easy to count how many units one had drunk. It is also nice to not feel the effects of it so much as drinking 5 or so of those is the same as 3 full strength beers.

[Sherwin]

I prefer a Coke to a beer most times. Occasionally I'll reach for a Bud (which some would argue is no more a beer than a Coke is anyways).

It wasn't always like this - I got hit with a DUI a few years back when I was younger and stupider.

[Mastrap]

Originally posted by jebjeb:


The biggest problem I have regarding alcohol here in the UK is that there are no light (read low alcohol) beers available here. When I am the designated driver sometimes it would be nice to still have a couple of beers and I know I can do that with a 1% alcohol beer. Back in Australia every pub would have at least two different types of low alcohol beer on tap. You could happily and safely have a couple of beers after work and drive home. The amount of people I see drive home after they have had even one pint of full strength (5%) beer is crazy. There are some fantastic light beers that I would challenge most to distinguish from a full strength beer.

The other thing missing is mid-strength beer. One of my beers of choice back home was Castlemaine XXXX Gold. This is about 2.8% from memory which meant that each bottle was exactly one standard unit. This made it easy to count how many units one had drunk. It is also nice to not feel the effects of it so much as drinking 5 or so of those is the same as 3 full strength beers.

I totally agree. The only option in the UK is to go with Kaliber, a no alcohol beer that tastes horrible. Here in Canada, when I want a beer but don't want the alcohol, I get myself an Upper Canada 0.9. As the name suggests it contains 0.9% alcohol and is a refreshing Pilsener. Like with some of the light Australian beers I would challenge anybody to pick it out in a blind tasting, it's excellent stuff.

[BRussell]

Originally posted by Xeo:
I don't really understand the "never have, never will" attitude. I've gotten drunk twice in the last 6 months, so I'm no party-goer, but how can you even pretend to know what you're talking about if you've never even tried it? It's like people who hate Macs but have never touched them (or vice-versa, the die-hard Mac users who've never touched Windows).

I don't think there's anything wrong with people saying they're just going to avoid alcohol altogether. There's no doubt that alcohol abuse is a large social problem in most cultures in the world. I have no problem drinking in moderation, but some people might.

I used to smoke cigarettes, but quit when I got out of college. People have told me that it's OK to smoke every so often, but I'd rather just avoid it completely. Granted, no cigarette use is good for you, and moderate amounts of alcohol may be good for you. But with the very apparent problems associated with alcohol use, if that's what works for people, good for them.

[Scientist]

Originally posted by voyageur:
I've heard this many times, and I wonder whether there isn't some genetic difference that makes some people more sensitive to the taste. If the OJ is spiked with vodka, I can taste it, although people tell me vodka is tasteless.

I have never heard anyone say that Vodka has no taste. That's strange. I think it's the most horrid tasting stuff on earth.

Sensitivity to various flavors does differ between people quite a bit. This article talks about it a little. I'm a "supertaster"...many people are.

http://www.canoe.ca/HealthMayeMuskColumns/020115.html

[E's Lil Theorem]

I drink occasionally. There was a period not too long ago, however, when I was having a drink or two every day after I got home from work, right before dinner. It was meant to help me unwind and it was usually vodka + cranberry or vodka + cranberry + lemonade. One of the reasons I stopped is that I'm now exercising (kung fu!) after work three days out of the week. The other reason I stopped was to prove my sister that I could as she thought I was becoming an alcoholic

[gerbnl]

Originally posted by voyageur:
I've heard this many times, and I wonder whether there isn't some genetic difference that makes some people more sensitive to the taste. If the OJ is spiked with vodka, I can taste it, although people tell me vodka is tasteless.

vodka isn't tasteless, it's odorless on your breath when you drunk it. However any alcohol evaporating though your breath can still be measured.

alcohol itself is tasteless, but (esp pure) will sting in your mouth and thus might create a sensation.

[demograph68]

I'm turning 21 on the 21st. Hmmm..... I'm pretty sure I'm going to get wasted... but with what, that is the question.

[paully dub]

Originally posted by demograph68:
I'm turning 21 on the 21st. Hmmm..... I'm pretty sure I'm going to get wasted... but with what, that is the question.

Liquor, beer never fear.
Beer, liquor never sicker.

Be nice to your endocrine system,

[Stradlater]

Originally posted by torsoboy:
yea, i'm sure that giving alcohol to a 6 year old teaches a lot of responsibility.

And Europe has many more alcohol-related problems than America with its lower-age-limit

See Xeo's next post, then see that you have a lot to learn.

[macaddict0001]

Im nit su re what i m drinkingg beccausese my visionn is atoo blurrry too see s theh labl on thee bbotkee hhere,

[Montezuma58]

If you don't want to drink alcohol, you could always just inhale it.

[tavilach]

A sip is all that I've ever had. When I'm an "adult" (I don't consider 18 to be adult...), I may try half a glass or so.

I'll never, ever drink to get drunk, though. In fact, I do hope that I'll never get drunk period. You're just poisoning yourself, and having fun with your lack of control. Frankly, I want to have fun while in control...you know, as myself, not some loose and dumb version of myself.

Getting high, on the other hand...well, bring out the Ecstasy !

There is something about perspective, though, that you always have to remember...

In high school, I used to think that the naughty thing to do was to get drunk, and I'd be extremely saddened when my friends went to go drinking. I didn't understand how I could relate to people who drank. Whenever I heard about someone doing pot, even as a freshman in college, I'd be shocked, and would see them as evil...I'd never even give it another moment's thought. Little did I know that many people at my high school did pot, and many more drank. My views totally changed about a month ago, when I went to my high school's reunion (a few months ater graduating...yeah, I know...), and realized that not only were people drinking, but almost everyone I knew, including many of my friends, had started to smoke pot. Here I thought that it was bad when the people in my dorm started drinking a little, and I never even gave pot smokers a chance. With my friends smoking pot, I finally became aware that what a person does cannot be equated with who they are. If any of my friends start doing Ecstasy, though, that may be a bit more difficult...

I totally got lost on a tangent. Oops.

[spiky_dog]

i drink for the health benefits.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/healthy_..._alcohol.shtml

also, i bet that many of the posters in this thread are under-21 americans, not that there is anything innately wrong with that. from that perspective a "i don't drink/i hate the taste/all my friends are drunks" outlook is somewhat understandable. i, too, was that way in high school. however, going to europe and turning 21 a few years back changed things.

drinking is really a different matter when it's a social, accepted activity, meeting friends at a bar over a pint. as has been said before it's totally different than downing swill from red, plastic cups in some crowded basement or dorm room.

[milhous]

Originally posted by d0ubled0wn:
I used to drink, but then I found out I have Oriental Flushing Syndrome. The symptoms were all there... flushed red skin, throbbing sensation in my head and a hangover after a couple hours. So I've pretty much stopped, though I might have a beer on special occasions like Christmas parties and just sip on it over the course of the night.

i'm korean, but when i drink, i don't get red in the face, though my chinese friend will. i do however feel the effects quickly after a few beers.

one of our co-workers (a biochemist) told me that this is because oriental people generally possess lower levels of alcohol deyhdrogenase in their systems which aid in breaking down the alcohol. i've learned through trial and error that even though i can drink quite a bit, i won't be able to break it down quick enough, which leads me to paying homage to the toilet bowl.

this same co-worker is also polish, and i can assure you he can probably drink everyone under the table and not feel a thing, the irish included!

[eep]

Originally posted by paully dub:
Liquor, beer never fear.
Beer, liquor never sicker.

Be nice to your endocrine system,

Liquor before beer you're in the clear.
Beer before liquor you'll get sicker.

My midwest version.