Why do people drink?

[scorch]

Wahoo! Schools over, and **** am i glad, i've just finished exams. *wipes sweat from brow*.


So, this weekend, and next weekend, i have been invited to 5 partys, obviosly I can't go to all of them, but this weekend I'm definatly going to two.
And yes, im definatly getting drunk, not **** faced, but drunk enough to start being funny, and enjoying myself immensly.

 

[Matrix]

Have fun, scorch!

Next thursdaynight I'm going to a night volleyball tournament. And in the middle of the night there'll be a beer estafette: two teams of 5 persons all trying to drink their beer in a row as fast as they can. The team that is fastest wins. Kind of a traditional contest at my study.

 

[ApocalypseKurtz]

Originally posted by Achinz

It's my impression that in a competitive type of social environment fostered by the prevailing capitalist Western societies, people are mostly stressed and tense particularly from work. They need alcohol to relax - you may call it social drinking but it is just another name for drinking to relax socially!

Well that sounds logical and you may be right, but again I don't think Western capitalist societies drink any more than the people of any other nation. Does anyone have the official stats on alcohol consumption from nation to nation?

 

[Zwelgje]

Saturday is my brother's birthday and I am going to drink my a$$ off, guaranteed. Nothing beats the feeling of a good hangover on sundaymorning

 

[Matrix]

Whaat? You like hangovers???

 

[Whiskey Priest]

"Saturday is my brother's birthday and I am going to drink my a$$ off, guaranteed. Nothing beats the feeling of a good hangover on sundaymorning"

So true, when I'm hung over on a sunday morning I love reading the sunday paper, listening to "psychadelic sunday" (It's a radio program in Toronto) and watching football, or baseball, and when my stomach finally calms down at around five in the afternoon I have a big delicous meal!!! The best part, I don't get dressed all day, I just laz about in my house coat and flannel pants. Ahh Bliss.

 

[Zwelgje]

Hangovers are sooooooo good.
Just the feeling of a huge headache makes me so happy and when I'm emptying the contents of my stomach into the toilet bowl I feel really proud of myself!

 

[Whiskey Priest]

More of a hueristic (sp?) thing. A gentle reminder of good times past and an excuse to waste a day.

 

[october]

Civ1 addict,

I hope you are being sarcastic....

 

[Zwelgje]

Well october
I think everyone noticed that I was being sarcastic, why else would I end my message with a smiley that is whinking......
Better get used to my sarcastic kind of humor cause it won't be my last post with such remarks!!!!

 

[animepornstar]

i really love to wake up and ask myself: where am i? what did i do last night? is that my womit? is that my arm? what´s that noice? etc, etc.

 

[Zwelgje]

Animepornstar is cool
Anyway, I don't understand myself, why did I even defend myself against the words of october.... I never take people serious who quote the bible so why did I do it now?
Atheism rules!!!! (and so does beer)

 

[october]

Animepornstar is cool. Anyway, I don't understand myself, why did I even defend myself against the words of october.... I never take people serious who quote the bible so why did I do it now? Atheism rules!!!! (and so does beer)

You don't have to defend yourself against me. That is not what I am trying to do. I'm not trying to change anyone either. I hope you do take me seriously, because I believe the Bible is the truth and would never use it to hurt anyone or try to bring them to ruins. Please don't think less of me because I believe in it.
I am not trying to get on anyone's case here or push my conservative Christian agenda. I don't mean to stir up any hard feelings. I just thank God that I didn't waste away my years in college worshiping the god of beer and lining up bottles in my windows like trophies of what I have accomplished. I am glad I didn't waste every weekend drunk at parties, being a danger to self and others, risking getting in trouble. What ticks me off more than the drinking itself is the hype about it. In my first semester in a certain dorm at college, this guy asked me in the bathroom "are you going out tonight?" I told him I was going to go to a Christian group. He said "No I mean partying. Are you going out to get smashed?" When I said no, I think he lost all respect for me, and then all his buddies on the floor started to make fun of me from time to time. Why? Why because I didn't worship the god of drunkenness? The way many students live for the weekend just to get drunk is just beyond my scope of reasoning. It's expensive, dangerous, illegal in many cases, stinky, and leads to crimes. Plus, it's not good for the body to get repeatedly drunk year after year. This turns people into alcoholics once they are out of college.

I am not condemning anyone who drinks, or gets drunk now and then. I just really dislike the worship of alcohol that many people engage in. It's just plain stupid. But don't get me wrong: i don't think any less of these people or anyone here, because we are all people and we all are imperfect.

Well I'm done venting on this topic. Time to think of happy things. Time to get my Civ3 patch!!!!!!

-october-

 

[Matrix]

Originally posted by civ1-addict
Animepornstar is cool
Anyway, I don't understand myself, why did I even defend myself against the words of october.... I never take people serious who quote the bible so why did I do it now?
Atheism rules!!!! (and so does beer)

Such an attitude brings peace and tranquillity to Earth.

Sukkel!

 

[allan]

A drug that makes you stupid (as well as uncoordinated and sometimes impotent) while "high" on it--alcohol--is legal.

While a drug that can often inspire great creativity and spirituality, stimulate thinking in general, and help you see around what I call "conformity barriers" and put you in a good mindset for questioning of society's "sacred cows" (as well as enhance sexual longevity, improvisation, and overall performance)--marijuana--is ILLEGAL.

What is wrong with this picture? Do those in power favor stupid people? Well of course they do....

(Disclaimer: not saying that people who drink are inherently stupid, just that they GET stupid while they're drunk .)

[cynical mode OFF]

Really, I've spent MANY a weekend totally forgetful of what happened, puking probably two or three times my own body weight in my lifetime, in my younger years. How can I be proud of that? How can I call something FUN if I don't even remember it half the time? How do I KNOW it was fun? That's my experience with alcohol for you.... That and when I DO remember, I often recall making an ass out of myself with some girl, or getting into fights and making enemies (especially with some of those girls' boyfriends...). Stupid sh*t really....

I can still drink in moderation though (I am lucky I didn't become an alcoholic like some members of my extended family, especially considering all the drinking I did), and generally only do so when given a beer or some wine in hospitality.... Since most of my friends aren't heavy drinkers anymore, I find I often go without it for long periods of time, and think nothing of it.

To october, I would say that the decision not to drink isn't so much a religious question (Jesus turned water into wine, and the Bible is really quite ambiguous about drinking in general), but a question of how you handle it (or in many cases how IT handles YOU)--which leads to it being a question of how much control you wish to have over yourself. And I just happen to be a "control freak" when it comes to myself--I've learned too many hard lessons to be anything but that.... So I respect and in some ways admire october's decision not to drink even in his younger years--you didn't miss a thing, my friend.... I often wish I didn't at that time either, except for that it taught me what I know now....

Drinking is VERY overrated.

 

[vonork]

Why not look at it as a rollercoster

To little and it’s pointless. It doesn’t do anything, cost money and probably make you a bit slow.

A perfect ride, gives you a god time of fun, you let go of some control but still sit safe.

To steep, the G-force of 15 knocks you unconscious in the first curve. Don’t remember a thing with a headache and puke all over you.

Even thou I think you can have fun without alcohol it is fun to spin around and try to keep balance and drugs are a lot like that. And sure you can drink a bear and a glass of wine to your meal just because it’s good and not because you want to get a bit relaxed. However does anyone really think that people would collect wine or try out different kinds of whiskey if it did not contain alcohol? Not a chance, not in this quantity’s and to the prices that are.

But I wouldn’t go to the barricades if they labelled alcohol as an illegal substance; it’s of no importance to me. In the meantime I probably use it at rare times to drug myself.

Drinking is overrated, but to replace it with another drug (marijuana) that would not make the world better now would it?

 

[allan]

"But I wouldn’t go to the barricades if they labelled alcohol as an illegal substance; it’s of no importance to me."

I WOULD go to the barricades (or at least speak out strongly against such a ban), not because it is important to ME, but that it would be yet another intrusion on individual liberty. When the liberty of SOME peaceful people is oppressed, we ALL are oppressed, is the way I see it....

"Drinking is overrated, but to replace it with another drug (marijuana) that would not make the world better now would it?"

Actually it just might ....

Seriously, there would probably be less fighting and other violence (including domestic violence), less car accidents, less acts of stupidity in general, and the like.... Plus, people wouldn't "dumb themselves down" to escape the world's problems, but would toke up and start questioning things that need to be questioned, making the powerful tremble....

And there is no such thing as an "overdose" of marijuana that leads to death. Unlike alcohol.

 

[vonork]

I would not go to the barricade of the same reason I don’t go to the barricades when the government bans a colour or deterrent that cause cancer.

And I strongly oppose the legalization of “small drugs” that have begun and are in practise in a few countries of mainland Europe.

Now I must oppose your last line: “Plus, people wouldn't "dumb themselves down" to escape the world's problems, but would toke up and start questioning things that need to be questioned, making the powerful tremble....”

It’s my belief that the opposite around would come to be: a drug usually fogs your mind. Not that I have any experience of any other drug then alcohol. But documentary’s (both positive and negative propaganda) I have seen don’t bring me to think that people that smoke marijuana is that aware in their mind.

 

[allan]

"Not that I have any experience of any other drug then alcohol."

Then you don't KNOW, do you? And if you lack knowledge of marijuana, how can you truly hold a position such as to ban marijuana, with any kind of authority?

Trying to say this as kindly as possible here: If you don't KNOW much about something, you should either find out (and heeding what you are told is NOT finding out), or refrain from forcing your political will (by supporting a ban) on those who DO know more about it (marijuana) than you do.

"But documentary’s (both positive and negative propaganda) I have seen don’t bring me to think that people that smoke marijuana is that aware in their mind."

You admit that you fall for propaganda? Without even trying to find out if it's true or not?

Well at least you're honest.

Seriously, I think I should be left alone, without fear or threat of force, to engage in whatever peaceful and noninvasive activities I choose. Especially from force that comes from the will of ignorant "sheeple" who listen to too much PROPAGANDA without questioning.

If that sounds harsh, then try to find a way not to make the shoe fit.... Remember, questioning what you are told is often how you learn things. At least, try to PROVE me wrong about pot, if you can (i.e. question what *I* say if you like)....

(BTW, honestly, do I strike you as someone "not that aware" in my mind? What if I told you I was a little stoned right now, and often am when I write many of my posts? Not to brag, but I think I'm pretty lucid most of the time, even if you don't happen to agree with my positions on things....)

 

[vonork]

The only thing to inform you and to get an opinion about something is as I see it to listen to both sides – both positive and negative propaganda. That’s not to fall fore propaganda now is it? You have to read and evaluate different aspects and then form your opinion. EDIT: So if you shoed me articels (the more independent reserche the better) with a positive view on marijuana then I might change my opinion.

No I haven’t tried marijuana and I won’t. Now yes, I would be more able to form an option if I tried it. But instead when I encounter something that I don’t want to try but are interested in to form an opinion about I listen to people who have tried it, both those with positive experience and negative. I read research articles when I get by them, and with this a form an opinion.

I don’t see the need to try everything to be able to hold an option. I have an option in many fields that I haven’t personally tried: like drugs (marijuana, heroin, and crack), live in a country who is soft on guns, capital punishment (now I wouldn’t want to try out that ).

Then yes, you should be allowed to do want you want as long at it wont hurt others. The problem with drugs is that there is not that many that can handle them (alcohol included).

There are a lot of laws that only exists fore the greater god. Driving under influence of drugs is forbidden, but the most likely possibility is that you only hurt yourself. However you are a danger to others therefore it’s not legal.

Now about marijuana, as I have read it’s lesser addictive then nicotine and not as dangerous to your health (well it’s not suppose to be god for your brain). So to do a swap there I could probably support you in if you wanted to.