Replying here, don’t wish to derail Idaho’s thread
I have to deal with quite a bit of alcohol mediated stupidity on a weekly basis as drinking absurd amounts with regularity is heavily encouraged here, it’s considered odd if you aren’t drinking. I can’t tell you the amount of times people ask me “are you drinking tonight?” “Bro, what are you gonna be drinking tonight”. Discussing the beverage I’ll be consuming on a given night doesn’t pass for an interesting conversation to me. It’s like discussing strains of pot… Who cares, albeit at least with strains there’s purportedly a spectrum of differing effects; albeit I’ve never noticed a difference. It’s all just “weed” to me if using recreational.
I mean… Seriously, this kind of shit (going out and getting hammered) was exciting for me when I was like… Seventeen… At this point I see no allure to getting drunk like that (or getting that fucked up on anything). The game is so repetitive. Pregame by getting as drunk as possible on cheap wine/spirits and playing obnoxious drinking games. Coordination is immensely impaired and everyone becomes less able to hold a coherent conversation. Then you go clubbing and dance to shitty house music all night, you leave, eat McDonald’s and come home. By this time half the group has either passed out, puked or done something really fucking stupid.
This isn’t to say I don’t mind going out and getting loose once every now and again, but there are alternatives to alcohol that I vastly prefer of which have a shorter duration of action, less (or negated entirely) of a hangover, have fewer undesirable effects etc. Even the more toxic alternatives appear to be preferable. The euphoria derived from getting tipsy/a little bit drunk is strong, though I dislike the macronutrient breakdown within alcohol, the level of systemic toxicity and how it negatively skews athletic performance and body composition. Can’t get an erection when drunk either (at least I can’t), so that’s problematic.
The regularity by which I have to look after people who can’t look after themselves has left me with somewhat of a disdain towards alcohol. You can’t leave those in a bad way following excess consumption either, it’d be unethical and it’d weigh in my conscious if something bad happened.
I’ve also been around those who had or have drinking problems, albeit despite the destruction this can wreck upon familial/friendly relationships; this wasn’t what has almost totally put me off. Rather seeing near fatal injuries/accidents, fights, deviant behaviour, risky and regrettable sexual encounters, all sorts of gross bodily fluids etc has me stumped that it’s somehow so societally accepted to get plastered regularly. One of my co-workers drinks about half a litre of vodka per day and no one bats an eye, so long as it isn’t “drugs” it’s okay. Now, I’m not stating either ought to be openly accepted as two wrongs don’t make a right, though I do dislike blatant hypocrisy on the basis of ignorance.
I believe drinking patterns/the ability to self regulate increases with age, I don’t mind a glass of scotch with perhaps a cigar (#cancer… Had a nice Nicaraguan cigar last night), but I can’t get behind shoving funnels down my throat to consume one beer every six seconds (yes, I am able to do this and it is a neat party trick… But it’s so fucking stupid). Perhaps when I’m older things will change, but as things stand where they are I can’t stand drinking with others my age. Even crossing the realm into illicit territory, the game still appears to be “how can I get obnoxiously fucked up”. There’s no enjoying the moment, it’s a continual chase for more whilst at the same time failing to realise that TOO much almost always equates to having a bad time
And let’s talk about the frequency this is done. Getting plastered 3x/wk when you’re supposed to be studying at college is retarded… If your hedonistic habits are impeding academic performance perhaps you ought to look into the frequency by which you’re choosing vice over future employment prospects? Maybe you have a problem? Though binge drinking is so engrained here no one sees it this way. I hate the mentality that it’s somehow a right of passage to get absolutely shitfaced on a regular basis here. Imagine talking about any other substance and saying “yea I took X last night and punched some guy in the face, fucked my friends girl in the disabled bathroom, went home, blacked out and fell unconscious and woke up this morning covered in my own vomit.”
With alcohol people seem to be very understanding, “it happens to the best of us”. Well it fucking shouldn’t… There is no excuse for this shit. Imagine if you were to reiterate such a story replacing alcohol with virtually anything else. You’d be considered a god damned lunatic.
Sorry for the rant, I’m just very irritated with this paradigm and how at times I’m practically forced to drink. I’ll be sitting eating a nice dinner and all of a sudden a beer will be shoved into my hand and everyone will say “@unreal24278, you’re playing now”.
I know everyone means well, but I don’t want to be drinking if I have class the next day and I certainly don’t see the allure behind the same repetitive activities that lead to negative outcomes for many being repeated over and over and over. I’m sick of people asking if I’m drinking, then badgering me if I say “I’m not”. There are few who can relate to my stance though, sometimes I’m actually not drinking and staying sober, to which the teetotaling adult crowd commend me for my responsibility… But I’m not teetotal, so they can’t relate. Sometimes I just swap out booze for something else as despite risking a jail sentence/criminal record for it. I’d like to think I’m not degenerate criminal scum for doing this say once every month or two (weed is a different story. I do that like once a week as a treat at night to wind down after a hard week). What I may do occasionally in place of spending 100$+ on alcohol in one night is no different in my mind than drinking the way plenty of college students do on multiple occasions per week.
Even then, interacting with a bunch of drunk kids when relatively clear headed is irritating.
This isn’t to say my demographic doesn’t also do what I do, though it’s typically combined with copious amounts of alcohol and booze is always the no#1 as it’s perceived as cheaper despite this not being the case when you see plenty end up spending 200$ or so on alcohol within a single night. At this point I see little allure behind going past the state between the tipping point of tipsy and drunk. There is no fun in becoming paralytically drunk, so why do people keep repeating this? Am I wrong? Is there fun to be had in hurling over a toilet bowl for a good portion of the night?