The Benefits/Joys of drinking, both mildly and excessively

[gmergurl]

Alright, now I know I'm going to sound like a stupid little twelve-year old but please bear with me. I am almost 21 and where I live that is the minimum age to drink. I have been almost bombarded my entire life for reasons not to drink (alcohol poisoning, loss of inhibitions, hangovers, etc.) to the point that in high school I came to the conclusion I would just never drink, it doesn't even interest me all that much, I could have as much fun at a party with soda than with a beer or whiskey or whatever. Even my own parents don't drink that much, at most a beer (seriously a beer) at home right before they go to bed.

This said, I am now at college and see quite a few drinking people that range from can't walk to like my parents and probably not even buzzed... so I decided to rethink my position however, I still can't quite shake the whole, the cons out weigh the pros feeling.

So because none of my personal friends are of age yet either I don't know where else to go to ask:
What are the benefits or joys of drinking, both mildly or excessively?
Why do people drink until they really can't walk anymore?
Why don't hangovers stop people from ever doing it again?

No flaming please, keep it polite, thanks.

 

[Saxm13]

Not a party goes by that i don't ask my friends the same questions.

I'm personally quite content with my Canada Dry ginger ale. =P

 

[Cowabungaa]

Mildly? Well, I find some alcoholic drinks simply tasty. Simple as that. The fact that they're alcoholic, eh, whatever. Alcoholic drinks aren't purely there just to get drunk from you know. Sadly a lot of young people do treat them that way. I just like the taste of a sweet white wine, a smooth whiskey or some Bailey's.

But I never drink enough to get really drunk. I don't see the appeal of poisoning myself, which is what getting hammered technically is. And I don't like the sound of hang-overs. At all.

snip

Thing is, often that can't-walk-thing goes paired with I-can't-remember-anything, at least that's what lots of people around me tell me. And I can't understand the fun of that. What's fun about...well, what's fun about not knowing the apparently fun stuff?

 

[DaJoW]

First of all: If you don't want to drink, then don't. I've never tried to talk anyone into drinking and try to stop people from doing it, 'cause that's just wrong. That said...

Good alcoholic drinks taste better than non-alcoholic drinks imo (especially a nice wine), and can vary into flavours you rarely or never see non-alcoholic drinks taste. Alcohol-free wines and beers are usually decent, but not as good as the "real deal" because it's a smaller market and in removing the alcohol you remove a lot of flavour. A low-alcoholic Guinness doesn't taste anywhere near as good as a normal Guinness, for instance. Coke is nice, but with a splash of rum it becomes something else entirely. Tonic water is decent, but add gin and some lemon and it becomes delicious.

Alcohol also lowers people's inhibitions, and in small amounts that can be a very good thing. I'm nowhere near as social when perfectly sober as I am after a couple of beers or a couple of glasses of wine. This can easily go too far and take a turn for the worse of course, but most people manage it just fine.

A slight buzz simply makes things more fun. You laugh longer and more intensely at stuff, and you find stuff that isn't all that funny to be hilarious. It might sound like it makes you stupid, but it's the same for other people, and in the end you are still laughing.

It makes people do things you don't do when sober. This can be either good or bad depending on the people, but with the right people it can be fantastic. I've spent an entire evening walking around a cruise ship full of drinking Swedish students and singing songs with my friends, going into open cabins to sing a few songs with the people there and moving on. I met a lot of people that way and we recruited a bunch of people we'd never met before to go with us. It was great fun, and not something that's likely to happen when everyone's sober. (Note: Singing songs is an integral part to studying at a university in Sweden, we have our own special books of songs and everything, mostly with re-written lyrics, some known nationally others locally)

In Sweden we have a tradition of having "nubbe" or "snaps" at large or celebratory dinners. They are basically shots of "brännvin" (a very wide-spanning name but basically fairly strong liquor, if flavoured then usually with anise, elderberry, St. Johns wort or wormwood), which should always be greeted with song. Depending on the occasion, you usually have 1-3. These are not intended to make you drunk, just for traditions sake and kind of as a sign that something special's going on.

 

[Super Six One]

You only live once, just give it a try, if you don't like it just don't continue doing it. Just remember that if you have never drank it's gonna hit you hard the first few times so might want to take it easy.

I mean these days i have to go really at it to get unable to walk drunk, were as some of my frinds struggle to keep up with me (i'm not very built or fat either, you'd expect me to be a bit of a lightwieght). Plus you have some bizzare and funny stories to talk about with your frinds when you do, like waking up in a skirt, in someones bathtub, in a different city from when the night began. Although saying that i've kinda went of alcohol these days, it feels rarther depressing when you realise that you basically only see your friends when your drunk.


Oh and hangovers? Not when you have Irn Bru

 

[darth.pixie]

Same reason most people do stuff.

It's..fun. They're tasty. They loosen you up.

I've been drinking since a long time before reaching drinking age though not to the point of not being able to walk or even getting very drunk. Mostly because it takes too many drinks thus too much money to get drunk. But honestly, drinking isn't all that bad unless it's done excessively. Like all things.

And some people don't get hangovers, like drinking and forget how the hangovers feel...they get an aspirin and move on.

 

[DenUrs]

I have been almost bombarded my entire life for reasons not to drink (alcohol poisoning, loss of inhibitions, hangovers, etc.)

Loss of inhibitions is a bad thing?

 

[DJDarque]

I like to drink for a buzz. It relaxes me and makes life more enjoyable for a short time. I've only ever been faded once, and while nothing really crazy happened I wouldn't do it again. A couple of drink here and there are fine for me. And if it's your first time drinking, drink a good amount of water and eat some bread before going to sleep. It helps prevent a hangover. I know people have different methods, but I think this one works the best.

 

[Togs]

your post mentions loss of inhibitions as a negative which I struggle to understand- inhibiting our baser natures is necessary and admirable but after awhile all that repression can have detrimental effects on your mental health.
Alcohol strips all that away and gives you an excuse to air all that tension and stress in a controlled environment.

And hangovers are part of the fun- you had a good time the night before and everytime you feel ike your gonna puke or your head hurts like hell it reminds you of the night before, and as you and your mates sit around talking about what happened it creates a sense of fraternity.

And whilst this may seem strange Im always very wary around people of age who dont drink- if you dont trust yourself enough to loose control, how can you expect others to trust you?

 

[rockingnic]

For me, getting drunk means me doing stupid shit for just the fun of it like either trying to do kick flips on a skateboard where my balance is questionable, even while just standing or sitting or going off the roof of a house on my snowboard >_>

But be warned, when you're drunk you will do somethings that might regret later.

 

[Spade Lead]

if you dont trust yourself enough to loose control, how can you expect others to trust you?

This quote wins the thread. I like the feeling of getting buzzed, and am glad I did so on St. Patrick's Day for the first time this year. (I am 26, so I have been missing out)

I had a lot of fun, made a bit of a fool of myself (in a good way), and just generally had a great time. If you can't cut loose and relax, how do you expect to experience the best parts of life?

 

[Daveeo]

Drinking with your friends at parties and such is just so much fun. And you get quite a nice feeling aslong as you dont drink too much. And the hangovers gets easier and easier if you drink more often.

 

[Crazy_Dude]

My little brother just came back with a MAJOR hangover from last night. He also puked multiple times that night and also today.

I dont pity him I was his age once and after a few times I got wasted I dont really drink that much anymore. Occaisional beers yes but not getting wasted just because I can.

I still prefer weed above alcohol. You can smoke it all you want and wont end up with some major hangover.

 

[dragonslayer32]

Beer never hurt anyone, it is the stronger stuff that gives you poisioning and liver failure. That said, when I say beer, I mean a few pints a day, not a lot. Also, Dutch courage. Alcohol (in the right amount) gives you courage you never thought you had.

Here is a song you might enjoy, I think it gets my point across...

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

The pros of alcohol outweigh the cons by a very long way. It's fun, it makes people open up more (which stops parties from being shit) and everyone needs to have 'that one night that you don't remember'. If you're really worried just don't drink spirits; it's fairly easy to control how drunk you get when you drink beer.

 

[gmergurl]

If you can't cut loose and relax, how do you expect to experience the best parts of life?

I guess that's my thing, I feel like I can cut loose and relax without the need of alcohol. I don't feel like I need to lose any inhibitions to have fun (though

snip

had some good points).


Also, about all the people who say loosing your inhibitions isn't bad, I guess it's too broad of a topic. I've heard plenty of "got drunk and pregnant" stories to also scare me away from the stuff forever. (I am a girl, just fyi incase anyone missed that) However, I do see the points of that it can also be liberating, I guess I just don't see that need in my life. I'm not saying that I won't ever drink either, I have thought about just trying it at least once (however being one of the oldest of my friends that might be a little interesting... (really strict campus police)).

Thanks for all the posts so far! Please keep them coming I am learning alot! =)

Edit: I realize now that saying I would try it once kinda contridicts to what I was saying earlier. What I meant was that I was sort of planning on drinking on my birthday, seeing as its kinda family tradition, but beyond that, I wasn't really planning on touching the stuff.

 

[Mr Kaneda]

Yeah the pros outweigh the cons by far. I used to think that I wouldn't drink, and that I didn't like the taste of any alcohol, and while beer can be somewhat of an acquired taste, I now love beer, cider and whiskey (although not exactly liking the taste of vodka doesn't stop me drinking it). It's an excellent social lubricant, I don't know about other people but it certainly makes me much more outgoing. Nevertheless self control should be exercised as being drunk stops being fun when you end up with your face in the toilet for the whole night. Maybe I have a fast metabolism, but I've never had a hangover worse than still feeling drunk the next morning. Some fresh air usually clears me up, and drinking water before you go to bed helps. I'd recommend trying cider or coke with spirits to begin with.