h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

OK, so there are the obvious answers, like it helps you to relax, and its fun, but i'm wondering why people don't choose other forms of relaxation and enjoyment?
i've got nothing against alcohol, but i do have something against people getting stupidly drunk. it just seems pointless. i'd like to know people's thoughts on this...
^. .^
= ' =

People sometimes need a less obgective point of view on themselves in order to like themselves, and drinking aids in that purpose.

There are meny other reasons, but I haven't the time to go on at the moment.


Dancer

Hmm, I drink to escape.

*cruising around hungover, looking for easy postings*

This question begs the classic folk poet's answer:

"There are many reason for drinking,
and one has just entered my head.
If ya canna drink when yer living,
How the heck can ya drink when yer dead?"

But seriously ...the way the question is posed suggests to me the questioner is experiencing some real life encounter with the more unpleasant aspects of alcohol. So let me say emphatically, get away from it. Far away from it.
Never stay involved with anyone who cannot handle their liquor or who repeatedly gets too drunk, too often.
About the only regrets I have, in my tired old life, involve the time, energy and money spent on friends and lovers who were determined to become incurable alcoholics in spite of me.
Please, always avoid those who cannot drink for pleasure and comfort, or who take the pleasure and comfort out of it for you.
peace
jwf

I agree with jwf. While alcohol is enjoyable and relaxing and fun, etc. when someone is addicted to it everyone around them gets hurt. Ultimately nothing is more important to an alcoholic than alcohol and they will choose alcohol over everything and everybody else. The other aspect of alcohol drinking I despise is drink driving. I think it should be outlawed completely. I have no objection to individuals choosing to incapacitate themselves (I'm no saint and I enjoy drinking) but their behaviour is purely selfish and dangerous when they put themselves in control of a potentially lethal machine. Having the occassional drink to relax is fine but when alcohol becomes yuor main coping mechanism you need to review things.

I drink because it tastes nice.
And sometimes I drink because I'd quite like to talk over a sensitive subject with my bloke, and a drink or two eases our inhibitions enough to do it. Plus, we can always blame any embarressment on the drinks.

Sometimes we get carried away though, and end up not being able to talk, let alone discuss.

Alcohol makes ugly women prettier

Hmm, the taste obviously,
loostening inhibition,
peer presure, hmm,
social pressures, hmmm,
taste,
social,
taste,
hmm,

A good question to which many an answer has given, like prohibitons laws and taxation and religious convictions. Usage of alcohol has very strong and old traditions to back it up as well as the social factors. For example, everyone expects that drinks are served on most formal occasions and during freetime drinking is also assumed. But I suppose everyone has rather good grasp of these aspects of the culture.

What I see as one of the main reasons for the pervalence of drinking is that it's effect is guaranteed. Regardless of how tired you are of how you are feeling, the alcohol will affect you. As a form of relaxation, it is guaranteed, easy and effective.

This is also one of the main reasons why it causes lot of problems for many people. Were the alcohol to fail sometimes, I believe there would be considerably less alcoholics. That, however, is merely speculation. The bottle remains is an escape route that is always available.

I suppose I should add that I don't drink much myself, partially because I don't like malts and partially because I do not like the idea of giving up control or the responsibility of myself.

I enjoy a couple of drinks in the evening as they help me unwind after a stressful day, however more than a couple and I become too relaxed. I think it has a similar effect on most people, therefore if everyone met after work and sipped just orange juice, somehow I can't see it being a great evening.

Although, or course too much drink can also ruin an evening out - it's a pity people can't always control the amount they consume.

My ex-husband had what I considered to be a drink problem - on an average weekday evening at home he would drink a bottle of red wine followed by approx. 4 large whiskys (minimum). If we were out socially or on weekends, he would drink considerably more and would always end up extremely and embarrassingly drunk. After an incident, I persuaded him to go to the doctor and seek help. To my utter amazement, the doctor said that as he only really ever drank in the evenings and not all day long, he didn't have a problem!!

One reason why I have a drink is the knowledge that it will upset wowsers and other fellow travellers of the anti personl freedom/responsibility thought police.

The lack of access to alcohol in many Middle Eastern countries hasn't done much to promote friendly inter-personal relations.

Hmm, I suppose I sounded a bit preaching there

About drinking orange juice, I do agree, but I also do believe that I do not need to drink anything to relax myself, just the company of friends, and as such, I see it is as something people have learned, gotten accustomed to.

Not that there would be anything wrong with it, but as with just about everything, the very thing that makes alcohol so popular also makes it difficult for some to master their drinking. Also it makes drawing the line of reasonable drinking more difficult.

And about Middle East, I don't know anything about drinking habits there, but I do find forcing people not to do something or to do another thing very silly and counterproductive in general. After all alcohol is just a liquid; if one views it as a black&white drink/don't drink issue, you really don't see anything worth seeing.

Moderate drinkers have a higher IQ than teetotallers, according to a Japanese study published recently in New Scientist.

In the study, 2000 people aged between 40 and 79 were tested by the National Institute for Longevity Sciences near Tokyo. Men who drank "moderately" - defined as less than 540 millilitres of sake or wine - were found on average to have an IQ 3.3 points higher than men who did not drink at all. Female drinkers scored 2.5 points higher than female teetotallers.

The type of alcohol did not influence the results. The difference was the same whether the volunteers drank beer, whisky, wine or sake.

I've always wondered why people drink.

Especially with beer. It's disgusting.

Most other stuff is yummy, which is why some people say I have too much.

I don't think you can say the taste obviously. I can't really remember having met anyone who when they drank their first beer found it tasted good. I haven't really found any alcohol that I like the taste of so I've never started drinking. But then you often hear peple talk about how you just need to get used to it, and after a few beers you don't taste it anymore and such. Why I would want to drink something that taste awful only to vomit and get a headache I don't know.

It also seems stupid how people can get drunk and act weird and have fun. But if you act weird and have fun while being sober, that is a bad thing. Then they consider you to be a moron for acting weird. Why can't it be acceptable to relax and have fun without getting drunk first?

Interesting, I've always preferred over any other form of alcohol because of the taste (Bourbon being the rare exception).

If you ask me why I drink, I really have no idea. I guess, for me, it's a simple pleasure and it doesn't hurt anyone else in the process. I have a couple of beers maybe once a fortnight, and usually in a social setting, with food.

I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, I don't even drink tea or coffee. I do occasionally like a beer. A lager or a pilsener during summer, a dark ale during winter.

You might as well ask people why they put pineapple on their pizza.

As for other people's lack of self-control, I don't know and don't particularly care. People should be responsible for their own actions, is this not so?

Xanatic, why do you assume people who drink, do so to get drunk?

I know that it is probably mainly because of my age group. But that really seems to be the sole purpose of drinking for the people I've talked to. So they do things like mix Vodka with other things, so they can disguise the taste of the vodka but still get drunk. Would they do that if they just drank for the taste of it?

I drink for the taste of it which is why I only drink specific things and wouldn't touch some stuff if you paid me. I think the idea of alcopops is stupid. If I want a fizzy drink I'll drink lemonade. I love real ale. I greatly enjoy the taste of a pint of bitter and am quite content to have just one or two and not get drunk.

Back to the middle eastern thing.

Islam doesn't permit drinking, so many Islamic Middle Eastern goverments prevent it's impor or production, but it is not a generally middleeastern thing. A lot of arab countries have christian arabs, and even jewish arabs, and they may drink.


Dancer