Drinking epidemic in our business?

First off, I said that as a joke.
But I do like to get pretty drunk at times. I am sure there is no way any of us that like to drink hard will be able to convince of the fun of it, so I won't try.
And contrary to popular belief it doesn't cost a tremendous amount of money to get hammered unless you are doing shots or mixed drinks all night. Of course I live in mildly podunk so maybe it is just a lot cheaper here than in big cities, I don't know.

 

a) Drinking is fun.

II) Actually, alcohol is not BAD for you, just in and of itself. A glass of wine a day can be good for you, helping heart disease and such. A beer or two to relax might not be quite as healthy, consumption-wise, but it can help keep stress levels down, which absolutely contributes to positive overall health.

There is nothing wrong with consuming alcohol, in and of itself. I'll never understand religions (or other groups) that prohibit drinking. Prohibition failed once -- it'll fail again.

It's excessive drinking that causes harm, not drinking. The distinction there must be made.

EDIT: And Angola's right -- it doesn't have to be expensive if you don't want it to be. Just like anything else.

 

During an evening of drinking, there is a point where having that little bit of a buzz really does make things more fun. You feel more relaxed, people are funnier, chicks are better looking, everything is just a little bit better than it was three beers ago.

The trick is being able to maintain that three-beer buzz and catch it before it crosses the line into drunken stupidity. I used to be able to catch it about once in every 10 nights. As I get older, I'm finding it easier to locate the line without crossing it.

 

Angola, I've probably thrown up more alcohol than you've ever drank, so when I talk negatively of drinking, it's not from lack of experience, it's from too much.

Having said that, most people can drink casually (and occasionally heavily) without a problem, Buck. But having a Type A personality, a family history of alcoholism and "convenient" problems in my life make drinking more of a danger than a pleasure. So, Buck, a blanket statement like "drinking is fun" is BS.

 

I meant it as a joke, pall. No harm done.

That said, we in the States treat drinking (and other vices) kind of prudishly. If we treated drinking like the Europeans do (or even the Canucks), there wouldn't be much of an epidemic here. ... Most of us (at some point) find a "thrill" in drinking, and we enjoy that thrill. (Doesn't apply to all cases, but for many, many of us growing up, it does.)

I had a friend from B.C. whose parents had wine at dinner regularly -- she wasn't upper-class, it was just a normal thing to do -- and drinking was never such an illicit thrill for her as a kid because it was treated more casually than it is here in the States. She didn't understand the "drink 'til you're stupid" theory, either.

For me growing up, there was such a taboo against drinking that it was inevitable for me to look for ways around it. I found them.

 

Pallister I was responding to the poster before you with my post, so no need to get in a pissing match.

I know I am not doing good with my drinking when I start drinking by myself out of boredom rather than going to the bars to socialize.

 

You're right, no pissing match needed. Law & Order's on, gotta go.

 

I don't drink anymore........................................or less, for that matter.

I think I've set a record for Bloody Brains the last two nights.

 

I now enjoy getting drunk and limiting myself at the buzz level.

I get dumb-ass drunk maybe once per year now. It generally happens when I'm on vacation, and it's a function of having a good time with cool people and not really counting beers.

Anyway, buzz drinking is the way to go. Low hangover rate, I say less dumb shit.

 

I've never been a drinker, so no, drinking isn't a problem for me. I might have half a glass of champagne at a wedding or on New Year's Eve, but that's it.

As for co-workers, they seem to have it in check. Only worked with two people who I thought might be a tad excessive with the beer, but they didn't work in sports. They were photogs.

 

Diet soda is all the drinking I need.

Haven't had more than 8 ounces of alcohol in my life . . . and see no reason to start ingesting the poison now.

 

That's no excuse. Law & Order's always on!