Are people really threadin' while drunk?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Having just read Democritus’ There’s a Spider in my Bathroom thread, and his mention that he was drunk made me wonder if he and others like him who mention they are drunk reading/posting the Straight Dope are serious.

I have never really figured the attraction to alcohol. I drink occasionally and have been drunk a couple times in my life, but drinking is no big deal to me. However I accept that other people enjoy drinking more than I do. I can understand drinking at parties, social situations, after work or kicking back on the weekend. I can even accept that people might drink while online, though my understanding of the why is pretty thin. But getting drunk while posting to a message board? That one makes no sense to me at all. Seems to me that being drunk would be counter-productive in trying to understand what others are saying or getting others to understand you.

Are people serious or are they just using it as a cute excuse for making a silly post?

2

See, it’s not that we necessarily get drunk while posting to the board. It’s usually, for me at least, that I get drunk while in chat with abunch of the folks, Democritus included.

If you’ll notice, when a sot like myself comes into a thread and claims a bit of an alcohol-induced stupor, it is rarely ever a thread that has weight to it, and is usually an amusing post.

As far as understanding goes, hey. We’re all pretty smart folks here, and don’t usually have a problem getting our points across. In fact, I’ve seen more miscommunication in sober people than I have in drunken ones on the boards and in chat.

Thank you for your support.

3

Seeing that alcohol is the only real drug that big brother will let you have, It’s no wonder it has become Americas drug of choice. I think everyone who claims to be drunk is probably only “buzzed”, meaning having a blood alcohol level below .10, but above .05%. If they were all heavily loaded I think it would be difficult to understand what they were posting. I myself like to cruise the web (and the SDMB) at about .08%. Some of us like to feel this way every single night. So what? Try it, you might like it.

Of course, a few may be lying about their intoxication and others may just well be blitzed out of their mind. How about a survey?

4

Devil in disguise, I am with you there. I do not quite know how to react when people say to me things like “boy, did I get drunk last night” implying they had a great time… To me it sound really stupid and I do not know what to say… “was the vomiting good?” I think alcohol (like tobacco) are social things … people like to get drunk because they think other people think it is a cool thing to do.

Young people can blame the drink for all their stupidity and avoid responsibility… they can have sex with anyone and think it doesn’t count… girls are much easier when they are drunk…

I have never got drunk on purpose (a few times by accident and always in the most embarrasing situations).

While I do not like being around drunk people, a drunk woman is the most unappealing sight to me. I remember a couple of first dates where, the moment I picked them up I could already smell the alcohol in their breath and I have never been so turned off.

But people keep making that type of jokes like getting drunk is a universal pleasure and I can only smile back awckwardly. I just never invite them to my home as I do not care for drunk people vomiting over my furniture.

5

I’m also in the same ‘alcohol doesn’t rock my boat camp,’ but the appreciation of any drug is a mix of social and genetic factors. There is an alcoholic gene, no not Gene on the third floor, but a genetic link for making alcohol work a lot better on you and raising your chances of becoming physically addicted. Maybe there’s a generic link for people who don’t enjoy drinking, who knows.

As far as posting or using the web drunk, its pretty easy if you come home from a night out and have some time to burn before going to bed. As to drinking being a universal pleasure, far from it, its usually an easy way to express ‘I went out and got high/buzzed/did something stupid/did something fun/did something dangerous’ etc.

As for the vomiting, invite some people over and fire up the bong, ya prude.

6

Unususally, I am completely sober, although a little hungover, at this moment. Often, I’ll come home drunk, log on to chat, have a look at the boards and see if there’s the opportunity for a bit of drive-by posting, smart ass comment or, very occasionally, useful post. Doesn’t everyone post drunk? It’s more fun. Although it can be a little frustrating trying to remember which threads you posted too.

7

Hey, it’s not like I’m driving under the influence, or operating heavy machinery - I would have thought that surfing would be one of the most innocuous things you can do with a bit of a buzz on.

8

Other people in the computer lab wonder, though, why i’m having to cover one eye up.

9

What’s the appeal of losing all bodily and mental control? Never understood it. Never will, as far as I’m concerned. Alcoholism runs in the family, both sides.

10

Off to MPSIMS.

11

Yep, I do it quite a bit . If I’m not up to anything I like having a drink while looking at t.v. or a video and since I look in on the board nearly every night it is inevitable that I will post drunk or stoned sometime . I’m rarely very drunk but I do remember one occasion when a four line post took me 30mins to type and I had to close one eye to focus on the screen. when I looked at the post the next day it was full of typos.
I would always try to steer away from anything serious when in a altered state of mind .

12

<soapbox>
Having once (and only once) experienced an alcohol-induced blackout (it was weeks before I could remember the behavior my friends thought was so entertaining), I feel qualified to respond to some of the questins regarding alcohol consumption. Besides, I’ve invested years of research on the subject (difficult, I know, but someone has to make these sacrifices in the name of science :D).

Americans use “drunk” to describe every sensation attributable to alcohol consumption, from “I can feel the effects – barely” to “who left the door open? The elephants are getting through the screen door again!” This leads to a great deal of confusion.

Someone who posts an “I’m drunk while I’m typing this” is boasting about their incredible tolerance for alcohol, in the mistaken belief that this is a good thing. Either that or they have no idea what an unpleasant experience they’ve missed by stopping before they get commode-clutchingly sick.

I’ve always gotten the impression that the declaration that “I’m drunk while I’m doing this” ranks right up there with “I have a penis” on the witty-and-intelligent-remark scale. If you were really drunk, yod aspell aabpout like thiss and you’d be as coherent as my dog, Buster (vocabulary: “woof!”, “Whuff!”, and some sound he makes by clapping his jaws shut repeatedly). You don’t need to tell us you’re drunk. If you were really drunk, we’d notice.

Sure, drinking can help you relax and feel a bit less uncomfortable in a social situation, but it isn’t the source of your fun.
</soapbox>

As far as what’s the attraction, alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. In moderation, there are some supposed health benefits. In excess, however, there are both short-term and long-term health concerns.

Used in moderation, the right glass of alcoholic beverage is good with a meal, gives you something to do with your hands while engaging in conversation with relative strangers, and the reduced inhibition can allow you to unselfconsciously get out on the dance floor and not worry that you have in excess of three left feet. In moderate amounts, you don’t lose self-control. Rather, you lose some resistance to having a good time. Besides, if you have the right beverage, it tastes good.

Of course, if you slam it down like gatorade on a hot day, swilling until you’re falling down and looking for some place to pass out or hurl, you are overdoing things a bit. If you frequently find yourself in that condition, you have a problem.

As far as “I was drunk” being used as an excuse for rude, obnoxious, immoral, illegal, or plain, old stupid behavior that the drinker would otherwise not engage in, remember this: You were sober before you started drinking. You knew before you started drinking that some uninhibited behavior might result if you overindulge. If you do not decide not to overindulge before drinking (or are unable to help yourself once drinking has commenced) you are still responsible for your behavior.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go pour myself some brandy.

Hmmm… I must’ve left the soapbox on after all.

~~Baloo

13

After going out, I will usually log on to check my e-mail, which will inevitably lead to checking a “few” sites I usually frequent, or go to the IRC room I chat regularly on. Sometimes, when I’ve had quite a few too many, this can lead to me checking to see exactly what in Jim Beam’s name I posted the night before, or checking the mIRC logs to see if I made a complete jackass of myself.

It’s all in fun…

14

Never, ever, ever, ever, EVER try and play Everquest while stoned…especially when waiting for the boat.

(Pot + Everquest) x Boat = Falling Asleep

[if you don’t know what Everquest is…nevermind]

15

I wish that computers would come with optional Breathalysers so that I could be prevented from posting when drunk - or, more importantly, emailing when drunk. Actually, after last night I wish mobile phones had the same device :o

16

Hmmmm, lets see. You haven’t done it, or just don’t get the enjoyment of alcohol. And that makes those of us who do bad people? It makes you superior? Nice attitude…move to Cuba nimrods.

17

Very well said Omni.

18

I’m drunk now.

19

I get tipsy now and then… but I’ve never lost “all bodily and mental control” and I think it’s quite a leap for you to suggest that those who post “drunk” are so totally blitzed.

20

android209 hopes he never meets Baloo at a party