# Impairing your mental ability? Disgusting! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 28, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092 "2003-10-28T20:10:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![bovinespy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@bovinespy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bovinespy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/81 "2003-10-31T07:03:21Z")
Hello. Newbie lurker here. Not wanting to tread on any toes, I’ll offer just my own recent personal experience. This past winter, I visited my parents, who live in Ireland. I spent 9 days with them with nothing stronger than a Scrumpy [Irish cider], and had a great time. My parents are both in their 70s with heart conditions, and any time with them is wonderfu. So, in a sense I partially agree with the OP about the family-time-Zen thing. And then I went to Portugal (never been before), and spent an unforgettable Saturday going around Lisbon, mostly on foot. And I was sober. However, I also really enjoyed my layovers in Amsterdam, and fully partook of the majesty of said city’s coffehouses… So I have to largely disagree with the OP’s position as being overly superficial and ignorant. ---
**Author:** ![CadburyAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@CadburyAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CadburyAngel)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/82 "2003-10-31T07:50:00Z")
The OP sounds incredibly like I did a year ago. Sorry, everybody. Let me give an example of one reason why I like to drink sometimes. Two Fridays ago, I watched a movie with my friend while drinking cranberry juice with vodka, then went to various small parties, visited some friends, came back and watched another movie while eating oatmeal and drinking water. Didn’t have a hangover, because I am disgustingly youthful and resilient, but my friend and I were definitely drunk. See, for the last two months, I have been having a lump in my breast investigated. I say this not for pity, which it doesn’t require, but to give context. I have had unpleasant medical procedures, unpleasant doctor’s office experiences, and had to start seeing a counselor for depression (every time I got new information, it looked more and more like cancer). Although the depression had lifted by the night of my example, I knew from experience that, try as I might, if there was a lull in conversation or a pause in my social interaction, my mind was going to leap to that health situation and gnaw on it until I was unhappy. Like most people (I assume), I generally have bits of my brain watching and criticizing other bits of my brain, second thoughts galore, interrupted and erratic thought trains, and many, many thoughts that never make it out of my mouth because I’m self-censoring so stringently. A certain level of alcohol removes that committee and I become more impulsive, relaxed, and able to live in the moment. The net result was that I could spend a whole night without drifting to the unpleasant topic or feeling sorry for myself. I enjoyed myself, and I was very glad I did. Without alcohol, I would have become too self-aware and self-pitying, and would have gone home to cry. It’s all very 10 Questions: Do you drink to forget your problems? Well, yes, I did. I don’t do it all the time: I see counselors, I talk to my friends and family, I do positive thinking exercises, I work out, I nap, and so forth. On that Friday night, vodka and cranberry juice was the fastest, most readily available, and most effective of my arsenal of coping mechanisms, so I employed it. Finding fun in natural ways is great, I understand that, and given the choice between standing in a summer storm and a shot of vodka, I would take the storm. But you can’t bottle storm. It was benign, by the way. Found out today. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/83 "2003-10-31T07:56:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by smiling bandit \* > \*\*Just being with my family is more than enough joy for me. if you need chemical help that badly, then I submit there is either something wrong with your brain or you need to reconsider your life. I didn’t present my OP in moral terms. I said its disgusting to do this to yourself, to escape by whacking your brain with drugs. \*\* Can we smoke and drink your family? 'Cause well, they seem pretty trippy. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/84 "2003-10-31T13:13:18Z")
> [@](#): > > It was benign, by the way. Found out today. Glad to hear it. > [@](#): > > Can we smoke and drink your family? I sincerely hope not. Well, whether you agree with me, disagree with me, or hate my blackened soul and wish to condemn me to eternal suffering for my effrontery, this has been an interesting pit thread for me. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/85 "2003-10-31T16:42:51Z")
Yes, please scamper off. ---
**Author:** ![carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrot)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/86 "2003-10-31T17:02:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by smiling bandit \* > \*\*Well, whether you agree with me, disagree with me, or hate my blackened soul and wish to condemn me to eternal suffering for my effrontery, this has been an interesting pit thread for me. \*\* Eh? What’s with that? Last I checked, **you** were the one who started this thread, to condemn people who don’t think like you. Now you’re claiming the high road? Piss off. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/87 "2003-10-31T17:44:15Z")
Take it up with the creatures of the forest, who, given the opportunity, will get stinkin’ drunk. It’s fun. Of course, the vomit stuff, not so much. (Man I miss Quaaludes… all the fun of alcohol, none of the sick. Plus a little toot to take the sleepy edge off, a magic combination. Those were the days…sigh…) ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/88 "2003-10-31T19:56:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wolfstu \* > \*\* > Plus, there’s the idea that if food is fuel for your body, then Big Macs are cheap gasoline with high moisture content, and alcohol and drugs are like putting sand in your gas tank. \*\* The “sand in the gas tank” analogy is interesting. I once took a great substance abuse class that was actually an evolutionary psychology class, because the professor was an evoluntary psychologist with tenure and everybody loved him. The class focused exclusively on food and alcohol, because they were the only two psychoactive substances with caloric value and the only two it’s impossible to avoid. Next to fat, alcohol is the most efficient way to ingest calories-important stuff if you’re a caveman. That it made people feel happy was probably a huge added bonus. I wonder if our ancient ancestors did essentially the same things modern humans do when they’re buzzed-tell stories of past hunts, play Toss the Round Thing, dance, hit on each other, debate the existence of Og. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/89 "2003-10-31T20:00:07Z")
> [@](#): > > The class focused exclusively on food and alcohol, because they were the only two psychoactive substances with caloric value and the only two it’s impossible to avoid. Um… I’ve been doing pretty well avoiding the alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/90 "2003-10-31T20:03:38Z")
“Let’s go paint ‘CAVE 23 RULEZ’ on the side of that sabertooth!”" ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/91 "2003-10-31T20:28:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > \*\*Um… I’ve been doing pretty well avoiding the alcohol. \*\* He meant coming into contact with it, not necessarily consuming it yourself. You don’t drink, but you’ve been around people who do. I refuse to eat certain types of food, but I’m constantly running into people who insist seafood and green peas are edible. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/92 "2003-10-31T20:40:51Z")
> [@](#): > > confess to an inability to say no. I will do pretty much any drug put in front of me as long as it doesn’t involve a needle. The first time I ever got high (smoked weed) I was 8 years old. My brother got me high so I couldn’t narc on him. I enjoyed it then and I have enjoyed it every since. I have done weed, booze, coke, speed, acid, GHB, Special K, Xtasy, and some I am sure I have forgotten about by now. I enjoy the feeling. I enjoy getting blasted with a few friends and sitting around and talking. I enjoy getting blasted by myself. I just really enjoy feeling any way other than the way I feel sober. :eek: :eek: Jesus! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/93 "2003-10-31T21:37:54Z")
Smoking pot is fun, and three beers makes me a pool shark. You don’t want to participate? More for me. You don’t want to hang out for me? Am I supposed to consider that a loss, you sanctimonious prig? I don’t _need_ it, but I _enjoy_ it. If you can’t make the distinction, you’re stupid as well. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > \*\*But without a six-pack, dogs and foxes will remain forever apart! \*\* Didn’t Disney make a movie about that? ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/94 "2003-10-31T22:17:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Or maybe my brain is just wired differently I’ll say. Hard to tell if you’re using your brain or your bunghole to come up with this shit. Then again, they are likely one and the same. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/95 "2003-10-31T22:17:14Z")
I play pool better after a few drinks, too. It’s kinda bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/96 "2003-11-01T03:30:38Z")
Whoa. When, why and how did all the choices narrow down to Puritanical Abstinence or Self-Inflicted Lobotomy? Not that extremes can’t be comfy and all… I come from families w/ alcoholism on both sides; never took a drink until I was 22. (Sorry, **yosemitebabe** , they were also hardcore classical music freaks. I was fad-impaired all around.) _Nobody_ ever pressured me to be otherwise. Frankly, most people just plain didn’t give that much of a shit. How people flow along is up to them. Adapting individual quirks about _anything_ is just part of life. I don’t share Buffy, Trek, D&D, Simpsons etc. passions either. _Anything_ taken to extremes can be poisonous. Turns out I enjoy wine w/ dinner, drinks w/ close friends but can take or leave alcohol. Who’d a thunk it? ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/97 "2003-11-01T03:41:02Z")
> [@](#): > > I play pool better after a few drinks, too. It’s kinda bizarre. Maybe not, 'cause me three. Don’t much play anymore, but with the right blend of liquor and MJ, there were few shots I couldn’t make. Dunno, but I chalk it up (pun unintended) to the angles. They just became that much clearer, as did the feel for the stroke. And then there’s the fact that most places that have pool tables serve booze – perhaps pool is _meant_ to be played with a slight buzz. Works for moi 😉 ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/98 "2003-11-01T05:29:26Z")
The OP should know that there are various classes of drugs, all with different effects and for different types of fun. Downright disingenueous to lump them together in terms of toxicity and addiction. The vast majority of drug users aren’t [physically dependent](http://www.economist.com/images/20010728/CSU150.gif). As for addiction, Health magazine has this [chart](http://cfsp.koolhost.com/caryns_essay/attacha.html). The Economist published a [survey](http://www.economist.com/printedition/displaystory.cfm?story_id=706591) on illicit drugs and public policy a couple of years back. Personally, I rarely drink alochol or smoke pot. Those drugs seem sedating, relaxing, not what I want. Stimulants are also very rare (coke, meth, Xtc). The only class I prefer is hallucinogens like LSD and mushrooms. I don’t take these to escape **from** life, but to escape **into** what can only be described as a sensory and cognitive wonderland. These drugs can be life-affirming and changing in the right environment. They will make you appreciate sensory and emotive nuances that your “developed” brain filters out. They aren’t really open to abuse, since tolerance builds up rapidly and breaks down rapidly after some days, so most users, who can be called heavy users, use it every weekend at the most. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092/99 "2003-11-01T06:36:21Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t need external stimuli to think or react, to excel on exams or ponder deep thoughts or spend time with my loved ones. So you don’t listen to music? You don’t watch the leaves change in autumn? You don’t read books? You don’t spend time in a garden? You don’t lose yourself (or find yourself) in Andrew Wyeth’s paintings of Helga? You don’t enjoy the exhileration of a rollercoaster or thought-provoking cinema? All of these are external stimuli. We made not absolutely _need_ them in our lives, but they can and do enrich the lives of many. (And it is difficult, really to “react” without external stimuli.) You remind me of the friend who would never eat mushrooms because they are fungus. And bleu cheese was out because it is moldy. She said, “Why develop a taste for these things? What’s the point?” She began to understand about the time that she discovered sour cream. If you choose not to drink, that’s fine! But there is no need to scoff smugly at those of us who are able to savor another of life’s joys if we are fortunate enough to be able to do it without causing problems for ourselves or others. And in the case of red wine, you _are_ missing out on something that can benefit your health. That’s your call. For us it is as silly as saying, “I don’t need to share Christmas dinner together to spend time with my loved ones!” Of course you don’t! But it’s nice when you can! > [@](#): > > Why is being loose and uninhibited considred a good thing. All you have to do is use different words to see the answer: “Why is being relaxed considered a good thing?” > [@](#): > > I have my inhibitions because there are some things I don’t enjoy and don’t want to enjoy, things I don’t do and don’t want to do. If you don’t enjoy something, don’t do it. That’s not an inhibition. Inhibitions are restrictions that we place on ourselves to keep us from fully being ourselves. Sometimes inhibitions are wise. (Maybe we should feel a little inhibited about being rude to our mothers-in-law.) Sometimes inhibitions are not reasonable. (If we never allow ourselves to express our feelings – even when we need to, for example, that’s probably not healthy for us.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impairing-your-mental-ability-disgusting/210092.md?page=4)