I know quite a few people who have said they would still drink even if it didn’t get them drunk. A cold beer or a fine wine or some good single malt scotch is a fine beverage in and of itself. There’s many people who have switched to decaf coffee because they like the taste of it but they don’t want the effects of caffiene. I’ve known other people who have said after they quit smoking that kicking the nicotine wasn’t so bad but they miss the ritual that goes around smoking.
Assuming all drugs were legal and cheap but didn’t get you buzzed in any way, what drugs would you do?
Haven’t smoked weed in many years, but one of the problems I had with the really high quality stuff was that it tasted so good that I kept smoking well past the point of being high.
If it wasn’t illegal, didn’t get me high, but also didn’t cost so ungodly much, I’d still find it mighty tasty.
Alcohol in the form of good wine and beer, without question. I drink those now because I enjoy the taste, smell, mouth feel, and so forth, not because I like getting drunk. In truth, I’d wouldn’t miss that part at all, since I’m a cheap drunk and my partner can’t drink most beer at all (can’t consume any wheat or barley products), which means that lots of great beers that come in large bottles are off-limits for me (can’t split them, and I hate to waste).
I’d keep doing caffeine, too, because I enjoy coffee and tea. I don’t seem to get much of a buzz from caffeine, anyway.
If tobacco were rendered noncarcinogenic as well as losing the effects of nicotine, I think I’d take up smoking again. I enjoy the smell of good tobacco that hasn’t been mucked up with crap to make it burn slower or what-have-you. Maybe I’d just put some in a bowl and let it burn, like incense.
I agree. I appreciate good wine and spirits for several reasons not one of which is “to be able to get drunk.”
Actually, I found this to be odd about the OP because it suggests that the reason people drink is solely to get drunk. Not at all true. If someone drank a whack of my cognac in order to get drunk it would be such a terrible waste of something that should be savored, I’d be pissed.
If there were no health risks of smoking, I might consider taking up a pipe. I’ve smelled some deliciously scented tobaccos and would be curious to explore the flavors.