# What is your relationship to alcohol? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 12, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692 "2018-02-12T16:19:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/61 "2018-02-12T22:16:10Z")
I’m a 7. I use it as a sleep aid. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/62 "2018-02-12T22:20:17Z")
I’m closest to a 2. I have never drunk\* alcohol, and consider all accounts of drinking to be bizarre and unappealing, turning me further off from the behavior. However I don’t hate or shun people who do drink - to the point that I’ve been around people seriously drinking at least three times. The drunk people were kind of silly, in a freak show way, but I was also sort of horrified on their behalf for the damage that had been (temporarily) done to their minds and personalities. - I can taste smells, if they’re strong, and on two of the occasions when people were drinking around me the smell of alcohol was strong enough that I tasted it. It was unpleasant. (Though not as unpleasant as the taste of perfume.) I did not inhale enough alcohol particles to get me tipsy, I don’t think, but then again isn’t that just what a tipsy person would say? ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/63 "2018-02-12T22:37:15Z")
3 for me. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/64 "2018-02-12T22:48:54Z")
I bounce around from 5 to 7 depending on a bunch of factors. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/65 "2018-02-12T22:49:13Z")
5.5. I enjoy alcohol, and I enjoy the buzz. ---
**Author:** ![Sveltington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@Sveltington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sveltington)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/66 "2018-02-12T22:49:49Z")
We are estranged. I like to drink, I like the way I feel when I drink: funnier, wittier, more attractive. I like the little voice that says, after my first sip, "oooh Sveltington that was sooooo good. You don’t have enough fun. Have another drink. I stopped drinking years ago when I finally admitted to myself I was an alcoholic. Fortunately this happened before I killed myself or someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/67 "2018-02-12T22:59:46Z")
5 and 7?? I like drinking, I generally get a drink not long after I get home and settle, and frequently end the day with a buzz. However I wouldn’t/don’t struggle without. I just took a month off because I wanted to lose a couple pounds and see if it would help my blood pressure. Wasn’t a struggle at all, in fact I found it pleasant in a few respects. So it’s too early to claim to be a 3 or 4, but I would say that’s where I’ll land. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/68 "2018-02-12T23:05:44Z")
I don’t drink. Well, rarely. During the 8 years that my (now ex) wife and I were together - counting dating prior to marriage - she could count on one hand the number of drinks she saw me take. She was a drug addict who liked to party. My mom had sobriety issues for a few years, though she seemed to have shrugged them off before her death almost 3 years ago. I’ve been an EMT for a little over 8 years. I’ve had to be on-scene at bar fights, domestic violence, and crashes caused by alcohol. I don’t have a problem with people who use alcohol. What I have a problem with is people who don’t know their limitations. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/69 "2018-02-12T23:37:01Z")
I don’t drink, but I would be a flaming drunk if I did. I have a large family who all drink, they wouldn’t admit it but, they are all from 5 to 9s. I always felt like someone needed to be sober at family functions there were always kids around and people being all kinda foolish. I have had so many experiences that came too close to the knuckle, folks, because of alcohol. I am a nervous Nellie anyway so, no, it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to imbibe. I know nothing about AA. None of my family ever quit drinking, no matter what. So I am a -1. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/70 "2018-02-12T23:40:35Z")
#3 now. When I was in the military, I was a solid 7, tending toward 8 on occasion. I come from a family of 8s and 9s, so there’s that. Nowadays, I can’t recall the last time I had a glass of wine or a beer. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/71 "2018-02-13T00:05:19Z")
I was a seven, but the nice people at the hospital told me that I had to choose between my longterm paramour alcohol and not, y’know, dying, so we’re no longer together. I don’t often get to quote Dennis Hopper from River’s Edge, but I think in this case it kinda fits: “I put my gun up to the back of her head and blew her brains right out the front. I had to… I was in love”. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/72 "2018-02-13T00:12:05Z")
I’m a pretty solid 5, but fluctuate between 4 and 6 from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/73 "2018-02-13T00:23:25Z")
I’m a 5 or 6. I like getting a decent level of drunkenness maybe once a week. If I drink more than that I get sick of it pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/74 "2018-02-13T00:59:14Z")
Between 2 and 3. I can go weeks and not drink, but in the past week, I split a bottle of beer with my wife one night and had a small glass of wine this afternoon. When we stayed with a friends for two nights, I had a couple glasses of egg nog each night. ---
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/75 "2018-02-13T01:16:36Z")
I consider myself a proud member of Alcoholics Unanimous. That is, my alcohol consumption is significant, and has been a net positive on my life in terms of the people I’ve met, the places I’ve visited, the events I’ve witnessed, and the things I’ve learned in the course of enjoying alcohol (in particular, researching and trying out new varieties of beer and whiskey). That said, I would put myself around a 5 or 6. I’ve taken breaks from alcohol of between a month and a year in length, mostly just to prove to myself that I can, and have suffered no ill effects from it. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/76 "2018-02-13T01:34:25Z")
Username / post irony! > [@](#): > > 1. I like drinking in moderation. I’m not often shit-faced, but it is a helpful social lubricant/catalyst. > 2. I like drinking; I could do without it, but my life would be less rich. > 3. I like drinking, and I would struggle if all alcohol on the planet suddenly vanished. I’m between a 4 and 6. I would only struggle without the taste of wine which I really like. Even with the same amount of alcohol, beer and liquor doesn’t make me feel as good since it tastes so bad. But on the other hand, since #4 does say _shit-faced_, while I drink a bottle of wine at least once a week, it’s rare for me to polish off much more than that. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/77 "2018-02-13T01:42:23Z")
Probably a 6 Me: I’m worried I’m using alcohol as a crutch Friend: Crutch my ass - I got a fuckin’ Lazyboy ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/78 "2018-02-13T01:57:39Z")
Elements of 1 through 3. I don’t have any compulsion to drink. I usually go weeks without any alcohol and haven’t gotten drunk in years. I can have 1 drink and keep it at 1. I’ve had a bottle of Knob Creek in my fridge since 2014 and it’s still not empty. I might drink the equivalent of 3 beers once every few months in the form of light sparkling cider. If I drink a lot, it’ll be in the form of girly drinks like mimosas and zombies. I mainly use alcohol to add punch to coffee, juice or food, maybe 1-2 times a month. My paternal grandfather, father, stepmother and two maternal uncles were alcoholics so I do have a fair amount of acquaintance with what alcoholics can be like. I’m glad for pot legalization mainly because it’s a much superior alternative to alcohol that doesn’t turn people angry or violent and doesn’t depress and atrophy the prefrontal cortex (or at least not to the extent alcohol does). Frequent or high alcohol doses turn people into chimps. > [@Jacquernagy](#): > > I don’t touch alcohol myself. After too many bad experiences in the past - some of which still make me physically nauseous to think about - I have realized it is not worth it. Not when there are other substances that provide a superior mental experience _and_ don’t have the same physical consequences. Presumably, that includes pot? Anything else you would put in that category? ---
**Author:** ![Graymalkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@Graymalkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Graymalkin)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/79 "2018-02-13T02:05:51Z")
#3 I guess. I used to love to drink, but I have outgrown it. Ya gotta be young to drink hard, and I ain’t young any more. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/80 "2018-02-13T02:09:15Z")
> [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > Probably somewhere between #5 and #6, depending on how you define “struggle”? I’d be fine with not-drinking most of the time, in most circumstances, if all the alcohol on the planet suddenly vanished, but I would definitely _not_ be willing to go to social functions that involve making small talk with strangers, ever. This, exactly. I’d say somewhere between 5 and 6 too, probably more like 6. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692.md?page=5)