**
Respectfully, you’ve got it all wrong. I like the taste of alcohol (a good wine or a good beer is a pleasure to the mouth), but like most people I also like say, the taste of icecream. Still, I don’t eat icecream more than once a month and certainly there isn’t a 100 bars and clubs in my city devoted to the serving and enjoyment of iced dairy treats. I think it’s fair to say most people wouldn’t drink even a pleasant-tasting alcoholic drink if it wasn’t, well, alcoholic.
So disregarding taste, there’s a reason why the alcohol has been humankind’s Drug of Choice[sup]TM[/sup] for literally thousands of years:
People Drink… Because They Like To Get Drunk.
[sub]Or at least a little buzzed.[/sub]
Drinking makes me feel relaxed, in any social situation. I’m not shy to venture an opinion that I might otherwise hold back. I’m flirty. I find it easier to laugh - at myself and with others.
I like being with people who are drinking. They’re relaxed . They drop all the pretentious crap. They lose their silly inhibitions. They’re not shy. That aloof-seeming girl you were always hesitant to talk to will never be unapproachable again after that drunken party when giggling, she confessed that yes, she too, has farted in class.
The best way in the world to get to know someone and for them to know you? Get drunk together. And enjoy it. You’ll never feel closer to a friend the morning after a night out when you told each other your deepest fears. I’ve told my closest friends of my most shameful secrets (and have been told more than a few myself) and most wishful dreams, but I was only able to do so because we had all been drinking together. We’re still friends and stronger for it.
Of course, we could tell each other these things without alcohol, but damn it’s hard to let go.
Another thing, I love to get buzzed and listen to music. Damn it’s so awesome. I love music sober, but you get to experience it in a completely different way while pleasantly drunk. There are other chemicals that let you get another angle on music, but I’ll leave them out of this discussion for a number of reasons. Suffice it to say, if I’m drinking there better be some music playing.
Hanging out with friends takes on a completely different tone when you’re all drinking as well. As long as everybody’s drinking. Having a non-drinker around can really bring everything down. Not to mention being sober around a bunch of drunks really sucks as well. As a side note, never film yourself while drinking. Sure you’re having a good time, sure the camcorder is right there. Don’t do it! It’s never fun to watch later (unless you’re drunk) and if it falls into the wrong hands it can be rather embarrassing.
Narrad, your first post was spot on.
Sure, each drinker will decide that some drinks taste better than others. But if you ain’t seeking a buzz, you’ve got all kinds of NA alternatives.
I agree with the posters who said sitting around drinking with friends is one of the best ways to get to know people really well.
I’m a college student, so my drunken bad behavior is a little more recent than I should admit. I’ve done some really ridiculous things and starred in some photographs that might just lose me a few votes in an election. Lately, my drinking stops at “buzzed” instead of…well, whenever the hell it was stopping before, since it’s not like I could remember the next day.
I could really care less if I go months without drinking. It just seems that when I start drinking, BuzzedJen thinks that if buzzed is good, insanely drunk must be better. Well, I used to be like that. Getting ridiculously drunk still has its appeal, just not in mixed company and certainly not every weekend.
Personally, I like the taste of beer, tequila and vodka. I like certain whiskeys, as well.
If beer is involved: First the taste, then the feeling.
If vodka is involved: Feeling only. But that’s generally because it’s been in the company of Russians, for whom drinking is a social activity and is more often than not accompanied by food and other diversions.
Once I hit that buzzed feeling, I know I’m probably about two away from finishing for the night, and slow down. Most of the time I’ve done my beer drinking alone, so I get somber and reflective, at least until someone says something I feel I need to respond to. (Yeah, I’m the drunk jerk who busts into other people’s conversations.)
I like the sensation of being drunk, or at least moderately so. The looseness is pleasurable, and things don’t seem so bad for a while.
I used to drink to ‘acquire’ the taste, I think, as well as achieve that nice, relaxed, mellow tipsy/drunk feeling (I can’t drink much without getting spinny-headed, so I try to find the happy medium)
I enjoy dancing more after a few drinks. I enjoy talking with my friends just as much, and people loosen up more and tend to say things they wouldn’t usually (like the 1 hour pass the question around game we had on the topic of sex. My best friend’s brother now knows WAY more about my sex life than he ever wanted to.)
Now, however, I have discovered the wonderful nectar that is tequila. I like it mixed, I like it straight. I like just smelling it… mmm… I do not like vodka straight (although I can and have drunk it in that form) and rum straight was the source of my worst-ever upchuck and hangover session (24 hours, unable to move more than 1 m without puking. yay.) I will drink cocktails in order to find other liquors that I like well. I also like learning to mix new drinks.
I do not like many beers (the exception is a cream ale that one of the local breweries makes) and I am a bit picky about the wines I like (not too dry, not too sweet) I hate mike’s hard lemonade AND smirnoff ice… they taste too sickly sweet. A good hard lemonade is Kaos. Try it and lemme know
I also go from drinking nightly to not drinking for whole months at a time. Moderation is the key to life… even moderation in moderation.
I hardly ever drink anymore since my SO is strictly forbidden from any alcohol (due to medication). I’ll avoid it when I’m with him because I don’t want him to feel left out, and it’s not that big of a deal to me.
But every now and then I will have a glass or two of wine with dinner or in a social situation. I’m a little shy, and if I’m in a situation with a bunch of people I don’t know, a very slight buzz can help me loosen up and have more fun.
That’s now. In college I went through the usual bouts of drinking. My worst experience? 10 shots of tequila in about an hour. That was the only time I ever passed out and later couldn’t remember what had happened. I made the mistake of drinking with people who weren’t trustworthy. They should’ve stopped me when I was past the point of making that decision for myself. (Not that it was their responsibility–I definitely should have known better and if I had been killed it would have been my own stupid fault.) It was a scary experience.
For those of you who don’t like the taste of alcohol (I still can’t stand the taste of beer), try a amaretto sour. (YUM!) Or a good fuzzy navel, or sex on the beach. All of those are fruity, non-alcoholic-tasting drinks. Again, yum.
Pina Coladas and Daquiris are good too. Magaritas I’m sure are good, although I can’t stand even the smell of tequila anymore thanks to my above experience.
I’m going to try to keep this out of the Pit, but I am sorely tempted to take my response there. Beer is a gift from the gods. It is the stuff of life. Civilization would not exist without beer. Beer can be wonderfully rich and creamy, like a Guinness. Or it can beer sharp and tangy like a Pilsner Urquell. Anyone who cannot tell the difference between these two can’t tell the difference between a Twinkie and a homemade Cheesecake.
Do you like your pasteurized milk? Thank beer. Louis Pasteur developed the germ theory while trying to discover the cause of contamination in the brewing process. The Mayflower landed where it did, instead of further south, because they were running out of beer.
I could go on, but I won’t. Suffice it to say that I love the taste of Good Beer. The same principle applies to wine, whisky, tequila, rum, vodka and other distilled spirits. If you buy the cheap stuff, you’ll regret it. But well made drinks, like fine art and good food, are treasures to savor and enjoy.
If you don’t like alcohol then don’t drink it. Personally, I’m a little choosy, but I generally like a good drink. I enjoy both the taste and the sensations - and I don’t mean just being drunk. I like the way a sip of Glenlivet will make the tip of my tongue go numb while spreading warmth through my chest and belly while the smoky taste lingers in my mouth. I like the fizzy-ness and bready-ness of a quality beer. I like the vodka kick of a screwdriver that lurks in the orange juice taste. But if it’s a drink I don’t like (red wine, for example), I don’t bother with it and if you don’t like alcoholic drinks I say don’t bother with them.
When something bad happens, you drink to forget.
When something good happens, you drink to celebrate.
When nothing happens, you drink to make something happen.
Anyway, the reason I drink is to get drunk. I don’t advise it though.
Because I like it. A good meal without a good wine can sometimes ruin the entire meal. And I do enjoy the effect. Getting a little hot, a little more talkative, a little tired, just a good simple buzz, that’s really nice.
And as far as drinkning to get drunk, well that happens too sometimes. But, I’d never drink whatever to get there, I’ll drink something I enjoy.
I am strictly a social drinker, and like to get a little buzz going when out with friends, and occasionally get a little drunk. As Dr. Lao said, social lubricant (I like the other kind, too). A little buzz loosens me up, lowers the inhibitions, and helps boosts the self-esteem when I might need it. I used to drink frou-frou girly drinks, but don’t consume much sugar anymore, and I mostly like to drink a dry champagne or dry red wine now. I’ve been known to make exceptions for a Margarita, chocolate martini, or rum and (diet) coke (Stroh rum if available). I’ve tried to develop a taste for beer, but I really can’t stand the stuff.
I do not drive until I’m completely sober.
The only exception in recent memory to the “strictly social drinker” was when I had fresh strawberries and wanted to see if I could make a decent dacquiri with Stroh rum. I can. The key is to toss the strawberries into the freezer for a couple of hours.
Getting drunk to get to know people? Most bars play painfully loud music. If I want to get to know someone, we hang out and just talk for hours. And we remember everything the next day, chemical free. Are people really that restrained by their own inhibitions that they can’t “be theselves” unless they drink? No, really, I want to know.
I can tell the difference between vomit and dogshit, but I wouldn’t put either one in my mouth.
As I’ve said before, I have never tasted a non-sweet beverage that I’ve liked, so this may be part of it. However the underlying ‘beer’ flavor of beer is just… disgusting. Even the smell of beer is offensive to me.
The truth is I drink, only occasionally, for the buzz. Taste is secondary.
Booze for me is a poor substitute for marijuana. I used to smoke weed once in a while, mostly on weekends, but my job forbids such indulgences. That’s odd to me, but I’m too chicken to buck the system.
I never used to drink. At all.
There you have it.
Peace,
mangeorge
I learned to drink in college (and this is going to sound dumb) because I wanted to know if I would act like certain alcoholic family members who are prone to be verbally abusive when in their cups. I also wanted to know that if I did act that way under the influence, if there was any way that I could avoid having that happen while not having to avoid social drinking altogether. I mean, I all but made a friggin’ scientific experiment of it – in some ways, it was quite funny, but I was terrified of what I’d do under the influence.
I figured out that if I stopped at a slight buzz, everything was just fine. Learning that kind of control also helped me realize that although alcoholism runs in my family, I wasn’t inevitably doomed to become one once I took a drink, and that was an immense load off my mind.
I don’t drink often, never did. (I hated the taste of it all when I was a kid.) If we go out to dinner, I might have either a beer or some wine, depending on what the meal is. (I tend towards wine, and typically don’t care for mixed drinks other than margaritas.) If I’m in the mood to be buzzed, being buzzed can be fun…but I do not like being seriously drunk. In the past ten years, I think I’ve been really toasted twice, both times on accident – I was at outdoor events, I was hot, there wasn’t any water available and the stuff went straight to my head.
So why do I drink? Because it suits my mood, because I have a particular craving for a certain drink, or with a meal. It doesn’t happen often, though – I might have two or three drinks a month, maybe none at all.
Of course me being the extreme introvert that I am, I have no desire to want to get “buzzed” in order to loosen up so I can be more social. I actually fear losing my inhibitions. Those brick walls around me keep out the bad guys.
Sex on the beach. Yes, that is one I’ve tried, and I almost finished it. That means it must have been really good! But I still had a strange medicine aftertaste that had to be covered up with some chili-cheese fries.
I’ve seen people get drunk, and it scares me. I don’t even want to come close to being like that. I’ve watched tipsy guys become totally obnoxious and make asses of themselves in public, and promised myself that that will never happen to me. It doesn’t help that I watched my grandfather slowly succumb to cirrhosis when I was in my teens.
Maybe I’m overreacting, but I think I’ll continue to be the designated driver.
