I don’t drink much because of the medications I’m taking, but I won’t refuse a glass of wine at a dinner party. There are times when refusing would just be rude, such as a glass of champagne at a celebration or a toast.
“Take some wine for thy belly’s sake.” There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a glass or two in a social situation. A stance against becoming a sloppy drunk is a good one, but refusing to ever drink at all is a bit silly, in my opinion.
I agree, and think it is stupidity to legally introduce drinking AFTER you are allowed to drive, it should be introduced way before so you can figure out how to handle it, how it fits into your live w/o interfering with it.
A funny quirk of the law is that a parent/gaurdian can give their minor child a drink - they (parents) are fully responsible for any problems, but when that person reaches 18 they are no longer a minor and can no longer drink till 21.
And a lot of people lie, because they think it makes them look big, grown-up and sophisticated. Thing is, when you are old enough to drink (18 here) then you tend to work out your own limits and stop at the point before things go from being good to the vomiting stage. Over here certainly, hitting that stage too early is definitely ‘not cool’ (or wicked, safe…depending on what the current term is!).
I had a friend in college (and as a roommate one summer) who refused to drink at all. Fine by me, but I had told him that if he wanted some of the beer in the fridge to help himself. He said there was a history of alcoholism in his family and he didn’t even want to risk it. It seemed to me that he was being overcautious but I wasn’t about to press him. After all, it’s not like he was all “alcohol is evil” or anything.
Not a lot of fun, no. But damn, can you call in some favors! (Especially if you bring a camera to these things…)
I wouldn’t have pressed him, either, but a statement like that has always struck me as saying, “Alcohol has an incredible, crack-like power over me. If I take one drink, I know I won’t be strong enough to resist becoming an addict.”
The same reason why anyone takes any kind of recreational mind altering drug: It’s FUN! I assume that you’ve already tried it any found it not to your liking, that’s cool, there nothing wrong with that, different strokes and all.
I hate the taste of alchohol, in all it’s forms. I can’t comprehend how anyone could claim fermented barley juice could taste good. So if I have to drink, I drink enough to make it worth my while. 
I won’t refuse all alcohol, I will take a drink or two, but I’m with you on the getting drunk thing. I also feel weird about people who have to drink to “loosen up”. Er…is that really you, then? I’d rather get to know you the way you are normally then the way you are under the influence.
I also don’t take drugs. I will never ever take hard drugs under my own influence. I admit it pot was legal I’d probably be smoking it now and then. I see no real harm in it…I’d probably smoke as much pot as I drink - less than one drink a week, on average.
Well, you have to remember that a lot of people on the SDMB aren’t really that wild a bunch. Many are, in fact, quite antisocial IRL. Some people see a party and say “that looks like fun”. Other people see the same party and think “turn that damn music down!”
I think I know a little something about social drinking. Let me see if I can give the OP a fair and balanced explanation.
Drinking, at it’s heart, is a social activity. Drinking provides a shared activity and makes people feel they are connecting with the other people at the party.
People are more relaxed when they drink. They are a little looser. They do things they might not do when sober. This results in usually a number of comedic stories of boneheaded activities from the evening before. Sometimes it results in getting with a girl you might have been too shy to approach before. It inflates your self-esteem.
Then there’s the whole “being cool” thing. In college, the entire social life revolved around drinking. Good looking girls do not hang around the library, arcade or the university center lounge on Friday night. They go up to the fraternity house parties. And where the girls go, the guys tend to follow. So you have this environment with music, dancing, good looking girls (everyone looks good when you’re drunk) and people who look like they are having fun, why wouldn’t you want to be a part of that?
Of course there is the downside as well. Drunk driving, fights, vandalism, hangovers, getting violently ill, bad hook-ups. Usually by the time you get to my age (33) and you like drinking, you have more or less figured out what is appropriate amount of alchohol to drink.
I drink because it helps me not be pissed off about the things in my life that are broken that I can’t fix. I don’t drink if I’m going to be driving, so I don’t drink at parties often. I have a bunch of friends who don’t drink at all, so the alcohol-as-social-lubricant thing is kind of lost on me. As Hawkeye Pearce once put it, “I don’t drink to make me feel good, I drink to make me feel nothing.”
Drinking is a drug. A legal and accepted drug that lubricates the society. It does have social acceptance ramifications. Drink but not too much.Respect drugs they can fuck up your life. If you never drink you are better off as long as you dont crusade. You may have noticed establishments that depend on this drug, They are called bars and restaurants. It is not going away. We did that once and it backfired.
Aspirin and caffine are also drugs. There’s a convenience store near me which will not sell cigarettes or alcohol because of their beliefs about “drugs”, but they have a big coffee dispenser right next to the soda machine. I’ve often thought about pointing out this hypocrisy, but I’m sure they think *those * drugs are okay.
I don’t know if you are better off if you never drink at all. I guess it’d be true to say you’d be better off of you never drank anything but water, but that’s not reasonable for most people’s lifestyles.
There is no harm in drinking a glass of wine or a beer. Actually, there may be some benefits, because red wine has been suggested to be good for your heart and a drink of beer can sometimes cure indigestion.
Lastly, people sometimes consider teetotallers as being slightly odd and are uncomfortable around them if they’re drinking. Though I usually don’t drink because of my medications, I don’t turn down a single glass of wine or champagne for that reason. I don’t want to have to explain why I’m not drinking, and I know a single glass will do me no harm.
I’ve seen some pretty awkward social situations in which people explain that they won’t accept a glass of wine or a beer because they think it’s wrong or they are afraid of becoming alcoholics. People can sometimes take it that a teetotaller is sitting in judgement on them for drinking.
Huh? I can see that some people might like certain types of hard alcohol, but wine has to be the most wonderful drink on God’s earth. Beer can be, too, if it’s made right (which almost never happens in the US).
As most of the people writing in this thread don’t drink much, let me stand up a bit for those that do. I think most people would call me a pretty heavy drinker, and I enjoy a good social get together where everyone is drinking. As some have said, it losens people up, and puts most people in a good mood. It can be a blast. But… I’m almost always somewhere within walking distance of my home, or I have my ride figured out in advance. Worst case, cab it. It’s not that expensive, and well worth it. And keep in mind that alcohol affects some people negatively. I do my best to stay away from what I call “angry drunks”. These are usually insecure guys who end up arguing about something stupid and too often get into fights. I go out to have a good time, not to get into a fight. Just walk away. I’ve done that on many occasions.
Actually, the latest reports say there is no benefit. I think we don’t udnerstand enough about thess sorts of things to be sure, and I’m always leery of the latest study showing such-and-such is good for you.
Pennicillin is a drug too. So is aspirin and caffeine. Just calling something a drug offers not indication of its value or morality.
Although being the only sober one in the group allows you considerable leeway in the playing of pranks on the stupid.
So, you were the guy who shaved off one of my eyebrows on Saturday night!
In addition to what’s been said about the social functions of alcohol, a lot of us drink particular beverages because we like the way they taste.
Drinking to the point of being drunk is dumb, but part of growing up is making mistakes and learning from them. Just don’t make a habit of it, and you should be OK.
That’s what it really comes down to. It’s FUN to go out drinking with a bunch of your friends. My friends and I used to have some of the best times drinking when we were younger. That’s the kind of stuff you are supposed to do when you are in your teens and 20s.
The thing is though, you should have more in your life than just different venues for getting fucked up. Otherwise you run the risk of being one of those weird old guys in the bar after all your friends have moved on. Drinking is something meant to do with friends. It’s not supposed to BE your friend.
Since this is GD, I’m going to have to challenge that. What excatly do you mean by “drunk” and why is it “dumb”? Every culture that we know of has it’s drug(s) of choice. Participating in mind-altering experiences seems basic to the human condition. Frankly, some of the best times I’ve had were when I was drunk. I would worry if I found myself unable to have fun without drinking, but as long as that isn’t the case, I see nothing wrong with an occasional drunk fest. Just do it at home or somewhere safe.
Just because a particular activity doesn’t appeal to you doesn’t make it “dumb”. (Nothing personal here, I’m just challenging some conventional wisdome that seems to be floating around in this thread.)
Drinking is a valued asset because it is culturally significant. In the U.S. the drinking age is pretty much 21, the same age you can purchase a pistol I think, and many people tend to view the 21st year as the first true year of adulthood where you have pretty much all the rights you’re ever going to have. There are events in our cultural that go hand in hand with drinking. Sporting events, fancy dinners, celebrations, etc. though it’s certainly not universal. Drinking is also a valued asset in many other parts of the world. Can you imagine France without wine?
Marc