So do you not respect people who don’t drink at all (for any reason), because they’ll never “get it”? It certainly sounds like you think drinking (in moderation, at least) is a necessary social skill.
I don’t think it’s “necessary” any more than being able to talk about sports. But both are activities a lot of people enjoy and thus are an easy way to connect to other people.
I generally find getting smashed quite fun. Sure it has its downsides, but I still set out from time to time with the goal of getting thoroughly and irrevocably wasted. I can’t say it’s for everyone, there are reasons that people do it, aside from stupidity, addiction, immaturity, etc.
Though it’s not important to actually drink, it is important to learn to be comfortable in a drinking environment, and it’s even more important to learn how to refuse a drink with practiced ease… sadly, this takes time and, of course, practice. If you don’t want to “lie”, make an excuse that isn’t necessarily a lie…
At your age the driving excuse is always good - “Why aren’t you drinking?” “Somebody has to make sure your drunk azzes get home”. When dealing with underage drinkers, one thing that goes over well is “Hey man, if the police come you want somebody who can handle the situation and sneak you out, right?” I used that last one often enough that I actually found myself looking out for cops!
By the time you turn 21, however, nobody gives a crap anymore because you’re of legal age, and there’s no pressure to drink just because you can. So there is an end to it.
Not true at all, I’m just saying that even with people answering in a thread, he most likely still won’t understand any more about why people drink.
Of course I respect people who choose not to drink; if that’s your personal choice, it makes no difference to me either way. Unless you treat me differently because I am drinking, there is no problem.
Well, it depends on how being tipsy affects you, too. Like I said, it just makes me really sleepy and overheated. So I only occassionally have a drink, and usually do when I’m eating a big meal, so I don’t feel it as much.