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Reasons young people are choosing sobriety

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Re: Reasons young people are choosing sobriety

#101

Post by MichaelCollins »

polotics wrote: post #80
MichaelCollins wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed, it's got to be the hangovers. Being drunk is fun enough, but not if it means your next 1-2 days is ruined. People were shown another way by the shutdown of bars, combined with the proliferation of cannabis as a (mostly) hangover-free alternative.

Being drunk is fun enough? having had to deal with an OD'ing colleague, passing out, getting cold and blue, having to call the ER... After that I restricted my intake to only very few small drinks.

I've never thought it fun to get that drunk, but 4 or 5 beers is fun in the moment. I hate what it does to me a few hours later though, so I no longer drink like that.

Re: Reasons young people are choosing sobriety

#103

Post by some_furry »

tluyben2 wrote: post #29
some_furry wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who doesn't drink alcohol, I'm quite happy with my life. I'm not sure you could say anything took the place of it. I work in computer security (lots of alcohol use there). I go to furry conventions (lots of alcohol use there). I live with the same group of friends I've had for 10+ years. None of us drink alcohol. We all have our own careers but none of us overwork. The only notable difference between us an…

I know there are many happy people not drinking or using drugs and that’s great. I wish I would’ve been one. But of all students, 1/3rd seems very hard to not have any (most or significant) of those 100ks in the article to do something else that’s addictive and unhealthy; eat, dope, etc.

I don't know what to say. I can only speak to my experiences.

Alcohol, drugs, etc. just don't appeal to me. I don't mind if other people partake.

I'm sure a psychologist with 100% oversight into my life might cry foul on something. Too much social media, too little exercise, too much time reading cryptography papers, etc. I'm not sure how much that would overlap with "something else that's addictive and unhealthy" however.

Re: Reasons young people are choosing sobriety

#104

Post by andai »

drclau wrote: post #68
andai wrote: post #59

This one time I woke up in Belgium without my wallet. The disturbing part though was that I had actually been awake the whole time, but had blacked out completely for 8 hours. The last thing I remember was looking at a line of shots around 9pm. Between 9pm and 5am I have no memory. My body was just doing its own thing. When I "woke up" I was already awake, walking down a dark country road. All my stuff was gone. Had…

Have you considered that you may have been drugged?

No, happened more often, and my friend showed me pics of the evening later. A friendly soul sent my wallet back in the mail.

Re: Reasons young people are choosing sobriety

#105

Post by andrewinardeer »

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #93
harwell wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Couldn't agree more. I've been asked countless times why I don't drink, especially in the first year of university, and it always seemed odd to me that people even needed an answer. I'm not talking about people just making conversation or asking out of curiosity, but a vocal minority seem to make some sort of character judgement based on your sobriety if they're not satisfied by your response.

>I've been asked countless times why I don't drink [...] and it always seemed odd to me that people even needed an answer. [...] a vocal minority seem to make some sort of character judgement based on your sobriety if they're not satisfied by your response. Whenever some asks me that, I just confidently tell them I'm pregnant while caressing my belly (I'm a dude), then everyone bursts into laughter, then we change to…

I have learned that honesty is rhe best policy and tell the truth and say I'm alcoholic and that drinking is not healthy for me.

Re: Reasons young people are choosing sobriety

#106

Post by karmakurtisaani »

daniel-thompson wrote: post #30

When I was in my 20s, I drank socially from time to time and even occasionally by myself. As I've grown older, I pretty much stopped: - I've found that the pressures of "adult" responsibilities (kids, real career, etc) leave little time for it - I want to model good behavior for my kids, and in particular, I don't want my kids to see me drinking or drunk - I'm in the back half of my 30s now - I've realized that the t…

Very reasonable, made me consider my takes on your points:

- For me, adult responsibilities are mostly fine with a drink or two in the evening, but become orders of magnitude more difficult the next day. Being close to 40, the burden that a hangover puts on my mental capacity is just too much.

- I actually don't mind my kids seeing me drink a bit and being slightly tipsy. I kind of want them not to think of alcohol as anything forbidden or secret, just something that you do a bit sometimes to enjoy food and company. Looking forward to having a few with them when they reach the proper age!

- Fully agree on the last point. I hate having a hangover when my wife takes the kids out and I'd have a good few hours of getting something meaningful done ... only to lose the opportunity because I can't think straight.

When I was younger, I pretty much wanted to just get drunk despite the taste of the beer I was drinking. Nowdays I wish I could get the taste without the effect..

Re: Reasons young people are choosing sobriety

#107

Post by karmakurtisaani »

logicchains wrote: post #97
thenoblesunfish wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's because of the fear that without alcohol, these youngsters aren't going to socialize. A very debatable position, but I really think that's what it is. People (like me) who felt, rightly or wrongly, that drinking helped make friends, have fun, meet romantic partners, etc. when they were young.

>It's because of the fear that without alcohol, these youngsters aren't going to socialize I wonder if people who think that have ever been to the Middle East. Arabs are some of the most sociable people out there, and generally don't drink due to Islam.

On the other end of the spectrum we have the Nordic people, who will uncomfortably sit in silence until the fourth beer kicks in and everyone finally open up and laugh non-awkwardly. Must be the weather..

Re: Reasons young people are choosing sobriety

#108

Post by effingwewt »

vouaobrasil wrote: post #85
MichaelCollins wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you've never been drunk, then I think it's hard for you to have any personal insight into the reasons other people used to get drunk but now choose not to. I'm not saying you should get that experience. Better for you if you continue your abstinence. But you should probably check your attitude when discussing things you have no experience with.

I have never jumped off a bridge either but I certainly have a lot of insight knowing that I won't enjoy it.

You might be surprised. We used to love jumping off bridges into Lake Amistad. Huge cliffs, train bridges, etc.

Your choices are your own to make, but from my point of view you may be missing out.

Re: Reasons young people are choosing sobriety

#109

Post by seer-zig »

thenoblesunfish wrote: post #79
yuan43 wrote: post #26

The bigger question is why isn't sobriety viewed as the default position rather than the exception? I mean, nobody would ask why young people are saying "no" to crack cocaine.

To be literal about it, it's because drinking is the default position, in the UK. The average person drinks. I'm an American and no stranger to drinking, but even for me, living there (in the late 2000s) there seemed to be a greater assumption amongst the people around me (with the huge exception of the many Muslim people) that everyone drank.

Vices are becoming the default positions in secular societies unfortunately.

Re: Reasons young people are choosing sobriety

#110

Post by seer-zig »

logicchains wrote: post #97
thenoblesunfish wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's because of the fear that without alcohol, these youngsters aren't going to socialize. A very debatable position, but I really think that's what it is. People (like me) who felt, rightly or wrongly, that drinking helped make friends, have fun, meet romantic partners, etc. when they were young.

>It's because of the fear that without alcohol, these youngsters aren't going to socialize I wonder if people who think that have ever been to the Middle East. Arabs are some of the most sociable people out there, and generally don't drink due to Islam.

Yes. We socialize over tea and coffee.
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