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Leo Tolstoy on why people drink (2014)

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Re: Leo Tolstoy on why people drink (2014)

#231

Post by goatkey »

yung_steezy wrote: post #187
Al-Khwarizmi wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's one important reason, but there's another one that is even more neglected: it just... tastes good (for those of us who like it, of course). For example, as a 90 kg man, for me drinking a single 33cl bottle of beer has pretty much the same effect as drinking water, i.e., I don't feel anything at all (note that I don't drive, in that context it would probably still be relevant). So when I have a single beer with…

Alcohol-free beers have got a lot better in the past 10 years

In the US I strongly recommend Athletic Brewing Co

Re: Leo Tolstoy on why people drink (2014)

#232

Post by YetAnotherNick »

thenoblesunfish wrote: post #114

Let's consider this quote "All human life, we may say, consists solely of these two activities: (1) bringing one’s activities into harmony with conscience, or (2) hiding from oneself the indications of conscience in order to be able to continue to live as before." Note that he has defined all of life as two points about "one" and "oneself". This is why I and I assume many others roll their eyes. Because Tolstoy, and…

I think that is intended by Tolstoy. He gives the following extreme example

> A drunken man is ashamed of none of these things, and therefore if a man wishes to do something his conscience condemns he stupefies himself.

Stupefies is a negative term because he is against alcohol but socialising is easier because of exact same reason. It removes the filter and we could do things which we are "ashamed" of, even if there is nothing to be ashamed of. e.g. I am ashamed of talking to stranger or discussing details of my life when sober.

Re: Leo Tolstoy on why people drink (2014)

#233

Post by TecoAndJix »

newprint wrote: post #46
ldjkfkdsjnv wrote: post #5

Call me crazy, but as a highly analytical person that has spent 70% of my waking hours in the last five years working on something technical, my social skills are best when I'm hungover. The logical analytical side of me is diminished and I am much more "normal". I have a much higher rate of success on dates with women when I have a really bad hang over and then a few drinks. It does feel like a lobotomy, and that's…

I had zero social circle and no significant other in my life, until I started drinking. World opened up for me after I started consuming alcohol. Edit: However, you need to be responsible. Alcohol badly derailed my life once.

Check out the movie "Another Round" with Mads Mikkelsen [1]. Summary: Four high-school teachers consume alcohol on a daily basis to see how it affects their social and professional lives.

In summary, it helped some and hurt others!

[1]https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10288566/"

Re: Leo Tolstoy on why people drink (2014)

#234

Post by voidmain0001 »

thenoblesunfish wrote: post #114

Let's consider this quote "All human life, we may say, consists solely of these two activities: (1) bringing one’s activities into harmony with conscience, or (2) hiding from oneself the indications of conscience in order to be able to continue to live as before." Note that he has defined all of life as two points about "one" and "oneself". This is why I and I assume many others roll their eyes. Because Tolstoy, and…

To say that alcohol distills down to being able to socialize doesn’t fit. Socializing is not hard. Are you at a party? Approach people you don’t know the way you want to be approached. Wear a sincere smile, give some distance, give your name, ask them who they know at the party, respond with who you know. Most likely you will know the same people so chat about that. Say where you live then ask them where they live. Listen to their response. Ask them what they like about where they live. Ask what you should see if you visit their neighborhood. Ask what they think of the music. Listen to their response. Thank them for sharing their opinion. Be self deprecating. Let them talk and you add the odd comment. Alcohol is not required for that. All that’s required is to be sincerely interested in people.

Re: Leo Tolstoy on why people drink (2014)

#235

Post by 2-718-281-828 »

Blahah wrote: post #198
2-718-281-828 wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

maybe you should read up about parallelism and (multi)threading https://stackoverflow.com/questions/806499/threading-vs-para...

If you think my comment conflated them, maybe you should.

i do know the difference but i think i get your point. you use it as an analogy for context switching. the classic adhd "i can't do anything productive when waiting for something".

Re: Leo Tolstoy on why people drink (2014)

#236

Post by nunyabid5655 »

thenoblesunfish wrote: post #114

Let's consider this quote "All human life, we may say, consists solely of these two activities: (1) bringing one’s activities into harmony with conscience, or (2) hiding from oneself the indications of conscience in order to be able to continue to live as before." Note that he has defined all of life as two points about "one" and "oneself". This is why I and I assume many others roll their eyes. Because Tolstoy, and…

Great points and whereas many may begin drinking to aid in some way with social interactions there are many that drink for what I think is closer to the second part/activity of the quote, to hide, forget, ignore, avoid, etc., and often increase their consumption while isolating themselves. For the alcoholic, it's more about what Tolstoy was saying than about social lubrication

Re: Leo Tolstoy on why people drink (2014)

#237

Post by mr_toad »

tharkun__ wrote: post #230
Aeolun wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think if something has a strong smell it by definition has a strong taste? Most of what you taste is the smell. If you close your nose a lot of food becomes quite tasteless.

And yet coffee smells awesome but the taste is nothing like it. Not that it's tasteless but it's definitely very different.

Coffee contains many alkaloids (including caffeine), which are quite bitter but have little or no odour. Alcohol on the other hand has a very strong odour.

Re: Leo Tolstoy on why people drink (2014)

#238

Post by SergeAx »

Al-Khwarizmi wrote: post #178
thenoblesunfish wrote: post #114

Let's consider this quote "All human life, we may say, consists solely of these two activities: (1) bringing one’s activities into harmony with conscience, or (2) hiding from oneself the indications of conscience in order to be able to continue to live as before." Note that he has defined all of life as two points about "one" and "oneself". This is why I and I assume many others roll their eyes. Because Tolstoy, and…

That's one important reason, but there's another one that is even more neglected: it just... tastes good (for those of us who like it, of course). For example, as a 90 kg man, for me drinking a single 33cl bottle of beer has pretty much the same effect as drinking water, i.e., I don't feel anything at all (note that I don't drive, in that context it would probably still be relevant). So when I have a single beer with…

I am not sure about good taste of alcohol. I can agree about some wines and brandys (although they are universally better to smell than to taste), but beer? Bitter liquid, enriched with CO2. Do you remember first time you tasted beer, probably at the age of 5-7 from the bottle of your father? I can't see anyone liking non-alcoholic beer outside social context.

Re: Leo Tolstoy on why people drink (2014)

#239

Post by nprateem »

nvy wrote: post #69
ldjkfkdsjnv wrote: post #5

Call me crazy, but as a highly analytical person that has spent 70% of my waking hours in the last five years working on something technical, my social skills are best when I'm hungover. The logical analytical side of me is diminished and I am much more "normal". I have a much higher rate of success on dates with women when I have a really bad hang over and then a few drinks. It does feel like a lobotomy, and that's…

Are you sure it's the raw intellect turning women away and not, you know, unpleasant levels of arrogance?

Probably just bored the crap out of them. Just be fun.

Re: Leo Tolstoy on why people drink (2014)

#240

Post by jsmith99 »

Simon_O_Rourke wrote: post #140

Samuel Johnson had a more pithy quote on the same subject. "I called on Dr. Johnson one morning, when Mrs. Williams, the blind lady, was conversing with him. She was telling him where she had dined the day before. "There were several gentlemen there," said she, "and when some of them came to the tea-table, I found that there had been a good deal of hard drinking." She closed this observation with a common and trite m…

He was more enthusiastic about drugs for the poor:

'What signifies, says some one, giving halfpence to beggars? they only lay it out in gin or tobacco. "And why should they be denied such sweeteners of their existence (says Johnson)? it is surely very savage to refuse them every possible avenue to pleasure, reckoned too coarse for our own acceptance. Life is a pill which none of us can bear to swallow without gilding; yet for the poor we delight in stripping it still barer, and are not ashamed to shew even visible displeasure, if ever the bitter taste is taken from their mouths."'

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