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Social drinking also a well-worn path to alcohol use disorder

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Re: Social drinking also a well-worn path to alcohol use disorder

#51

Post by Gualdrapo »

wagwangbosy wrote: post #34
boomboomsubban wrote: post #9

It is a weird line in the sand that many people draw. If I had two drinks alone every night I would see that as more troubling than having three drinks with friends every night.

How is that weird? Socialization is generally healthy, which is why there's less of a stigma. It's not like the average alone drinker is doing pushups while shooting whiskey.

Not sure about what they actually mean but as a teetotaler (I didn't know it even had a name, just found out not long ago) I find it absolutely weird that alcohol is needed to socialize.

Re: Social drinking also a well-worn path to alcohol use disorder

#52

Post by [deleted] »

givemeethekeys wrote: post #29
scotty79 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you find yourself in any circumstances and needing a drink, that may be a sign.

Yeah, agreed, although I understand that many people need a drink to feel relaxed in a social setting. It’s the need for a drink when alone - I think thats where the habit turns into abuse.

[deleted]

Re: Social drinking also a well-worn path to alcohol use disorder

#53

Post by aurizon »

A large part might be due to genetics. I recall when westerners exploited native Americans with distilled liquor. Westerners had many generations of alcohol use, the natives = zero. Europeans have become resistant to alcohol. It might be faster metabolism/excretion? - a physiological adaptation? or is it social experience to walk/talk in a straight line? In small Northern Ontario mining towns the native population is like my mother - drink/fall over. We would hire(in my claim staking days up North) local labor for supervised line cutting/sampling, but we paid the local band through their rep - who then paid the workers late on Friday, we started work again on Monday. On helicopter-in jobs, we paid at job's end and usually worked the long Northern days about 18-20 daylight hours(long days up in NO in May-August) with foods/cigarettes flown in every ~2 weeks (and some local deer shooting as a supplement - we had cooks who ran the camp)/ When the job was done = large payday = all went home. By the end of August there were some freezing nights. Some crews had heated double walled tents and stayed longer, but by the end of September the cold weather most of this was curtailed.

I was born in the UK, my Dad never drank a drop - my Irish mother would drink until she fell over. Dad had lock up the liquor - or else = all gone = fall over. My brother and I do not drink a drop?? I am not drawn to liquor, and tobacco smoking or cannabis = I never touch at all.

Re: Social drinking also a well-worn path to alcohol use disorder

#54

Post by jampekka »

hx8 wrote: post #49
jampekka wrote: post #43

Alcohol has exeptionally bad ergonomics when it comes to intoxicants. Its strong effects on behavior and experience are wildly unpredictable, it has severe undesirable effects, it's stongly toxic, it causes morbid dependence and has particularly bad physiological and psychological after effects. We can do better than alcohol.

Alcohol is one of the few intoxicants that you can legally buy almost anywhere in the world that is well regulated, has consistent dosages, and can engage in publicly. Being able to consistently source an unadulterated supply is one of its major appeals. Prohibition decreased consumption by as much as 70%.

Yes. None of these are a feature of the intoxicant itself.

Re: Social drinking also a well-worn path to alcohol use disorder

#55

Post by jampekka »

Gualdrapo wrote: post #51
wagwangbosy wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is that weird? Socialization is generally healthy, which is why there's less of a stigma. It's not like the average alone drinker is doing pushups while shooting whiskey.

Not sure about what they actually mean but as a teetotaler (I didn't know it even had a name, just found out not long ago) I find it absolutely weird that alcohol is needed to socialize.

I find it's especially needed for socializing with drunk people.

Re: Social drinking also a well-worn path to alcohol use disorder

#56

Post by Gigachad »

batch12 wrote: post #14
boomboomsubban wrote: post #9

It is a weird line in the sand that many people draw. If I had two drinks alone every night I would see that as more troubling than having three drinks with friends every night.

Both can be an issue if you find you can't do without the drinks.

It’s an issue regardless because alcohol gives you cancer. It doesn’t matter if you stick bellow the amount that causes acute health issues. If you are having 2 drinks every night your cancer risk is higher than someone who has a lot more but only on occasion because their total drinks consumed is less.

Re: Social drinking also a well-worn path to alcohol use disorder

#57

Post by EA-3167 »

hx8 wrote: post #49
jampekka wrote: post #43

Alcohol has exeptionally bad ergonomics when it comes to intoxicants. Its strong effects on behavior and experience are wildly unpredictable, it has severe undesirable effects, it's stongly toxic, it causes morbid dependence and has particularly bad physiological and psychological after effects. We can do better than alcohol.

Alcohol is one of the few intoxicants that you can legally buy almost anywhere in the world that is well regulated, has consistent dosages, and can engage in publicly. Being able to consistently source an unadulterated supply is one of its major appeals. Prohibition decreased consumption by as much as 70%.

The problem is that it's also responsible for a tremendous cost in terms of life, resources, and human misery. Drunk driving alone account for a quarter of 1.25 annual fatalities on the roads worldwide. I don't know how many people die from alcoholism, or have their lives shortened by it, lost wages, downstream effects of kids raised by alcoholic parents, etc... but it's certainly not a small issue.

So yeah the ease of getting the stuff and the social acceptance makes it popular, but is it a good idea? Drugs like caffeine, khat, and mild psychedelics have much more favorable therapeutic indices and a better track record in terms of death and illness, never mind be a lot less physically addictive and much MUCH easier to quit.

Re: Social drinking also a well-worn path to alcohol use disorder

#58

Post by boomboomsubban »

wagwangbosy wrote: post #34
boomboomsubban wrote: post #9

It is a weird line in the sand that many people draw. If I had two drinks alone every night I would see that as more troubling than having three drinks with friends every night.

How is that weird? Socialization is generally healthy, which is why there's less of a stigma. It's not like the average alone drinker is doing pushups while shooting whiskey.

You see more unhealthy drinking as less stigmatizing because it's associated with a "generally healthy" activity. That's weird.

It'd be like saying eating two burgers with lettuce and tomato is healthier than one without.

Re: Social drinking also a well-worn path to alcohol use disorder

#59

Post by potato3732842 »

Gigachad wrote: post #56
batch12 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Both can be an issue if you find you can't do without the drinks.

It’s an issue regardless because alcohol gives you cancer. It doesn’t matter if you stick bellow the amount that causes acute health issues. If you are having 2 drinks every night your cancer risk is higher than someone who has a lot more but only on occasion because their total drinks consumed is less.

It's his body. He can get cancer however he pleases.

Re: Social drinking also a well-worn path to alcohol use disorder

#60

Post by [deleted] »

smitty1e wrote: post #8

"Alcohol use disorder" recalls George Carlin on the evolution of language: "In this classic George Carlin routine, the legendary comedian breaks down how language has been systematically softened over time. From "shell shock" to "battle fatigue" and eventually to "post-traumatic stress disorder," Carlin illustrates how our words have become more complex and less impactful. He argues that Americans have difficulty fac…

[deleted]
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