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Poll: Are you a drinker or a teetotaler?

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Re: Poll: Are you a drinker or a teetotaler?

#101

Post by ducuboy »

Wow, this really took off, looks like the right thread for a Friday. (original poster here, sorry I couldn't make the poll, not enough karma - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8339667)

As I was saying, I am alcohol abstinent for about two weeks. I had been a daily drinker before, mainly beer, living in Belgium. I am not Belgian myself but I totally love Belgian beers. I tried them all. It's maybe the #1 reason to live here. There are several motives why I started this teetotaler challenge: I sometimes put myself to such challenges just to make my strong will stronger, I want to get healthier (this is debatable I know), and my wife said I couldn't do it :P

The thing is that my sleep pattern changed since I started this. I am waking up very early and tired around 6:30, though my alarm is set at 8:30. I turn in not very late, around 23:00. And I am tired most of the time. There might be other reasons for it (excited about my start-up and still doing the 9 to 5 as a contractor), but I'm wondering if any of you guys experienced this when you gave up alcohol.

Re: Poll: Are you a drinker or a teetotaler?

#104

Post by BozeWolf »

deweller wrote: post #77
lovelearning wrote: post #52

I'm a teetotaler. At every social gathering - be it work or relatives - somebody asks me the inevitable question "but why?". I never have a good answer. I have no idea why I'm a teetotaler, I just am. I did try alcoholic drinks exactly 3 times in my life, and didn't like anything about them. I think drinkers - even the casual ones - hate teetotalers.

I'm the same way. Alcoholic drinks never appealed to me in any way. To me they taste bad and smell bad. And the idea of becoming intoxicated is in no way appealing. I am clearly in the minority of people in the world. But I really have no idea why alcohol is so popular.

Sometimes the idea of becomming intoxicated is the appealing thing :) I drink one almost every evening. If its really good wine, i drink two. Usually once a week i drink a few more, ranging from 2 to 10 or so, depending on the beer, wine or the occasion. Usually the next day i dont drink at all. I do feel shitty the next day. Sometimes I sort of enjoy having a hangover. Theres not mutch to think about then. All there is, is the hope I feel good again soon.

Re: Poll: Are you a drinker or a teetotaler?

#105

Post by JohnnyBuffalo »

aroberge wrote: post #72
swombat wrote: post #22

I have been a regular drinker for most of my adult life. Recently, I tried a "semi-dry July", where I told myself I would drink only once a week (with no limit on that day, i.e. binge drinking allowed). But when I got to that day, I felt only like having one beer or so, and same the following week. Well, here's an amazing thing, shocking and totally counterintuitive: I felt much better while doing this than I did for…

The following comment/observation could be about anything - not specific to drinking. You wrote "I was forced ... to resume drinking...". No you weren't. You chose to do so. You may feel that you were pressured by other people to drink but I would bet a huge amount that no one tied your hands and used force to feed you alcohol. If you ever need motivation to refuse to drink, re-read the rest of your post and you shou…

Let's step back a second and use a very clear observation. This is like saying to someone overweight - why don't you stop eating crappy food. Look at the mis-information, man. Additionally, social "norms" force a lot of cultural influence to do so. This falls in line that America is a "drinking" society. Go watch Ken Burn's Prohibition just a fact of record. I haven't even touched on the addiction aspects, because I think its self-explanatory on how it plays out on people - no matter if its eating, smoking, drinking, etc.

Re: Poll: Are you a drinker or a teetotaler?

#106

Post by DanBC »

adnam wrote: post #61

A drink a day makes you a "heavy drinker"??

Not sure why you got downvoted.

Current UK advice for men is two to three units max per day with some days drink free and don't binge.

A 330ml bottle of beer five days a week is well within those levels and would not be seen by most people in the UK as heavy or problem drinking.

It does get a bit trickier when you talk about glasses of wine. People have less idea of how much alcohol is in their glass, and small errors mulity over a week.

Re: Poll: Are you a drinker or a teetotaler?

#107

Post by BozeWolf »

Hysteria wrote: post #69
Zirro wrote: post #24

I am in my early twenties, and I have yet to drink my first alcoholic beverage. I made a decision a few years ago after weighing the negatives and positives of drinking against each other, and concluded that drinking alcohol provided very few benefits in comparison to the potential risks.

^This. Well, I'm 20 and I had half of a bud light at a block party. tasted like horse piss, and I haven't considered wanting a drink since.

You might want to consider drinking something tasty, a proper pilsener. Some things, like coffee or coriander, are acquired tastes. I don't encourage you to drink, but having an opinion about all alcoholic drinks after one try might be a bit harsh. If you dont like some vegetable the first time you try, will you never try it again?

Re: Poll: Are you a drinker or a teetotaler?

#108

Post by darkmighty »

computerjunkie wrote: post #64

Grew up in a family where drinking is totally accepted as long as you don't get wrecked. I picked social drinker. I used to be a regular drinker at university, but when I finished I had no desire to drink regularly. What I found interesting in my family is that, we all enjoy drinking and insist on having a couple of drinks whenever we meet up. I also think that because of the relaxed nature about it, it has contribut…

Here's one advice I wouldn't give in person because people may find it wrongly offensive: there are several ways of relaxing that don't have 'slowly destroying your brain' included. This is HN, so I suppose most people here see a lot of beauty in things that only shows with deep intellectual effort. The ability of enjoying this pleasure is one of the things I value the most.

Of course, only you have enough data to analyze wether the drinking toll will be a net positive or negative on your life, but I'm inclined to believe not drinking is favoured since the fun outta drinking is largely replaceable while your brain isn't.

Re: Poll: Are you a drinker or a teetotaler?

#109

Post by redwood »

Zirro wrote: post #24

I am in my early twenties, and I have yet to drink my first alcoholic beverage. I made a decision a few years ago after weighing the negatives and positives of drinking against each other, and concluded that drinking alcohol provided very few benefits in comparison to the potential risks.

Risks?

Re: Poll: Are you a drinker or a teetotaler?

#110

Post by ptk »

unfamiliar wrote: post #100
lovelearning wrote: post #52

I'm a teetotaler. At every social gathering - be it work or relatives - somebody asks me the inevitable question "but why?". I never have a good answer. I have no idea why I'm a teetotaler, I just am. I did try alcoholic drinks exactly 3 times in my life, and didn't like anything about them. I think drinkers - even the casual ones - hate teetotalers.

In my experience there are three groups of teetotalers. There are the ones who don't drink and don't have a problem with other people drinking. The people who are genuinely in this group, you don't even notice they don't drink. Drinkers have no quarrel with this group. The second group are very vocal about their disapproval and are constantly telling you you shouldn't drink etc. They are irritating but can be ignored…

This is a disappointing line of thought. I'm firmly in group 1, but typically respond with "No thanks, I don't drink" to save myself from having to fend off drink offers for the rest of the night. For that, I am disliked....
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