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Poll: Are you a drinker or a teetotaler?

news.ycombinator.com

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

#121

Post by JeremyNT »

diggan wrote: post #3

I wouldn't say I'm a heavy drinker since I mostly drink one beer per day but since it's the only option for me, I guess I'm a heavy drinker according to this poll.

I came here to post the same thing; it would be very odd for one drink per day to be considered "heavy drinking." There actually is a technical definition of heavy drinking available from the NIH[0] which defines it mostly in terms of binge drinking:

> SAMHSA defines heavy drinking as drinking 5 or more drinks on the same occasion on each of 5 or more days in the past 30 days.

According to the same source:

> moderate drinking is up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men.

As a man who tends to drink one drink per day, I fall into "moderate," but I could actually drink twice as much as I do and still not be "heavy" by these definitions. Even ignoring technical definitions, I don't think I personally know anybody who would consider one drink a day to be "heavy" drinking.

I find this poll and its chosen terminology to be especially interesting given the recent discussion of an article about the health benefits of drinking daily[1].

[0] http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-your-health/overview-alcoho...

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8279949

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

#122

Post by ggchappell »

grn wrote: post #33
danford wrote: post #4

Well I know I can't be the only person who had to look this up: >Teetotalism refers to either the practice of, or the promotion of, complete personal abstinence from alcoholic beverages. I mean, I kind of inferred, but this is my first time hearing the term. Anyway, I only drink on special occasion or when I go out to a fancy restaurant. Other than that it's copious amounts of marijuana.

I haven't seen the term before too. It's etymology is interesting: 1830s, from total, the reduplicated tee being an intensifier – “T-total” (see https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/teetotal ).

> from total, the reduplicated tee being an intensifier – “T-total”

Interesting. I wonder if there are other words formed in this same way. (Can't think of any.)

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

#123

Post by netcan »

yodsanklai wrote: post #65
netcan wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A while ago I was listening to some podcast discussion on beneficial "drugs" and some of the problems of classifying things as drugs, harmful or beneficial. In any case, 'even alcohol can teach you some things" came up. It got me thinking. Most people experience (or semi-knowingly exhibit) reduced inhibition. If you're able to pay attention and observe, experiencing reduced inhibition has a side effect of shedding li…

I can relate to that. The first few times I smoked weed, I noticed I was able to listen to music much more deeply. Somehow, it taught me how to appreciate music in a different way.

I think grass changes (or enhances) the way we make connections and associations. That's got all sorts of interactions with art. The "Woah! Dude. Have you ever thought.." cliche has a deeper, less silly version too.

Context is limited to the associations you make and a lot of meaning is dependent on context. It's a fairly good approximation for perspective another cliche way of describing the effects. If feel like I should say "mind expanding" just for completion's sake.

Speaking of associations, I'm remembering years ago hearing some old recording of Christopher Hitchens furiously defending Salman Rushdie and even more furiously attacking the apologists and appeasers. He apologized for all the cliches he was forced to use. Freedom is indivisible. Fascism means War. etc.

Cliches are easy and cheap but sometimes they contain a simple version of an insight, hidden behind a kind of cliche blindness. There's a reason they keep getting rediscovered.

Anyway.. Dude have you ever really listened to yellow submarine? I mean really listened? Dude...

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

#124

Post by netcan »

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…

In Ireland, an old school country tradition is a dry November. I think the reason was to save for Christmas, but I think it's generally useful to have some cultural habits for mitigating these things.

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

#127

Post by ggchappell »

ggchappell wrote: post #122
grn wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't seen the term before too. It's etymology is interesting: 1830s, from total, the reduplicated tee being an intensifier – “T-total” (see https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/teetotal ).

> from total, the reduplicated tee being an intensifier – “T-total” Interesting. I wonder if there are other words formed in this same way. (Can't think of any.)

UPDATE: I could not find any other such words in the more traditional dictionaries. But Urban Dictionary has some informal usages that follow that pattern:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=a-alike

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gee-gawker

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=p-pissed

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

#128

Post by morganvachon »

kaybe wrote: post #95
morganvachon wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, that was my thought process as a teen. As I got older, I just never saw a need to start drinking. I guess I grew out of it without ever experiencing it. At this stage in my life, why bother?

Well, there is something to say about a good whiskey. It smells like so many things, and tastes like many others.. I can just smell my glass all evening without ever drinking. It's usually expensive enough that I don't even have enough to feel it, and it lasts a long time (since I keep smelling.. ). What you say sounds to me as if you've never tried chocolate (the good kind, not the sugary cheap one).

I can understand that point of view; I love the smell of a good cigar. I just won't smoke one for personal reasons.

And yes, I've had gourmet chocolate; I'm not sure what that has to do with alcoholic drinks.

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

#129

Post by computerjunkie »

darkmighty wrote: post #108
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 an…

There are plenty of ways to relax without 'destroying you brain', that's the reason why I said relaxing can be meditation, going to the gym or playing on your gaming console. Everybody is different, as the poll evidence suggest in this thread.

There is a reason why I said everything in moderation, because we don't live in a perfect world where everything can be performed to perfection. I am not defending or promoting the use of alcohol but looking at the problem at hand, alcohol gets a bad reputation because its abused.

If people on HN see beauty in things that only shows with deep intellectual effort, then why has this topic been voted up? Surly it is somewhat interesting to the intellectual minds in this community.

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

#130

Post by unfamiliar »

ptk wrote: post #110
unfamiliar wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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....

This is just how I think about it. But then again, if you declined the first alcoholic drink then I wouldn't offer you another. You might be on medication, a teetotaler, or a recovering alcoholic for all I know, and I'm not the kind of person that needs to keep encouraging people around me to drink.
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