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On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

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Re: On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

#51

Post by sva_ »

PakG1 wrote: post #37

Back when I was first attending university, I attended this national entrepreneurship convention with fellow peers from my university's local chapter. There was a social night where they rented out an entire bar and we were all socializing. I was with a female friend from my university, who was pretty and obviously a magnet for all sorts of men. She asked me if I could get her some water, so I did. I brought a bottle…

> I do wonder if society would be more civil if there was no pressure to drink

And I sometimes wonder if drinking has a noticable effect on population growth.

Re: On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

#52

Post by nkozyra »

chihuahua wrote: post #7

I have to admit I simply don't understand drinking alcohol. Apparently it affects me differently from most people. The only effects I get are that I feel tired, and my field of vision narrows. Neither of those are pleasant. I wish I knew how other people feel when they drink alcohol.

I used to drink pretty heavily in what could frequently be described as a "functional" alcoholic (regardless of what one thinks of that term)

For me the benefit was dulling the frantic nature of my mind, especially at night. Instead of thinking or worrying about everything under the sun, I was able to not ... have those brainwaves snapping until 3 am.

It is of course a cycle, since the negative effect of alcohol exacerbates that latent anxiety. I'd dull it and it would pop back up the next night.

Re: On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

#53

Post by sylens »

Several years ago, I decided to push myself a bit further than before in my hobby of running and decided to train for a marathon. Knowing that it would take an unwavering dedication to getting up early and going for long runs, I swore off drinking for that entire year to ensure my body would always have the rest and recovery it needed.

Much like the author, it was not too hard to go to social events that I wanted to attend; but work functions and outings where I only knew maybe one person became much more painful to get through. I also realized that a bit part of my socialization in college and afterward was reliant on having some alcohol in my system to lower my typically introverted inhibitions. It was during this year that I felt like I really learned how to be social and extroverted without the crutch of some form of alcohol.

Now, even years after the marathon, I don't drink nearly as much as I used to. I may have a drink or two when I see friends or when out to dinner, but I feel no need to have more than two on any occasion.

Re: On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

#54

Post by leetcrew »

preommr wrote: post #32
embit wrote: post #10

One martini is all right. Two are too many, and three are not enough. James Thurber

A martini is what ~$15, with taxes + tip ~$20? RIP my wallet if I spent $60 on like a cup of alcohol.

it's about $2-3 if you make it yourself with good ingredients. you're mostly paying for the space and the attention of the bartender when you go out.

Re: On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

#56

Post by mattl »

I don’t mind drinking. I grew up in the UK where the culture around it is different. I moved to the US in 2008 and it’s different.

What really opened my eyes was when I broke my hand in 2022 and spent a month unable to type effectively.

I’m happy to drink much less since the summer.

Re: On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

#57

Post by smeej »

jolmg wrote: post #36
prettyStandard wrote: post #14

Time to plug "The Sinclair Method" again. https://www.google.com/search?q=the+sinclair+method

This being the first time I read about this, I wonder if the same idea can be more generally applied to other bad habits.

I was wondering the same thing.

The "neurons that fire together wire together" notion seems to hold in a lot of situations, but I don't know enough about the drug to know if it would be specific to treating alcoholism.

Re: On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

#58

Post by jemmyw »

bluedino wrote: post #6

I quit when I had kids. I'll have a beer here or there, but I don't "go to the bar". I still miss getting shitfaced with co-workers, but I managed to accomplish everything I could while drinking during the last 20 years. It guess it was fun, but I realize now I didn't need to go out every (or every other) day, and not for 8 hours at a time.

I quit after I had kids and fucked up a couple of times getting inappropriately drunk and not being functional the next day. I didn't drink often but when I did it was a problem. I can now have a tipple when I'm away from the family. As long as I really restrict it to 1 or 2 drinks.

Re: On why I gave up drinking in my early twenties

#60

Post by divan »

I never tried alcohol and never felt compelled to.

As a kid I wondered what's happening with those drunk people I had a chance to see. So I read some books in library about alcohol (my mother was librarian, so that was my internet back then). It all just made sense and I decided that don't want to even try. I was asked to try alcohol by parents and relatives, I was ridiculed and insulted by classmates (drinking somehow was a sign of being cool for them), but I didn't care - I knew how it works, and I didn't want it in my life. The same goes for any other drug, of course.

The whole concept of using poisonous chemicals to alter your brain state was and still is very alien to me. I just don't get it. Willingly disrupt your body's functions on a cellular level hoping for something good, while all the scientific evidence points only to the bad? Still don't get it.

I do get the social benefits part, but I think it's hugely exaggerated. Yes, being drunk seems to be like removing your psychological self-defence, which builds trust, especially in a high-stake business relations. But it's not the only way to build trust, for sure, and definitely doesn't justify the damage alcohol does to the body.

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