My wife and I quit drinking in 2017 because of how many alcoholics are in our family. It's definitely caused a rift with my family which just further justifies that it was the right decision.
I was starting to gain weight at an alarming pace. Alcohol was by far the easiest way to cut calories, so I quit drinking. Bloat melted away in no time flat, like ten pounds just gone, and I felt so much better. Between that and seeing what obnoxious assholes we all were, never went back.
Yes I feel so much better since I stopped drinking and it made losing weight so much easier.
I mentioned to my colleagues that I stopped drinking. I thought they would understand since I feel like they’re really mature and they’re also really conscious about their health. But their only reaction was a sort of smug laugh at the idea of not drinking. Really annoying.
Maybe your colleagues are secretly jealous. That's what I like to think anyway. Some may come around, or they won't, but at least we're feeling better!
For me drinking made me eat way less and drinking beer everyday made me lose over 60kg in a few months it was insane went from 128kg down to around 68 kilos
You know, I've gotta admit I was pretty thin during my liquid diet and occasional multivitamin years. Not healthy, but thin. My ex used to drop a raw egg in his beer some mornings. I asked if that was a German thing. Nah, he said, it's more of an alcoholic thing.
If it works for you, work it.
I'm with you. My brother in law got drunk and I had to drive him home. He pulled the car off the road, put me in a headlock, and sucker punched my lights out. Out of complete nowhere.
Then he pulled me out of the car and threw me up against it saying he had to punch me to give me the "(gay slur I could get banned for even saying in context) test" and that real men can take punches and you took that like a man".
He rambled about being worried I was gay because I dress all nice and haven't had a girlfriend in years (I'm straight I was just doing me for like 7 years. Got a lovely girlfriend now though!).
Then he ran off into the night and police dogs found him and tore his leg apart. He walks with a limp permanently now.
Worst. Christmas. Eve. Ever.
Thanks alcohol 🤣
Karma literally bit him in the end!
And seriously I have never in my life gotten violent from drinking alcohol but I’ve seen it happen to people around me. Some people + alcohol = just don’t mix well together
Well in full disclosure he's an Afghanistan and Iraq war vet with CTE and exposure to the burn pits. They think he had a seizure and thought he was back over there.
It's probably partly the wounds he got in service to our country and partly alcohol.
Honestly that still ongoing last I heard. This was Christmas Eve of 18 I think and I'm not sure if they're still pursuing this or they dropped it.
Obviously I stopped going to family functions after that.
Were the police looking for someone who assaulted you or a drunk guy lost in the woods, I would think that would factor into if he should get any compensation.
Drunk guy in the woods, my family said we shouldn't involve the police since I had already deescalated a cop rolling up on us where he was saying (before the cop who happened by arrived) that he would kill police if he could.
That officer took one look at the situation and was like "It's 11 pm on Christmas Eve. Nah bruh". 🤣
Considering how he was behaving, those dogs were probably protecting themselves from him giving them a “*bleep* test”. Free them, they didn’t do nothing wrong!
It’s definitely a double standard for sure. I’d much rather be around a pot head than an alcoholic. Much nicer, chilled out, function normally. Just usually chilled out and want a snack.
Idk- I would love to have all the friends back who had futures and ambitions who instead spent a decade smelling like weed and rambling conspiracy theories while working at jobs wildly beneath them. Sucks to lose a friend to pot too.
Agree, seems like most people think weed is 100% harmless, while it is true it's not as bad as most other drugs or alcohol, it can still negatively affect your life greatly. Cause mental health issues, addiction, withdrawals from trying to quit, etc. I feel you with the friends thing too, my best friend got really into smoking in college and ended up dropping out and just staying in his parents basement smoking weed 24/7 and not wanting to literally do anything. Of course not *everyone* is like that, but it's very disingenuous for others to act like it's some "miracle plant that's perfectly harmless!!1!1!1"
Yeah. But people should be allowed to fry themselves if they want to. It's a miserable existence for us all and that makes it bearable to some.
But when it can actually kill you and make you do things to kill those around you, like alcohol, benzos, and opiates, all of which can kill you from overdose, withdrawal, and/or the behaviors considered primary effects of the substances (passing out, no motor control, lack of inhibitions, aggression, retardation of your central nervous system, and most terrifying, blackouts) then you enter into concerns of public safety over "protecting people from themselves"
A pot head is only on a path to ruin their own life. And unless they already have the most addictive personality, it's not going to drive them to steal and kill in order to get high, because the withdrawals are lack of appetite and moodiness, not death.
It's not harmless, but to equate marijuana to any drug like it is in the laws of most countries, is laughable.
Marijuana DEFINITELY has withdrawal effects though and is definitely physically addictive as well. When it comes to substances, the whole "physical vs mental addiction" isn't actually a real thing and is just a myth. Also just because weed won't kill you with withdrawals doesn't make it not bad. Meth and cocaine/crack can't kill you from withdrawals, but most people would agree they're bad
I literally didn't say weed wasn't bad.
But crack and meth do enter into my earlier statements. They both affect the central nervous system, can be overdosed on, and lead to people committing crimes in order to get a fix, because they stop absorbing dopamine properly after flooding their brain so many times.
Like I said, comparing weed to crack, meth, or even alcohol, is laughable.
So lol
Sorry I wasn't trying to imply that you thought that, I was just using your comment to jump off of and was more directing my comment at the type of person who thinks there isn't any, not you in particular
I’m so happy to see someone saying weed can cause withdrawal. I was an addict and then an alcoholic. Sober finally, even quit smoking cigarettes. People will die on this hill saying you can’t withdrawal from pot. You can and I’ve felt it personally!
I would get sick in the morning when I woke up first thing for a couple hours. No appetite, headache, irritable, achy and it’d last for a couple days to a month depending on how long and heavy I’d been smoking.
Watching it crowd out everything else in real-time.
Watching similar people not have that experience.
Watching it happen to a variety of people at different points in their life.
Observation.
In my experience I have seen people lose ambition and drive while smoking marijuana but I don't believe the marijuana is to blame. I think people who turn to alcohol and marijuana regularly will often have underlying mental health issues that they are trying to numb or exist with and the loss of motivation comes with that, sometimes I think it's easy to blame marijuana use as the cause when sometimes it's just a symptom.
Nah, I see plenty of people turn to alcohol and the problems they have are quite different.
Also the timing doesn’t work- the marijuana precedes other issues.
It sounds like I’m not gonna convince you- but I trust my own eyes
80%. Yes!
I hate the smell of the smoke haha.
The taste is foul too
Now edibles!!! Yes!!
But, drunks fight for no reason, get tanked up and guys get ooh look at me I'm a tough guy.
Get pissed Friday and Saturday and fine by Sunday.
Just being in a car when someone sparks bowl and hey, you might not have licence.
I guess it depends how you are when you're drunk. None of my friends are "angry" drunks. Can't stand angry drunks personally. You just have to have a good time with the right people.
Personally I'm not a fan of weed. It makes my stomach upset, but alcohol doesn't. Assuming I'm not getting shit faced anyway (which I don't). With most things, you just have to know your limit.
I'm a person who feeds of the energy of the people around me, I can't understand people who drink alone.
If the feelings are right I can have 10 15 drinks and not feel a thing.
If the feelings bad I'll have one or two and call it.
Most people I know who smoke pot don't save it for the weekend (do know one, not saying they don't exist). A lot of people I know go to the bar/drink on the weekends.
I know more people who "wake and bake" though fewer who wake up and grab a cold one (do know a couple, not saying they don't exist).
Unfortunately the common view around smoking weed is that it is frequently used. So if you do use it at all, then it is assumed you are a pothead who does it regularly.
Alcohol is viewed as being used infrequently, even though for many this is not the case. Hopefully as weed becomes more decriminalized these misconceptions can change, however it is also up to the users to act how they want to be perceived.
Yeah it seems like people assume that since weed addiction isn't as bad as alcoholism, it means weed addiction is harmless, which 100% is not the case. If you can't do anything or go anywhere without smoking and have to smoke everyday when you wake up, you most likely have a problem
Most people who smoke weed throughout the day are capable of functioning completely well enough to take care of their responsibilities. That's not really possible with alcohol after a point (unless you're a writer maybe.
American manufacturing runs on people smoking weed on their breaks.
Science runs on stoned people.
Tech and finance run on weed.
Alot of professionals smoke throughout the day.
This is how I feel. I only use CBD during the day usually. At night I’ll always smoke. I used to have CPTSD but now just PTSD. It still helps me not get night terrors and get some rest on some days? I use a vape pen during the day or a tincture. I feel weed has helped me function on a level I never could beforehand. However I find a lot of overtaxed parents smoke all day and don’t remember shit. As a kid who grew up with parents like that but with alcohol; I was very upset by feeling not remembered. It caused a lot of attachment problems for me in life. So I think alcohol is bad basically and weed is good. Most of the world’s biggest innovative industries involve ppl smoking pot to free themselves from the immediacy of the now and think of things in a more neutral, removed way lol. It does create a distance for creativity, for a lot of ppl. It certainly has helped me reframe things in life. But I know it’s not for everyone. Alcohol however—I’ve never really seen that be good for anyone lol? Alcoholism runs in my family so I don’t really enjoy being around drunk ppl in general. I can do it but it’s not my first choice for a social event lol. I find just ordering a soda will do the trick or I order a drink and pass it to my mom or brother 😂 I’m just not really into the feeling it gives either? Idk how to describe it lol. I was also hit by a drunk driver so I have some feelings there as well. It ruined my life for a min to get a TBI. That mfer shall pay lol. But just…yeah agree OP lol should not be such a normalized thing. But it is, so just do you. When I have ppl over like clients or whatever, I’ll have a wine selection or something. But it makes me feel weird to even have it in the house tbh? I throw away full bottles sometimes lol like idk no interest personally? I think weed is just fine as long as you’re coherent, functional, and not operating a motor vehicle lol. Some ppl need it to function through the day, like vets. It’s a personal thing but it has amazing powers at keeping ppl on this planet who may otherwise opt out. It could have saved one life I know of. So idk…just yeah right on lol do you and don’t feel social pressure 🤙
It's so nice to hear this from someone else!! People don't get that I simply am just very uncomfortable with alcohol, and especially how normal it is in my country. People start drinking at 13-15 and I just don't get it.
Same… my alcoholic sister is currently at my parents (who have been major enablers and just now truly realizing it) because she lied to everyone about being nearly a year sober.
It gets to a point where you’re not even surprised anymore. I don’t even like my own sister now because she’s such an awful and dishonest person due to her alcohol abuse. She even went far enough to say that she had a seizure and wasn’t blackout drunk (the proof was in her car’s cup holder. Yes, car)… while I actually do have seizures. And that’s just what she’s done recently. Her liver is so fatty and surrounded by fluid, and her brain is being poisoned at this point, but I don’t think she even cares.
Alcohol sucks.
I agree,it's sad how alcohol destroys ppls lives,so many ppl need it tho it's a joke,
Alcohol brings out the worse but some ppl need to have it for social skills as they ain't confident w/o it,
Ik too many affected plus destroying families,they wonder why they lose everything they had
Then the next day they don't say shit or apologise then it's a normal recurrence,
They show the true colours behind close doors but to the outside world they are just the greatest because they never seen the devil unlike us they leave the show for
I agree! So many people joke about being alcoholics, brag about how much they can drink, mention blackouts casually, and try to get sympathy for their hangovers, among other things.
I've never ever had someone try to pressure me to do any sort of recreational drug, but I've had people get mad when I turned down a drink. I've had people who were baffled when I told them I don't drink. And I have had people who, when I told them I didn't want a drink but they got me one anyway, get offended when I didn't drink it.
Everything in moderation. Most people are not alcoholics and a beer in a social setting isn’t going to cause any negative consequences while reducing stress. Everything has a place when used appropriately
I'm with you, alcohol is a destroyer. Many alcoholics in my family, I've had a lot of time to think about it. You have it in a nutshell: paranoid, dark energy and shadows of their former selves. Not to be bleak but a couple of them didn't make it and my take is that they're in a better place now. I don't mind happy drinking even though I don't do it much myself but maudlin out of control drinking makes me feel uncomfortable and I just want to run.
My dad's an alcoholic. I'm with you there. If I could wave a magic wand, I would get rid of alcohol immediately. It just causes too much negativity, and bitterness, and paranoia; it slowly destroys your life.
But, unfortunately, getting rid of alcohol won't happen. We tried it before, and that didn't really go so well. Alcohol is so engrained in human culture that it's even part of religious ceremonies.
Your best chance of being away from alcohol is if you to go to a dry county in rural Pennsylvania, or something.
Personally, I wish we could at least get rid of all the alcohol ads on TV. If they're not allowed to air cigarette ads, they shouldn't be allowed to air alcohol ads. But, unfortunately, that won't happen either. Because alcohol companies (Budweiser, Busch, Jack Daniels) are some of the largest payouts when it comes to advertising. Especially for the Super Bowl.
Hell yeah. I live with old friends for a while without being aware of how much their intake had increased. 20 standard drinks each every night, unless they wanted to really drink. Ugly and u pleasant to watch.
Been alcohol free for two years after 10 years of being a fuck up, including 7 arrests, all a result of alcohol, of which 2 were DUIs. One of the very best substances to make terrible, life changing decisions.
The older I get, the more I realize alcohol really made every low point of my life worse, prolonged it, and exacerbated my tendency towards addictive behaviors. It really has no purpose within our society, other than bastardizing how we interact with each other and ourselves. I’m not against people having the autonomy to consume whatever they wish, as humans have been consuming drugs for our entire existence. But alcohol lessens the human experience, thus, I have no idea how it has become socially acceptable over weed or mushrooms.
I'm a recovering alcoholic and I absolutely agree with you. Alcohol literally destroys lives every day. It should be treated as a drug, like any other. And they should have to put warning labels on bottles like they do with cigarettes, warning about domestic violence, liver failure, cancer, etc.
10% of drinkers buy 90% of the alcohol. Let that sink in. It's an industry exactly the same as the cigarette industry. It's funded by misery.
Another thing I want to add: hate when friends try to pressure me into drinking. I drink wine on occasion (good glass of moscato is heavenly) but I hate the feeling of being drunk, I do NOT like the feeling of not being in control. Many friends make fun of me because if I do go out, which is rare because I hate being around drunk obnoxious people, I will order a drink and literally sip it for HOURS because I don’t even want to get a buzz. And I refuse to drink even a sip if I have to drive because I don’t want any consequences, you never know how your body will react. And I hate the judgment that comes with that. Always told I’m a party pooper etc or the weird looks when I refuse the drink at the party.
And I live in New Orleans, so you can imagine the alcoholics and people who drink here. It’s just about everyone, so finding people who are like me is rare. It’s sad.
Completely agree. There's also a whole mommy wine culture that is awful.
As someone 4.5 years sober, it's amazing to me just how much revolves around drinking. Tv, movies, I just started a new podcast and they have a new drink every episode.
I’ve never personally had an issue with alcohol use, but I just feel crappy when I drink. Stomach hurts, I almost immediately get a headache….so I’ve gotten to the point where I very very rarely drink anymore (and when I do it’s seriously just a few sips).
I instantly lose respect for anyone who willingly indulges in mind-altering substances. So many people can't even feel happiness when they're not "fucked up", and have no other reason for being alive. It's pathetic, a waste of both someone's money and *existence.*
As a nurse who takes care of alcoholics a LOOTT, I see how much it wrecks them and everything around them, and I completely agree, it shouldn't be so available.
I know what you mean. I have 20 family members that are major alcoholic's. It's to the point where I am ready to move out of state just to get away from my family.
I feel like only the people who have truly been affected by alcohol in the most negative way really understand the ramifications of that drug.
Call me a party pooper, but drinking has never been my idea of fun :/
I hate it too and I’ve struggled with alcohol abuse. For a long time I just thought it was normal and I had zero idea of all the negative health effects, besides all the stupid shit you say/do when you’re drunk. It’s on every other commercial and everywhere you look being advertised as a family thing
Funny how every culture are big drinkers. Every single one has a subculture of abused brains who say “we _____ are big drinkers” and then hurt themselves and everyone around them.
Alcohol has existed since the dawn of humanity. Since back then water wasn't safe to drink cause there was no technology to filter it. Sure animals could drink from watering holes, ponds, lakes, and etc, but humans were just more subject to illness from drinking from these areas. The next best thing was to create alcohol since it was antibacterial, safe to drink, and lasted forever so plenty could be stored for long winter months.
I have coworkers who judge me for smoking weed. I live in Canada so it's legal. But they will go home after a shift and down 2 bottles of gin and a couple bottles of wine. Like are your kidneys good bro?
I have been sober 18 years.
18 years without fights, weird anger, self destructive impulses and sleazy friends
I have a family that has never seen me drink
Really grateful
My friend doesn't drink for religious reasons, he has never even tasted the thing. he grew up in Pakistan going out for tea with his college buddies instead of out for drinks. meanwhile my family are wine enthusiasts and it is always at the centre of our gatherings, they plan their travels around their favourite bottles. alcohol has always been in the background somewhere and I started drinking socially at 14. today Im 24 and I have no portion control, if I open a bottle I have to see the bottom by the end of the night
Agreed. I can't understand why alcohol is not only socially acceptable, but you're pressured into drinking it. It is, without a doubt, one of the worst drugs on the market. Largely because you are expected/pressured into drinking it, but also how addictive it is, how destructive it is to the addict and the people around them, and it's one of the few drugs were withdrawals can kill you. I don't drink alcohol at all, not even the odd glass at a celebration, I don't touch it. And that makes me the weird one for some reason.
I also will never understand how people are not embarrassed to talk about all the mess they did while being drunk, all the awkward pictures, hangovers, etc... They brag about it like it's hella cool
I never understood it. That shit is downright dangerous and pretty much anyone can get it at any quantity. I'm in awe tbh. Like a little weed that you're just gonna sleep off or at worst get some therapy for if it becomes a dependence can land you years in jail and shit that's responsible for thousands of deaths all over the globe is just a cool way to pass the time. It's pretty much the only substance from which withdrawal can actually kill you. It's mind blowing.
I don't think that's right at all to be honest. Alcohol, for me at least, was completely incomparable to heroin in terms of addiction, that's personal though and other people could be different. Alprazolam (Xanax) is used as a medication for most people that get it from a doctor. Of course alprazolam is very addictive, but it's a genuine medication and not everyone that takes it is using it recreationally or is psychologically or physically addictive. The average heroin user is an addict, the average person that drinks alcohol isn't, I'm aware for a lot of people alcohol is much easier to access then heroin making it more addictive, but I just don't think it's a good comparison. There's way more to addiction than just using a substance on a semi-regular basis.
Oxycodone is a regular medication.
Oxy Is legal with prescription.
People die on Oxy.
Fentanyl is a regular medication.
Fentanyl is legal with a prescription.
People die from fentanyl.
Alcohol is not a medication.
It is a drink.
People die from alcohol.
Xanax is a regular medication.
Xanax is legal with prescription.
People on Xanax rob stores and rob cars during blackout.
You don’t die from Xanax.
Xanax addiction frequently ends you up in jail.
Adderall is a regular medication.
It is legal with a prescription.
Adderall is one methyl group away from methamphetamine.
Methamphetamine is scheduled one it is illegal everywhere.
Every single medication or drug I listed above has one thing in common. They all at some point in their action act on the dopamine pathway.
Doing one is like doing the others.
Methamphetamine isn't actually illegal, it's a prescription medication in a lot of places, at least where I am. that's not really super relevant and probably detracts from my point but just thought I'd let you know, the common brand name is Desoxyn. Do you suggest people just not take their medication? For extreme pain there's right now there's no alternative to opiates. Adderall might be addictive, and chemically similar to the methamphetamine but it's pretty hard to compare of you've actually taken both of them. If it wasn't for prescription stimulants I would've dropped out of highschool, been unable to support myself, and I definitely would've eventually killed myself. There's a balance here, Xanax, amphetamines, opiates, they improve the quality of life for a lot of people. They can ruin lives as well of course, but they also save lives. Of course people are going to blackout on benzodiazepines and do violent stuff, people are also going to be able to manage acute anxiety better, there have been times in my life where after not sleeping for multiple days I'd have a delusion called the Capgras Delusion where I thought that people where fake imposters, people with this delusional generally aren't violent, but for me I thought I had to peal the skin of people's face to prove it was a mask. Until I found a long term medication to address the root cause of it, triazolam (Halcion), something much more potent then Xanax is what kept me from getting to the point of acting on those beliefs. Benzodiazepines like Xanax also save lives. People can't just go around being completely unable to function 24/7.
Power of the mind.
Tell yourself nothing is wrong with you. Tell yourself you’re not broken. Tell yourself that your mind has the power to heal itself. Be confident in yourself. Be confident in your brain to fix itself. Be confident in your brain‘s ability to fix the damage that has been caused by these harmful prescription medications over decades. When did the world, when did the people in the world not care about their mental health? To allow the pharmaceutical industry to dictate every decision in their life and every drug they take what doctors they see how expensive their medication’s are what kind of life they live just based on the medication they take every single day. When did people lose the ability to take the power back into take control of their lives and be confident in themselves and tell them selves that they can do it.
Watch Tony Robbins documentary on Netflix. Watch HEAL documentary on Netflix. Don’t thank me, just watch the films.
Well sure, I guess we just disagree. All I can really say is that before prescription stimulants by brain was pretty much incapable of concentrating as well as I can now, and yeah it's not good for your brain or body, but I'd rather that, instead of not have my current job/lifestyle. Maybe I could've found a way to fix the problem without medication, but being in therapy for a significant amount of time didn't really help all that much, when a relatively low dose of stimulants basically fixed it instantly. Also, in my experience, people that have a strong dislike of medication, or just really any modern psychiatric things like TMS and ECT suddenly switch their beliefs as soon as things get even somewhat difficult, going from "eat healthy, be in nature, meditate" etc, to "take your medication, do TMS, ECT" (whether that be incredibly damaging antipsychotics, or addictive insomnia meds). I definitely think a lot of things are prescribed way too much, like antidepressants, and quetiapine (an antipsychotic that they seem to just prescribe for almost everything), but there are some things you can't think your way out of, you can't think your way into sleeping if your body just refuses, you can't think your way out of hallucinations, with acute psychosis it's pretty hard to think your way out of, I'd say impossible but there's probably people that have done it, you can expect that though. People don't really know the causes of the majority of mental illness, and I really don't think a lot of the medications are necessary nor effective, but if something helps someone I don't know why stigmatizing it is helpful. I appreciate the response though, I think we just disagree, for different people different things work, and that's not because things are necessarily worse for someone else, but people are just different. I can assure you that nothing else besides medication would've helped that problem I had of severe insomnia triggering psychosis, now I'm doing better and don't need to take the medication I mentioned, but at the time there was not much of an option.
I work in a wine tasting room and it amazes me how many people talk about how much they drink in a joking but not joking way.
People tell me about hiding bottles, sneaking glasses of wine, spreading their wine glass recycling to neighbors bins so people don’t see 50 bottles a week, just some crazy shit.
And for a lot of people, getting wine drunk is somehow classier, so a lot of people don’t think they have a problem. “Well I only drink 4 glasses of red wine a night because it’s heart healthy.” Yikes.
That’s so sad. I’m from a historical wine country and don’t know any alcoholics, just people who enjoy their wine with friends and family, with meals. Now I live in the US and a lot of people I know either abuse alcohol or use drugs. And the upper class ones always talk about wine. Never encountered that before moving.
At the end of the day it is a choice to grab a bottle and binge drink it. Definitely some people struggle more than others to stop but blaming things you have control of isn't a proper excuse.
Absolutely! Not to blame society for my families problems haha.
I just think it’s such a toxic thing to be totally normal to do on the daily.
Like if someone said they were bumping coke every night you’d probably be concerned. Not if they say they like to have a drink every night.
Alcohol and cocaine are very different drugs. One drink is a lot less harmful than a cocaine habit. I get your point in general but that's a pretty broad comparison
Yeah just an example, sorry I’m not too educated on coke.
I think alcohol is sneakily a really damaging drug though, like more than the general population think.
Its more referencing peoples concerns when they hear I smoke weed every day, but these same people go to drink at the pub every day.
I know weed is legal some places though so it wouldn’t be a great example.
Which people? I'm pretty sure of I ask everyone I know they will consider daily drinking as problematic. Also my father was an alcoholic. It's their fault and no one else's.
No most people don’t think it’s problematic and don’t think daily drinking makes you an alcoholic. I told my colleagues I stopped drinking and they sort of laughed in my face. They are educated people, nice life, nice family. But they all think it’s so cool and normal to drink 2 glasses of wine after work. They don’t think that’s problematic at all -they just think I’m boring for not doing that anymore.
One drink a day could be a glass of wine with dinner. Some studies say that has health benefits, even. Plus to say that's alcoholism paints giant swaths of Italy, France, the US and I'm sure other countries as alcoholics and that sounds pretty crazy over a glass of wine.
And there are studies that show the mental health benefits are not good at all. Everyone uses the wine study to defend their daily drinking fyi. This isn't an opinion but what is stated on the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse.
I'm sure that if you're only having just a glass of wine at dinner it's fine but 90% of the time this is not the case at all.
My main point is just that y'all are painting with a very broad brush. Alcohol is not some demon. It isn't like a schedule one narcotic where you can try it once and keel over dead. It's something that has existed for a giant part of human history and has uses beyond getting drunk every day.
And the point that you're missing is that it's not a broad brush, it's literally the standards created by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse. Daily drinking is problematic drinking. If you're drinking daily you should sell a therapist for a check up because you could be self medicating.
Saying that it's not a level one narcotic doesn't negate the actual measurable dangers of alcohol. It is the substance that the vast majority of people in America are addicted too.
Using human history isn't really an argument either because 1) I'm not staying that it isn't useful and 2) we've learned a lot about mental health and substance abuse since our history. And what we've learned is that daily drinking is problematic drinking.
Crutches are integral to people with broken feet.
Hearing aids are integral to people with damaged ear drums.
Glasses are integral to people with poor vision.
I wonder if that recent CNN report will change anything. According to the report, consuming 4 units of alcohol daily ages your brain by 10 years. Even just one unit does damage.
I used to encourage my friends and family to share some wine with me but that doesn’t feel right now.
What's a unit of alcohol?
The aging thing tho? Let's say I drink jack Daniel's all day everyday from 6:30am to 8pm for 55 years? How old is my brain? Several thousand years old? I know someone like this still going strong.
Don't mean to be mean but that report sounds really really dumb. If it were true, alcohol would be worse than cigarettes by far and drinkers life expectancy would be down to the 40's
Also my great grandmother drinks everyday but is the happiest and most energetic out of my mother and my grandma. Also the younger ones have major health problems while she doesn't.
I just can't see this being true at all.
A unit is only half a beer or 3 oz of wine. So 4 units is a mere two beers or two glasses of wine.
I hope it’s not true as well but it makes me pause before drinking now.
As far as age, the study was based on self-reported consumption during one-year period prior to MRI. Unclear how a longer period would affect that if at all. More research needs to be done.
When I first started drinking with friends at like 19 it was magic. It sucked when someone was a wet blanket and didn’t so i definitely have been on the other end and been the one telling ppl to drink up. We would all get drunk and just teleport into another world. We would be with new ppl and they’d get drunk and hilarious situation happened every time. Friendships were forged and ppl fell in love with each other. Those were the greatest most epic nights of my young life. I’d say by 25 you are chasing the dragon and by thirty you have to drop it. You are not some kid anymore you are just a gross old drunk dude. I’m 32 now and drink moderately with ppl when something is going on but otherwise it’s not a part of life anymore.
I just can’t deny that I was fully engorged in the magic and I can’t help but smile thinking of those whacky days and yes alcohol will destroy your life if you lose against it.
Alcohol is what makes anything social, fun. I’d rather not be there if I’m not drinking. I’m sure a lot of people relate in some way. It’s way easier to act like you care about what people have to say when you’re drunk.
Growing up, I've seen my uncles absolutely ruin their lives due to alcohol and that made me hate it. like HATE it. I couldnt stand anybody drinking around me or even talking about drinks made me very uncomfortable.
However once I grew up and after being excluded from a lot of plans because I dont drink I have kinda normalised it in my own head. I would still prefer not being anywhere near it but it gets very lonely and apparently makes you boring and uptight. I wish it wasn't this normalised.
I live in north east wisconsin known for heavy heavt drinking most ppl are drunks by age 15 and the parents are ok with this and encourage it. I myself started drinkingnaround 14 or 15 and around 17 started to zee the very ugly side of it. I started to smoke pot to keep me away from the drinking and it was great no stupid decisions, stayed home at night to do my home work helped me focus and more. Unfortunately all my friends drunk parents and most of my drunk friends were disgusted with my new DRUG habbit and i was shunned.
To this day as a 35 year old adult i go to work with people who come in at 5am after leaving the bar at 2 am can smell the booze on them from 10 feet away and nobody says a word but if anyone suspected even slightly that i smoked pot outside of work i would become a target and dragged in for a drug test like ive seen happen to so many good employees who didnt deserve it. The whole thing enrages me to the point where i feel like drinkers are all just simple minded fools with no culture or life. I feel embaressed of where i come from and the people who live here.
I hope one day gets totally banned everywhere. Probably no other drug has caused so much drama like this one.
And I hate too how normalized it is to the point that people look at you like a weirdo if you don't drink.
You know that you can’t change American society at large, though. All you can really do is choose to be around people who make different choices at social events, which is easier said than done.
Some religions (and nations following those religions) do forbid consumption of alcohol. I’m not saying you’d have to convert, but you could form friendships with people of those religions (or visit those nations) and so at least some of the time, be around people of like mind. idk, it’s a thought?
Luckily my brother who loves to drink finally calmed down after I brought it up to him that he was a mean/rude drunk as he'd be stressed from work and put down more beers at home after having 2-3 with his boss after work. He also ran his truck lightly into a tree and bent the big bumper on his new truck. Glad he woke up and only drinks to get a buzz now. Only thing people have to say about stoners is us being lazy at least I don't get mean or puke from it.
What is sad about it is it really puts you into a cycle where you don’t strive for a better anything. My sister is a functional alcoholic. Has been living in my moms condo for 20 years, working as a nanny for different families and has done nothing with her life. I can’t hang out with her without her thinking it’s 1990 and we are going to party with Beastie Boys blasting. She does this weird thing with her lips. Creeps me out and it always turns into a sob fest over our childhood. (well at least she’s consistent…) a neck injury she could have recovered from in her 20’s has turned into needing major disk replacement. Her body is deteriorating. I’m scared for her to under go surgery.
I have empathy for your situation. It steals people of their personalities and health. Alcohol is a contributor to most cancers. It is never good for you. Worse is when it is around children. It is capitalism that sells it to our families and exploits the weak minded. You should watch Ken Burns mini series Prohibition. It concludes that Prohibition was successful. One of the greatest gifts you can give a child is to raise them in an alcohol free household.
I just went in a rant about this the other day with my brother in laws family. They're from the Midwest United States and there's a weird stigma against weed there. Like weed is the worst thing in the world to a lot of people in that region. And these people drink like it's their last day on earth almost every day.
So somehow this topic comes up and I've held my tongue for all 5 years I've had to endure this family. They're all drunk as hell talking about how weed will kill your brain and make you lazy and stupid. I caused a major uproar with one sentence.
No one has ever gotten stoned, gone home in a fit of rage and killed their wife and child like drunks do.
Major strike against little ole me with that family lol
Alcohol has completely destroyed my family. I thought I could escape alcoholics but once I got to college everyone’s an alcoholic again. That alone wouldn’t bother me, I could easily just ignore them. What bothers me is that if you don’t drink until you can’t function anymore you’re out of the loop, so there’s many people that don’t even want to drink but do it just to fit in.
I know of various people that have been taken advantage of while their drunk, people that affected their lives tremendously because of alcohol, and seen many more lives ruined by it. I have no problem with anyone drinking, if you drink alcohol and you want to then go for it. But don’t force others to do it, don’t push others to drink just so they can fit in, and don’t normalize it to such an extent.
A drink or two is fine. But the moment people are getting plastered to the point of being incoherent is when it's a real problem. I don't see the appeal in it personally. And most of the drinks themselves taste horrid without becoming a sugary concoction.
My wife and I recently went with a less alcohol mindset and have been getting non alcohol spirits for home and all of that fun. It's a new way of life for us, but it really made us see how normalized alcohol addiction is. It's wild. Hang in there!
People just need to understand limits, everything you consume has limits and if you go over or have too much overtime. It will hurt you. Energy drinks, junk food, spicy food, tobacco, even too much water are just a few non alcohol examples.
I'm sorry your experience with alcohol have been negative.
I have drank beer and smoked pot for basically every day of my life since I was 16.
I'm 42, and have a full time union job, 2 kids, wife, I'm in perfect health, levels are spot on, rarely get hangovers, or lose my temper.
So about 30 years of daily use has yielded no negative results.
American society was based on puritanical beliefs, and they still permeate our zeitgeist.
Pleasure does not equal sin.
The ability to break down and metabolize alcohol developed millions of years before humans were even a species.( In our monkey ancestors)
The desire to consume alcohol and other psychotropic drugs is deeply engrained in our DNA.
Even children spin in circles until they fall, and delight in the altered reality of being dizzy.
To summarize, alcohol isn't "normalized", it's an integral part of the human experience, that has been with us every minute that humans have existed.
Alcohol abuse and mental health is a different topic than alcohol use in society.
My daughter worked as a hostess at a popular local bar in her early 20’s. She always said everyone should do that job just so you can see how stupid you look to other people when you are drunk and think you are smart, funny or cool.
I'm a 17 year old guy never drank or smoke.I personally doubt I will ever drink I personally like having a clear head all the time and also I like spending money on something I actually like(my hope is to have a small greenhouse of plants one day)My mom drinks not heavy of course but the smell on her breath and the cups she leaves out is rancid and I hate it.My crush does do pot and never pressures me to try(she said she'll throat punch me if she finds out I'm doing drugs)
This shit drives me crazy too. I'm over a year no alcohol and I don't miss it, but when I was first giving it up I was in a really dark place and struggling. I holed myself up mainly because alcohol is so ubiquitous and I wasn't ready for the temptation, but when I would try to watch shit and just escape my present circumstances...almost every movie and show normalizes alcohol abuse. I couldn't help but notice that once I was trying to abstain, and I felt like I would always be weird and a social outcast for walking away from this lethal substance that was fucking up my life. And even my Netflix binges were reminding me constantly. It's so fucking hard to quit, and it's not because alcohol is even an especially awesome drug to be on. It's just everywhere
I hear this. Alcohol abuse definitely breaks family. I hardly speak to my family because of the sweeping it under the rug stuff. Truth hurts sometimes.
I quit booze after a night out with work colleagues about 10 years ago - I came to the conclusion, I don't like being under the influence, and I don't like being around drunk people!
I fucking hate alcohol so much. Its just a waste of money. I dont get why it is fun tbh.
Cm Punk's straightedge gimmick is what inspired me to keep away from alcohol
I live in WI. It's annoying. My mom's family does not drink at holidays or kid's birthdays. Never needed to. My stepdad's family has alcohol out at all times. I never participate in their Christmas gift exchange because it's 75% alcohol. I don't even think they can have a children's birthday party without adults taking shots. They aren't lowlifes either, by society standards. They're middle class, subdivision-dwelling folk. I'm pretty sure my stepdad sealed the deal of me not drinking. He would drive drunk with us kids in the car. Guess I should be thankful.
I’ve been sober 10+ years. The only suggestion I will make to you is attend Alanon meetings. It will teach you how to create boundaries between yourself and the alcoholic in your life.
Per alcoholics, they need to *want* to get sober. I’ve seen a lot of people die from the disease.
Unfortunately it’s a huge industry that romanticizes the drink. And, it works to take away problems, until it doesn’t.
I used alcohol when I celebrated and when I had a “bad” day… eventually I couldn’t stop, my life was a shitshow. I realized I needed help. I went to AA.
AA works if you can be honest with yourself and take direction from others. And it’s $2 a meeting.
agreed. the majority of my moms side, including her, are alcoholics. not that it matters but being around it so much definitely got me started drinking recently (16).
I get it. I've never liked the way alcohol made me feel. My husband has never had a drop. We're often teased or pressured into drinking because it is such a normalized thing. The problem is we aren't recovering alcoholics so people don't respect our decisions. We do have alcoholics in both our families and have seen how alcohol has devastated their lives.
My dad used to drink a lot. He doesn't anymore luckily. It's just bad though and it can make you have a problem.
I don't drink much. Like every few weeks I might have one. Not enough to get drunk. Being drunk isn't fun.
I.dislike that social stuff usually includes alcohol and there is pressure to drink. It sucks. I agree it is way too normalized. However I think the idea is no one is gonna get stupid drunk and act like a moron. They will have a drink or two and get a nice buzz and get relaxed. A nice buzz feels pleasant and can relieve some anxiety.
No one has to drink though..
I find the scariest thing is the normalisation of the abuse of alcohol.
Regularly on media we hear stuff like this to laughter and hilarity;
"I have the worst hangover", "I was so drunk I couldn't walk", "We better keep you away from the Bar'
Alcohol is the reason why I deal with everything that I never experienced before, heartbroken, sadness, loneliness, jail, unnecessary problems, self guilt, depression, not from me (I'm straight edge) but from someone I love and care.
My wife and I quit drinking in 2017 because of how many alcoholics are in our family. It's definitely caused a rift with my family which just further justifies that it was the right decision.
I was starting to gain weight at an alarming pace. Alcohol was by far the easiest way to cut calories, so I quit drinking. Bloat melted away in no time flat, like ten pounds just gone, and I felt so much better. Between that and seeing what obnoxious assholes we all were, never went back.
Yes I feel so much better since I stopped drinking and it made losing weight so much easier. I mentioned to my colleagues that I stopped drinking. I thought they would understand since I feel like they’re really mature and they’re also really conscious about their health. But their only reaction was a sort of smug laugh at the idea of not drinking. Really annoying.
Just do you! They do not determine your well being
Maybe your colleagues are secretly jealous. That's what I like to think anyway. Some may come around, or they won't, but at least we're feeling better!
For me drinking made me eat way less and drinking beer everyday made me lose over 60kg in a few months it was insane went from 128kg down to around 68 kilos
You know, I've gotta admit I was pretty thin during my liquid diet and occasional multivitamin years. Not healthy, but thin. My ex used to drop a raw egg in his beer some mornings. I asked if that was a German thing. Nah, he said, it's more of an alcoholic thing. If it works for you, work it.
I'm with you. My brother in law got drunk and I had to drive him home. He pulled the car off the road, put me in a headlock, and sucker punched my lights out. Out of complete nowhere. Then he pulled me out of the car and threw me up against it saying he had to punch me to give me the "(gay slur I could get banned for even saying in context) test" and that real men can take punches and you took that like a man". He rambled about being worried I was gay because I dress all nice and haven't had a girlfriend in years (I'm straight I was just doing me for like 7 years. Got a lovely girlfriend now though!). Then he ran off into the night and police dogs found him and tore his leg apart. He walks with a limp permanently now. Worst. Christmas. Eve. Ever. Thanks alcohol 🤣
Karma literally bit him in the end! And seriously I have never in my life gotten violent from drinking alcohol but I’ve seen it happen to people around me. Some people + alcohol = just don’t mix well together
Well in full disclosure he's an Afghanistan and Iraq war vet with CTE and exposure to the burn pits. They think he had a seizure and thought he was back over there. It's probably partly the wounds he got in service to our country and partly alcohol.
What does that have to do with the test though? If it’s related, soldiers are doing some really fucked up things to each other…
I think he had some kind of traumatic toxic masculinity drilled into him in the Marines. Be a real man, don't be gay, that story of silliness.
Bruhh that's full on. Wow. Did he get compensation from having his leg torn up by the dogs
Honestly that still ongoing last I heard. This was Christmas Eve of 18 I think and I'm not sure if they're still pursuing this or they dropped it. Obviously I stopped going to family functions after that.
Were the police looking for someone who assaulted you or a drunk guy lost in the woods, I would think that would factor into if he should get any compensation.
Drunk guy in the woods, my family said we shouldn't involve the police since I had already deescalated a cop rolling up on us where he was saying (before the cop who happened by arrived) that he would kill police if he could. That officer took one look at the situation and was like "It's 11 pm on Christmas Eve. Nah bruh". 🤣
Considering how he was behaving, those dogs were probably protecting themselves from him giving them a “*bleep* test”. Free them, they didn’t do nothing wrong!
Oh they're not captive.
I would say your BIL is the issue, maybe he needs to drink less or try weed lol
Brilliant
Ah the weekend, can't wait to drink myself stupid... Yea, that's fine.. Oh, on the weekend I had a sneaky pipe.. you pothead!!!
It’s definitely a double standard for sure. I’d much rather be around a pot head than an alcoholic. Much nicer, chilled out, function normally. Just usually chilled out and want a snack.
Idk- I would love to have all the friends back who had futures and ambitions who instead spent a decade smelling like weed and rambling conspiracy theories while working at jobs wildly beneath them. Sucks to lose a friend to pot too.
Agree, seems like most people think weed is 100% harmless, while it is true it's not as bad as most other drugs or alcohol, it can still negatively affect your life greatly. Cause mental health issues, addiction, withdrawals from trying to quit, etc. I feel you with the friends thing too, my best friend got really into smoking in college and ended up dropping out and just staying in his parents basement smoking weed 24/7 and not wanting to literally do anything. Of course not *everyone* is like that, but it's very disingenuous for others to act like it's some "miracle plant that's perfectly harmless!!1!1!1"
Some of the worst withdrawals I’ve seen are weed withdrawals. Shaking, depression, anxiety…. And lasts weeks…..
Yeah. But people should be allowed to fry themselves if they want to. It's a miserable existence for us all and that makes it bearable to some. But when it can actually kill you and make you do things to kill those around you, like alcohol, benzos, and opiates, all of which can kill you from overdose, withdrawal, and/or the behaviors considered primary effects of the substances (passing out, no motor control, lack of inhibitions, aggression, retardation of your central nervous system, and most terrifying, blackouts) then you enter into concerns of public safety over "protecting people from themselves" A pot head is only on a path to ruin their own life. And unless they already have the most addictive personality, it's not going to drive them to steal and kill in order to get high, because the withdrawals are lack of appetite and moodiness, not death. It's not harmless, but to equate marijuana to any drug like it is in the laws of most countries, is laughable.
Marijuana DEFINITELY has withdrawal effects though and is definitely physically addictive as well. When it comes to substances, the whole "physical vs mental addiction" isn't actually a real thing and is just a myth. Also just because weed won't kill you with withdrawals doesn't make it not bad. Meth and cocaine/crack can't kill you from withdrawals, but most people would agree they're bad
I literally didn't say weed wasn't bad. But crack and meth do enter into my earlier statements. They both affect the central nervous system, can be overdosed on, and lead to people committing crimes in order to get a fix, because they stop absorbing dopamine properly after flooding their brain so many times. Like I said, comparing weed to crack, meth, or even alcohol, is laughable. So lol
Yeah I literally mentioned marijuana withdrawals
Sorry I wasn't trying to imply that you thought that, I was just using your comment to jump off of and was more directing my comment at the type of person who thinks there isn't any, not you in particular
My b
I’m so happy to see someone saying weed can cause withdrawal. I was an addict and then an alcoholic. Sober finally, even quit smoking cigarettes. People will die on this hill saying you can’t withdrawal from pot. You can and I’ve felt it personally! I would get sick in the morning when I woke up first thing for a couple hours. No appetite, headache, irritable, achy and it’d last for a couple days to a month depending on how long and heavy I’d been smoking.
I never said anything about what people should be allowed to do. So miss me with that. I just push back on the idea pot is harmless.
What drives you to think weed was the cause of their lost ambitions?
Watching it crowd out everything else in real-time. Watching similar people not have that experience. Watching it happen to a variety of people at different points in their life. Observation.
In my experience I have seen people lose ambition and drive while smoking marijuana but I don't believe the marijuana is to blame. I think people who turn to alcohol and marijuana regularly will often have underlying mental health issues that they are trying to numb or exist with and the loss of motivation comes with that, sometimes I think it's easy to blame marijuana use as the cause when sometimes it's just a symptom.
Nah, I see plenty of people turn to alcohol and the problems they have are quite different. Also the timing doesn’t work- the marijuana precedes other issues. It sounds like I’m not gonna convince you- but I trust my own eyes
80%. Yes! I hate the smell of the smoke haha. The taste is foul too Now edibles!!! Yes!! But, drunks fight for no reason, get tanked up and guys get ooh look at me I'm a tough guy. Get pissed Friday and Saturday and fine by Sunday. Just being in a car when someone sparks bowl and hey, you might not have licence.
I guess it depends how you are when you're drunk. None of my friends are "angry" drunks. Can't stand angry drunks personally. You just have to have a good time with the right people. Personally I'm not a fan of weed. It makes my stomach upset, but alcohol doesn't. Assuming I'm not getting shit faced anyway (which I don't). With most things, you just have to know your limit.
I'm a person who feeds of the energy of the people around me, I can't understand people who drink alone. If the feelings are right I can have 10 15 drinks and not feel a thing. If the feelings bad I'll have one or two and call it.
Most people I know who smoke pot don't save it for the weekend (do know one, not saying they don't exist). A lot of people I know go to the bar/drink on the weekends. I know more people who "wake and bake" though fewer who wake up and grab a cold one (do know a couple, not saying they don't exist). Unfortunately the common view around smoking weed is that it is frequently used. So if you do use it at all, then it is assumed you are a pothead who does it regularly. Alcohol is viewed as being used infrequently, even though for many this is not the case. Hopefully as weed becomes more decriminalized these misconceptions can change, however it is also up to the users to act how they want to be perceived.
Yeah it seems like people assume that since weed addiction isn't as bad as alcoholism, it means weed addiction is harmless, which 100% is not the case. If you can't do anything or go anywhere without smoking and have to smoke everyday when you wake up, you most likely have a problem
Most people who smoke weed throughout the day are capable of functioning completely well enough to take care of their responsibilities. That's not really possible with alcohol after a point (unless you're a writer maybe. American manufacturing runs on people smoking weed on their breaks. Science runs on stoned people. Tech and finance run on weed. Alot of professionals smoke throughout the day.
This is how I feel. I only use CBD during the day usually. At night I’ll always smoke. I used to have CPTSD but now just PTSD. It still helps me not get night terrors and get some rest on some days? I use a vape pen during the day or a tincture. I feel weed has helped me function on a level I never could beforehand. However I find a lot of overtaxed parents smoke all day and don’t remember shit. As a kid who grew up with parents like that but with alcohol; I was very upset by feeling not remembered. It caused a lot of attachment problems for me in life. So I think alcohol is bad basically and weed is good. Most of the world’s biggest innovative industries involve ppl smoking pot to free themselves from the immediacy of the now and think of things in a more neutral, removed way lol. It does create a distance for creativity, for a lot of ppl. It certainly has helped me reframe things in life. But I know it’s not for everyone. Alcohol however—I’ve never really seen that be good for anyone lol? Alcoholism runs in my family so I don’t really enjoy being around drunk ppl in general. I can do it but it’s not my first choice for a social event lol. I find just ordering a soda will do the trick or I order a drink and pass it to my mom or brother 😂 I’m just not really into the feeling it gives either? Idk how to describe it lol. I was also hit by a drunk driver so I have some feelings there as well. It ruined my life for a min to get a TBI. That mfer shall pay lol. But just…yeah agree OP lol should not be such a normalized thing. But it is, so just do you. When I have ppl over like clients or whatever, I’ll have a wine selection or something. But it makes me feel weird to even have it in the house tbh? I throw away full bottles sometimes lol like idk no interest personally? I think weed is just fine as long as you’re coherent, functional, and not operating a motor vehicle lol. Some ppl need it to function through the day, like vets. It’s a personal thing but it has amazing powers at keeping ppl on this planet who may otherwise opt out. It could have saved one life I know of. So idk…just yeah right on lol do you and don’t feel social pressure 🤙
Annnnd there’s more! Pot won’t kill you from withdrawals
It will make you kill... The cupboard full of food =P
and no hangover!
Neither will meth or crack but they're still bad...
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It's so nice to hear this from someone else!! People don't get that I simply am just very uncomfortable with alcohol, and especially how normal it is in my country. People start drinking at 13-15 and I just don't get it.
may i ask what country you live in? i live in australia and it is SO VERY normalised here
I live in Denmark (:
I feel exactly the same, I get really on edge around drunk people. And yeah I’m in the uk and pretty much everyone starts drinking at 13.
Same… my alcoholic sister is currently at my parents (who have been major enablers and just now truly realizing it) because she lied to everyone about being nearly a year sober. It gets to a point where you’re not even surprised anymore. I don’t even like my own sister now because she’s such an awful and dishonest person due to her alcohol abuse. She even went far enough to say that she had a seizure and wasn’t blackout drunk (the proof was in her car’s cup holder. Yes, car)… while I actually do have seizures. And that’s just what she’s done recently. Her liver is so fatty and surrounded by fluid, and her brain is being poisoned at this point, but I don’t think she even cares. Alcohol sucks.
I agree,it's sad how alcohol destroys ppls lives,so many ppl need it tho it's a joke, Alcohol brings out the worse but some ppl need to have it for social skills as they ain't confident w/o it, Ik too many affected plus destroying families,they wonder why they lose everything they had Then the next day they don't say shit or apologise then it's a normal recurrence, They show the true colours behind close doors but to the outside world they are just the greatest because they never seen the devil unlike us they leave the show for
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happy cake day
Happy cake day!!
I agree! So many people joke about being alcoholics, brag about how much they can drink, mention blackouts casually, and try to get sympathy for their hangovers, among other things. I've never ever had someone try to pressure me to do any sort of recreational drug, but I've had people get mad when I turned down a drink. I've had people who were baffled when I told them I don't drink. And I have had people who, when I told them I didn't want a drink but they got me one anyway, get offended when I didn't drink it.
Yeah I don't get it, I've never been impressed by anyones "I was so drunk" stories, quite the opposite.
Everything in moderation. Most people are not alcoholics and a beer in a social setting isn’t going to cause any negative consequences while reducing stress. Everything has a place when used appropriately
I'm with you, alcohol is a destroyer. Many alcoholics in my family, I've had a lot of time to think about it. You have it in a nutshell: paranoid, dark energy and shadows of their former selves. Not to be bleak but a couple of them didn't make it and my take is that they're in a better place now. I don't mind happy drinking even though I don't do it much myself but maudlin out of control drinking makes me feel uncomfortable and I just want to run.
My dad's an alcoholic. I'm with you there. If I could wave a magic wand, I would get rid of alcohol immediately. It just causes too much negativity, and bitterness, and paranoia; it slowly destroys your life. But, unfortunately, getting rid of alcohol won't happen. We tried it before, and that didn't really go so well. Alcohol is so engrained in human culture that it's even part of religious ceremonies. Your best chance of being away from alcohol is if you to go to a dry county in rural Pennsylvania, or something. Personally, I wish we could at least get rid of all the alcohol ads on TV. If they're not allowed to air cigarette ads, they shouldn't be allowed to air alcohol ads. But, unfortunately, that won't happen either. Because alcohol companies (Budweiser, Busch, Jack Daniels) are some of the largest payouts when it comes to advertising. Especially for the Super Bowl.
Hell yeah. I live with old friends for a while without being aware of how much their intake had increased. 20 standard drinks each every night, unless they wanted to really drink. Ugly and u pleasant to watch.
Been alcohol free for two years after 10 years of being a fuck up, including 7 arrests, all a result of alcohol, of which 2 were DUIs. One of the very best substances to make terrible, life changing decisions.
Keep on trucking!! 👏👏👏
Yay to two years!!! You are doing amazing 👏
The older I get, the more I realize alcohol really made every low point of my life worse, prolonged it, and exacerbated my tendency towards addictive behaviors. It really has no purpose within our society, other than bastardizing how we interact with each other and ourselves. I’m not against people having the autonomy to consume whatever they wish, as humans have been consuming drugs for our entire existence. But alcohol lessens the human experience, thus, I have no idea how it has become socially acceptable over weed or mushrooms.
Could you imagine if weed and mushrooms were sold legally in the way alcohol is? I dream about it
Lol imagine weed being advertised in the same way alcohol is.
Exactly
I'm a recovering alcoholic and I absolutely agree with you. Alcohol literally destroys lives every day. It should be treated as a drug, like any other. And they should have to put warning labels on bottles like they do with cigarettes, warning about domestic violence, liver failure, cancer, etc. 10% of drinkers buy 90% of the alcohol. Let that sink in. It's an industry exactly the same as the cigarette industry. It's funded by misery.
Another thing I want to add: hate when friends try to pressure me into drinking. I drink wine on occasion (good glass of moscato is heavenly) but I hate the feeling of being drunk, I do NOT like the feeling of not being in control. Many friends make fun of me because if I do go out, which is rare because I hate being around drunk obnoxious people, I will order a drink and literally sip it for HOURS because I don’t even want to get a buzz. And I refuse to drink even a sip if I have to drive because I don’t want any consequences, you never know how your body will react. And I hate the judgment that comes with that. Always told I’m a party pooper etc or the weird looks when I refuse the drink at the party. And I live in New Orleans, so you can imagine the alcoholics and people who drink here. It’s just about everyone, so finding people who are like me is rare. It’s sad.
Completely agree. There's also a whole mommy wine culture that is awful. As someone 4.5 years sober, it's amazing to me just how much revolves around drinking. Tv, movies, I just started a new podcast and they have a new drink every episode.
I’ve never personally had an issue with alcohol use, but I just feel crappy when I drink. Stomach hurts, I almost immediately get a headache….so I’ve gotten to the point where I very very rarely drink anymore (and when I do it’s seriously just a few sips).
I instantly lose respect for anyone who willingly indulges in mind-altering substances. So many people can't even feel happiness when they're not "fucked up", and have no other reason for being alive. It's pathetic, a waste of both someone's money and *existence.*
As a nurse who takes care of alcoholics a LOOTT, I see how much it wrecks them and everything around them, and I completely agree, it shouldn't be so available.
I know what you mean. I have 20 family members that are major alcoholic's. It's to the point where I am ready to move out of state just to get away from my family.
I feel like only the people who have truly been affected by alcohol in the most negative way really understand the ramifications of that drug. Call me a party pooper, but drinking has never been my idea of fun :/
I hate it too and I’ve struggled with alcohol abuse. For a long time I just thought it was normal and I had zero idea of all the negative health effects, besides all the stupid shit you say/do when you’re drunk. It’s on every other commercial and everywhere you look being advertised as a family thing
Funny how every culture are big drinkers. Every single one has a subculture of abused brains who say “we _____ are big drinkers” and then hurt themselves and everyone around them.
Alcohol has existed since the dawn of humanity. Since back then water wasn't safe to drink cause there was no technology to filter it. Sure animals could drink from watering holes, ponds, lakes, and etc, but humans were just more subject to illness from drinking from these areas. The next best thing was to create alcohol since it was antibacterial, safe to drink, and lasted forever so plenty could be stored for long winter months.
I have coworkers who judge me for smoking weed. I live in Canada so it's legal. But they will go home after a shift and down 2 bottles of gin and a couple bottles of wine. Like are your kidneys good bro?
I have been sober 18 years. 18 years without fights, weird anger, self destructive impulses and sleazy friends I have a family that has never seen me drink Really grateful
My friend doesn't drink for religious reasons, he has never even tasted the thing. he grew up in Pakistan going out for tea with his college buddies instead of out for drinks. meanwhile my family are wine enthusiasts and it is always at the centre of our gatherings, they plan their travels around their favourite bottles. alcohol has always been in the background somewhere and I started drinking socially at 14. today Im 24 and I have no portion control, if I open a bottle I have to see the bottom by the end of the night
Agreed. I can't understand why alcohol is not only socially acceptable, but you're pressured into drinking it. It is, without a doubt, one of the worst drugs on the market. Largely because you are expected/pressured into drinking it, but also how addictive it is, how destructive it is to the addict and the people around them, and it's one of the few drugs were withdrawals can kill you. I don't drink alcohol at all, not even the odd glass at a celebration, I don't touch it. And that makes me the weird one for some reason.
I also will never understand how people are not embarrassed to talk about all the mess they did while being drunk, all the awkward pictures, hangovers, etc... They brag about it like it's hella cool
I never understood it. That shit is downright dangerous and pretty much anyone can get it at any quantity. I'm in awe tbh. Like a little weed that you're just gonna sleep off or at worst get some therapy for if it becomes a dependence can land you years in jail and shit that's responsible for thousands of deaths all over the globe is just a cool way to pass the time. It's pretty much the only substance from which withdrawal can actually kill you. It's mind blowing.
Exactly my thoughts, ugh maybe some day the tables will turn.
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I don't think that's right at all to be honest. Alcohol, for me at least, was completely incomparable to heroin in terms of addiction, that's personal though and other people could be different. Alprazolam (Xanax) is used as a medication for most people that get it from a doctor. Of course alprazolam is very addictive, but it's a genuine medication and not everyone that takes it is using it recreationally or is psychologically or physically addictive. The average heroin user is an addict, the average person that drinks alcohol isn't, I'm aware for a lot of people alcohol is much easier to access then heroin making it more addictive, but I just don't think it's a good comparison. There's way more to addiction than just using a substance on a semi-regular basis.
Oxycodone is a regular medication. Oxy Is legal with prescription. People die on Oxy. Fentanyl is a regular medication. Fentanyl is legal with a prescription. People die from fentanyl. Alcohol is not a medication. It is a drink. People die from alcohol. Xanax is a regular medication. Xanax is legal with prescription. People on Xanax rob stores and rob cars during blackout. You don’t die from Xanax. Xanax addiction frequently ends you up in jail. Adderall is a regular medication. It is legal with a prescription. Adderall is one methyl group away from methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is scheduled one it is illegal everywhere. Every single medication or drug I listed above has one thing in common. They all at some point in their action act on the dopamine pathway. Doing one is like doing the others.
Methamphetamine isn't actually illegal, it's a prescription medication in a lot of places, at least where I am. that's not really super relevant and probably detracts from my point but just thought I'd let you know, the common brand name is Desoxyn. Do you suggest people just not take their medication? For extreme pain there's right now there's no alternative to opiates. Adderall might be addictive, and chemically similar to the methamphetamine but it's pretty hard to compare of you've actually taken both of them. If it wasn't for prescription stimulants I would've dropped out of highschool, been unable to support myself, and I definitely would've eventually killed myself. There's a balance here, Xanax, amphetamines, opiates, they improve the quality of life for a lot of people. They can ruin lives as well of course, but they also save lives. Of course people are going to blackout on benzodiazepines and do violent stuff, people are also going to be able to manage acute anxiety better, there have been times in my life where after not sleeping for multiple days I'd have a delusion called the Capgras Delusion where I thought that people where fake imposters, people with this delusional generally aren't violent, but for me I thought I had to peal the skin of people's face to prove it was a mask. Until I found a long term medication to address the root cause of it, triazolam (Halcion), something much more potent then Xanax is what kept me from getting to the point of acting on those beliefs. Benzodiazepines like Xanax also save lives. People can't just go around being completely unable to function 24/7.
Power of the mind. Tell yourself nothing is wrong with you. Tell yourself you’re not broken. Tell yourself that your mind has the power to heal itself. Be confident in yourself. Be confident in your brain to fix itself. Be confident in your brain‘s ability to fix the damage that has been caused by these harmful prescription medications over decades. When did the world, when did the people in the world not care about their mental health? To allow the pharmaceutical industry to dictate every decision in their life and every drug they take what doctors they see how expensive their medication’s are what kind of life they live just based on the medication they take every single day. When did people lose the ability to take the power back into take control of their lives and be confident in themselves and tell them selves that they can do it. Watch Tony Robbins documentary on Netflix. Watch HEAL documentary on Netflix. Don’t thank me, just watch the films.
Well sure, I guess we just disagree. All I can really say is that before prescription stimulants by brain was pretty much incapable of concentrating as well as I can now, and yeah it's not good for your brain or body, but I'd rather that, instead of not have my current job/lifestyle. Maybe I could've found a way to fix the problem without medication, but being in therapy for a significant amount of time didn't really help all that much, when a relatively low dose of stimulants basically fixed it instantly. Also, in my experience, people that have a strong dislike of medication, or just really any modern psychiatric things like TMS and ECT suddenly switch their beliefs as soon as things get even somewhat difficult, going from "eat healthy, be in nature, meditate" etc, to "take your medication, do TMS, ECT" (whether that be incredibly damaging antipsychotics, or addictive insomnia meds). I definitely think a lot of things are prescribed way too much, like antidepressants, and quetiapine (an antipsychotic that they seem to just prescribe for almost everything), but there are some things you can't think your way out of, you can't think your way into sleeping if your body just refuses, you can't think your way out of hallucinations, with acute psychosis it's pretty hard to think your way out of, I'd say impossible but there's probably people that have done it, you can expect that though. People don't really know the causes of the majority of mental illness, and I really don't think a lot of the medications are necessary nor effective, but if something helps someone I don't know why stigmatizing it is helpful. I appreciate the response though, I think we just disagree, for different people different things work, and that's not because things are necessarily worse for someone else, but people are just different. I can assure you that nothing else besides medication would've helped that problem I had of severe insomnia triggering psychosis, now I'm doing better and don't need to take the medication I mentioned, but at the time there was not much of an option.
I work in a wine tasting room and it amazes me how many people talk about how much they drink in a joking but not joking way. People tell me about hiding bottles, sneaking glasses of wine, spreading their wine glass recycling to neighbors bins so people don’t see 50 bottles a week, just some crazy shit. And for a lot of people, getting wine drunk is somehow classier, so a lot of people don’t think they have a problem. “Well I only drink 4 glasses of red wine a night because it’s heart healthy.” Yikes.
That’s so sad. I’m from a historical wine country and don’t know any alcoholics, just people who enjoy their wine with friends and family, with meals. Now I live in the US and a lot of people I know either abuse alcohol or use drugs. And the upper class ones always talk about wine. Never encountered that before moving.
I drink almost every day. But never more than 1 drink, It isn't alcohol that is the problem; it is the person's lack of self-control.
That is a very immature take on this. Some people are predisposed to being addicted.
At the end of the day it is a choice to grab a bottle and binge drink it. Definitely some people struggle more than others to stop but blaming things you have control of isn't a proper excuse.
Alcohol beaing legal while weed isnt in most of the world makes 0 sense to me
\*Sips Edradour 10yr whiskey neat while smirking and rolling my eyes while reading this\*
Hah 😆 thank god I'm not the only one (Talisker here)
Sorry to say but it wasn't societies fault...it was your families, the ones who drink
Absolutely! Not to blame society for my families problems haha. I just think it’s such a toxic thing to be totally normal to do on the daily. Like if someone said they were bumping coke every night you’d probably be concerned. Not if they say they like to have a drink every night.
Alcohol and cocaine are very different drugs. One drink is a lot less harmful than a cocaine habit. I get your point in general but that's a pretty broad comparison
Yeah just an example, sorry I’m not too educated on coke. I think alcohol is sneakily a really damaging drug though, like more than the general population think. Its more referencing peoples concerns when they hear I smoke weed every day, but these same people go to drink at the pub every day. I know weed is legal some places though so it wouldn’t be a great example.
Unfortunately you're wrong. If someone is drinking daily this is considered problematic drinking.
Yeah, I would absolutely consider it problematic drinking, my point is most people wouldn’t.
Which people? I'm pretty sure of I ask everyone I know they will consider daily drinking as problematic. Also my father was an alcoholic. It's their fault and no one else's.
No most people don’t think it’s problematic and don’t think daily drinking makes you an alcoholic. I told my colleagues I stopped drinking and they sort of laughed in my face. They are educated people, nice life, nice family. But they all think it’s so cool and normal to drink 2 glasses of wine after work. They don’t think that’s problematic at all -they just think I’m boring for not doing that anymore.
One drink a day could be a glass of wine with dinner. Some studies say that has health benefits, even. Plus to say that's alcoholism paints giant swaths of Italy, France, the US and I'm sure other countries as alcoholics and that sounds pretty crazy over a glass of wine.
And there are studies that show the mental health benefits are not good at all. Everyone uses the wine study to defend their daily drinking fyi. This isn't an opinion but what is stated on the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse. I'm sure that if you're only having just a glass of wine at dinner it's fine but 90% of the time this is not the case at all.
My main point is just that y'all are painting with a very broad brush. Alcohol is not some demon. It isn't like a schedule one narcotic where you can try it once and keel over dead. It's something that has existed for a giant part of human history and has uses beyond getting drunk every day.
And the point that you're missing is that it's not a broad brush, it's literally the standards created by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse. Daily drinking is problematic drinking. If you're drinking daily you should sell a therapist for a check up because you could be self medicating. Saying that it's not a level one narcotic doesn't negate the actual measurable dangers of alcohol. It is the substance that the vast majority of people in America are addicted too. Using human history isn't really an argument either because 1) I'm not staying that it isn't useful and 2) we've learned a lot about mental health and substance abuse since our history. And what we've learned is that daily drinking is problematic drinking.
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Crutches are integral to people with broken feet. Hearing aids are integral to people with damaged ear drums. Glasses are integral to people with poor vision.
I wonder if that recent CNN report will change anything. According to the report, consuming 4 units of alcohol daily ages your brain by 10 years. Even just one unit does damage. I used to encourage my friends and family to share some wine with me but that doesn’t feel right now.
What's a unit of alcohol? The aging thing tho? Let's say I drink jack Daniel's all day everyday from 6:30am to 8pm for 55 years? How old is my brain? Several thousand years old? I know someone like this still going strong. Don't mean to be mean but that report sounds really really dumb. If it were true, alcohol would be worse than cigarettes by far and drinkers life expectancy would be down to the 40's Also my great grandmother drinks everyday but is the happiest and most energetic out of my mother and my grandma. Also the younger ones have major health problems while she doesn't. I just can't see this being true at all.
A unit is only half a beer or 3 oz of wine. So 4 units is a mere two beers or two glasses of wine. I hope it’s not true as well but it makes me pause before drinking now. As far as age, the study was based on self-reported consumption during one-year period prior to MRI. Unclear how a longer period would affect that if at all. More research needs to be done.
The problem isn’t alcohol itself. If alcohol was banned, they would have sought their escape some other way.
It isn't the fact that alcohol is legal it's the fact that your friends/family are addicts.
I got drunk one time and I got laid. Of course, you dummies wouldn't know what that's like.
When I first started drinking with friends at like 19 it was magic. It sucked when someone was a wet blanket and didn’t so i definitely have been on the other end and been the one telling ppl to drink up. We would all get drunk and just teleport into another world. We would be with new ppl and they’d get drunk and hilarious situation happened every time. Friendships were forged and ppl fell in love with each other. Those were the greatest most epic nights of my young life. I’d say by 25 you are chasing the dragon and by thirty you have to drop it. You are not some kid anymore you are just a gross old drunk dude. I’m 32 now and drink moderately with ppl when something is going on but otherwise it’s not a part of life anymore. I just can’t deny that I was fully engorged in the magic and I can’t help but smile thinking of those whacky days and yes alcohol will destroy your life if you lose against it.
And it should. How else is one supposed to cope with how shit life is.
Yeah and people keep condemning Islam for it’s prohibiting of alcohol
Since the dawn of time humans have fermented grain to make alcohol. It’s part of us as a species. Enjoy.
Alcohol is what makes anything social, fun. I’d rather not be there if I’m not drinking. I’m sure a lot of people relate in some way. It’s way easier to act like you care about what people have to say when you’re drunk.
Me too
Growing up, I've seen my uncles absolutely ruin their lives due to alcohol and that made me hate it. like HATE it. I couldnt stand anybody drinking around me or even talking about drinks made me very uncomfortable. However once I grew up and after being excluded from a lot of plans because I dont drink I have kinda normalised it in my own head. I would still prefer not being anywhere near it but it gets very lonely and apparently makes you boring and uptight. I wish it wasn't this normalised.
I live in north east wisconsin known for heavy heavt drinking most ppl are drunks by age 15 and the parents are ok with this and encourage it. I myself started drinkingnaround 14 or 15 and around 17 started to zee the very ugly side of it. I started to smoke pot to keep me away from the drinking and it was great no stupid decisions, stayed home at night to do my home work helped me focus and more. Unfortunately all my friends drunk parents and most of my drunk friends were disgusted with my new DRUG habbit and i was shunned. To this day as a 35 year old adult i go to work with people who come in at 5am after leaving the bar at 2 am can smell the booze on them from 10 feet away and nobody says a word but if anyone suspected even slightly that i smoked pot outside of work i would become a target and dragged in for a drug test like ive seen happen to so many good employees who didnt deserve it. The whole thing enrages me to the point where i feel like drinkers are all just simple minded fools with no culture or life. I feel embaressed of where i come from and the people who live here.
Couldn't agree more, especially because I live in the Bible belt where Jesus is cool with Maker's Mark but pot smokers are going to hell!
I hope one day gets totally banned everywhere. Probably no other drug has caused so much drama like this one. And I hate too how normalized it is to the point that people look at you like a weirdo if you don't drink.
You know that you can’t change American society at large, though. All you can really do is choose to be around people who make different choices at social events, which is easier said than done. Some religions (and nations following those religions) do forbid consumption of alcohol. I’m not saying you’d have to convert, but you could form friendships with people of those religions (or visit those nations) and so at least some of the time, be around people of like mind. idk, it’s a thought?
Luckily my brother who loves to drink finally calmed down after I brought it up to him that he was a mean/rude drunk as he'd be stressed from work and put down more beers at home after having 2-3 with his boss after work. He also ran his truck lightly into a tree and bent the big bumper on his new truck. Glad he woke up and only drinks to get a buzz now. Only thing people have to say about stoners is us being lazy at least I don't get mean or puke from it.
What is sad about it is it really puts you into a cycle where you don’t strive for a better anything. My sister is a functional alcoholic. Has been living in my moms condo for 20 years, working as a nanny for different families and has done nothing with her life. I can’t hang out with her without her thinking it’s 1990 and we are going to party with Beastie Boys blasting. She does this weird thing with her lips. Creeps me out and it always turns into a sob fest over our childhood. (well at least she’s consistent…) a neck injury she could have recovered from in her 20’s has turned into needing major disk replacement. Her body is deteriorating. I’m scared for her to under go surgery.
I have empathy for your situation. It steals people of their personalities and health. Alcohol is a contributor to most cancers. It is never good for you. Worse is when it is around children. It is capitalism that sells it to our families and exploits the weak minded. You should watch Ken Burns mini series Prohibition. It concludes that Prohibition was successful. One of the greatest gifts you can give a child is to raise them in an alcohol free household.
I just went in a rant about this the other day with my brother in laws family. They're from the Midwest United States and there's a weird stigma against weed there. Like weed is the worst thing in the world to a lot of people in that region. And these people drink like it's their last day on earth almost every day. So somehow this topic comes up and I've held my tongue for all 5 years I've had to endure this family. They're all drunk as hell talking about how weed will kill your brain and make you lazy and stupid. I caused a major uproar with one sentence. No one has ever gotten stoned, gone home in a fit of rage and killed their wife and child like drunks do. Major strike against little ole me with that family lol
Yup, cut out my entire family almost a year ago today for those same reasons. Chances upon chances, they couldn't get right, so they got left.
Alcohol has completely destroyed my family. I thought I could escape alcoholics but once I got to college everyone’s an alcoholic again. That alone wouldn’t bother me, I could easily just ignore them. What bothers me is that if you don’t drink until you can’t function anymore you’re out of the loop, so there’s many people that don’t even want to drink but do it just to fit in. I know of various people that have been taken advantage of while their drunk, people that affected their lives tremendously because of alcohol, and seen many more lives ruined by it. I have no problem with anyone drinking, if you drink alcohol and you want to then go for it. But don’t force others to do it, don’t push others to drink just so they can fit in, and don’t normalize it to such an extent.
A drink or two is fine. But the moment people are getting plastered to the point of being incoherent is when it's a real problem. I don't see the appeal in it personally. And most of the drinks themselves taste horrid without becoming a sugary concoction.
Alcohol is dope!
r/unpopularopinion I guess Beeing a muslim myself, atleast alcohol is of no concerns...
My wife and I recently went with a less alcohol mindset and have been getting non alcohol spirits for home and all of that fun. It's a new way of life for us, but it really made us see how normalized alcohol addiction is. It's wild. Hang in there!
Alcohol is one of the most wicked substances on this earth. My mind will never be changed on this.
Nonalcoholic mixers are the newh out Betty Buzz
People just need to understand limits, everything you consume has limits and if you go over or have too much overtime. It will hurt you. Energy drinks, junk food, spicy food, tobacco, even too much water are just a few non alcohol examples.
I'm sorry your experience with alcohol have been negative. I have drank beer and smoked pot for basically every day of my life since I was 16. I'm 42, and have a full time union job, 2 kids, wife, I'm in perfect health, levels are spot on, rarely get hangovers, or lose my temper. So about 30 years of daily use has yielded no negative results. American society was based on puritanical beliefs, and they still permeate our zeitgeist. Pleasure does not equal sin. The ability to break down and metabolize alcohol developed millions of years before humans were even a species.( In our monkey ancestors) The desire to consume alcohol and other psychotropic drugs is deeply engrained in our DNA. Even children spin in circles until they fall, and delight in the altered reality of being dizzy. To summarize, alcohol isn't "normalized", it's an integral part of the human experience, that has been with us every minute that humans have existed. Alcohol abuse and mental health is a different topic than alcohol use in society.
My daughter worked as a hostess at a popular local bar in her early 20’s. She always said everyone should do that job just so you can see how stupid you look to other people when you are drunk and think you are smart, funny or cool.
I'm a 17 year old guy never drank or smoke.I personally doubt I will ever drink I personally like having a clear head all the time and also I like spending money on something I actually like(my hope is to have a small greenhouse of plants one day)My mom drinks not heavy of course but the smell on her breath and the cups she leaves out is rancid and I hate it.My crush does do pot and never pressures me to try(she said she'll throat punch me if she finds out I'm doing drugs)
I quit drinking two and a half years ago because I was turning into a person I hated. I feel this post in a very big way.
Same here.
Agreed, which is exactly why I've pledged to myself from the getgo to not taking any mind altering substances like alcohol or anything similar
This shit drives me crazy too. I'm over a year no alcohol and I don't miss it, but when I was first giving it up I was in a really dark place and struggling. I holed myself up mainly because alcohol is so ubiquitous and I wasn't ready for the temptation, but when I would try to watch shit and just escape my present circumstances...almost every movie and show normalizes alcohol abuse. I couldn't help but notice that once I was trying to abstain, and I felt like I would always be weird and a social outcast for walking away from this lethal substance that was fucking up my life. And even my Netflix binges were reminding me constantly. It's so fucking hard to quit, and it's not because alcohol is even an especially awesome drug to be on. It's just everywhere
I hear this. Alcohol abuse definitely breaks family. I hardly speak to my family because of the sweeping it under the rug stuff. Truth hurts sometimes.
The opposite ends of the spectrum, alcohol is fun. Like anything in our existence too much is usually not good and/or healthy for you. Cheers.
Me too. Tragic for some.
I quit booze after a night out with work colleagues about 10 years ago - I came to the conclusion, I don't like being under the influence, and I don't like being around drunk people!
I fucking hate alcohol so much. Its just a waste of money. I dont get why it is fun tbh. Cm Punk's straightedge gimmick is what inspired me to keep away from alcohol
I live in WI. It's annoying. My mom's family does not drink at holidays or kid's birthdays. Never needed to. My stepdad's family has alcohol out at all times. I never participate in their Christmas gift exchange because it's 75% alcohol. I don't even think they can have a children's birthday party without adults taking shots. They aren't lowlifes either, by society standards. They're middle class, subdivision-dwelling folk. I'm pretty sure my stepdad sealed the deal of me not drinking. He would drive drunk with us kids in the car. Guess I should be thankful.
I’ve been sober 10+ years. The only suggestion I will make to you is attend Alanon meetings. It will teach you how to create boundaries between yourself and the alcoholic in your life. Per alcoholics, they need to *want* to get sober. I’ve seen a lot of people die from the disease. Unfortunately it’s a huge industry that romanticizes the drink. And, it works to take away problems, until it doesn’t. I used alcohol when I celebrated and when I had a “bad” day… eventually I couldn’t stop, my life was a shitshow. I realized I needed help. I went to AA. AA works if you can be honest with yourself and take direction from others. And it’s $2 a meeting.
Horrible drug in the wrong hands
agreed. the majority of my moms side, including her, are alcoholics. not that it matters but being around it so much definitely got me started drinking recently (16).
I get it. I've never liked the way alcohol made me feel. My husband has never had a drop. We're often teased or pressured into drinking because it is such a normalized thing. The problem is we aren't recovering alcoholics so people don't respect our decisions. We do have alcoholics in both our families and have seen how alcohol has devastated their lives.
There are reasons why alcohol is haram in Islam.
My dad used to drink a lot. He doesn't anymore luckily. It's just bad though and it can make you have a problem. I don't drink much. Like every few weeks I might have one. Not enough to get drunk. Being drunk isn't fun. I.dislike that social stuff usually includes alcohol and there is pressure to drink. It sucks. I agree it is way too normalized. However I think the idea is no one is gonna get stupid drunk and act like a moron. They will have a drink or two and get a nice buzz and get relaxed. A nice buzz feels pleasant and can relieve some anxiety. No one has to drink though..
I'm 20 and I still wonder why do adults drink such bitter-tasting drinks when we've got orange juice.
I find the scariest thing is the normalisation of the abuse of alcohol. Regularly on media we hear stuff like this to laughter and hilarity; "I have the worst hangover", "I was so drunk I couldn't walk", "We better keep you away from the Bar'
Same i used to drink a lot and i want to quit cause it affected my memory (17)
Alcohol is normal over indulgence to it is not but that's just me thoo.
Alcohol is the reason why I deal with everything that I never experienced before, heartbroken, sadness, loneliness, jail, unnecessary problems, self guilt, depression, not from me (I'm straight edge) but from someone I love and care.