Alcohol Hypocrisy
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It's interesting how the view of tobacco use has changed over the years. By the time I gave up in 2000, I'd definitely started feeling like a bit of a pariah when I lit up - it's considerably more the case now.
Of course, smoking is a disgusting habit, and it does impact the health of others too. I. BARELY. MISS. IT. AT. ALL. AND. FEEL. SO. MUCH. BETTER. NOW.
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@Klaus said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
Since I have a partner who doesn't drink, I have become much more aware of how deeply alcohol drinking is part of the culture and is treated very differently from other drugs.
True, but most alcohol consumption is not done to become drunk. Maybe marijuana use falls into the same category. Besides those, however, aren't most drugs such as street fentanyl, crack, meth or heroin, expressly done for excess?
@Jolly said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
True, but most alcohol consumption is not done to become drunk. Maybe marijuana use falls into the same category.
I consume alcohol pretty regularly, as you know. BUT, if I feel any sign of intoxication, I stop. I've always found it unpleasant.
Besides those, however, aren't most drugs such as street fentanyl, crack, meth or heroin, expressly done for excess?
Also, the short-term mortality from these other drugs is higher than alcohol. That's not to say that alcohol doesn't have long-term problems (liver, heart, etc), but it's rare to hear of a fatal alcohol overdose.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@Jolly said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
True, but most alcohol consumption is not done to become drunk. Maybe marijuana use falls into the same category.
I consume alcohol pretty regularly, as you know. BUT, if I feel any sign of intoxication, I stop. I've always found it unpleasant.
Besides those, however, aren't most drugs such as street fentanyl, crack, meth or heroin, expressly done for excess?
Also, the short-term mortality from these other drugs is higher than alcohol. That's not to say that alcohol doesn't have long-term problems (liver, heart, etc), but it's rare to hear of a fatal alcohol overdose.
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Alcoholic beverages were developed due to the lack of clean water supplies in many areas. It's also a food to some degree. I think alcohol can, over a long period of time, be habit forming, but not nearly to the same extent.
“I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ~Winston S. Churchill
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@Jolly said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
True, but most alcohol consumption is not done to become drunk. Maybe marijuana use falls into the same category.
I consume alcohol pretty regularly, as you know. BUT, if I feel any sign of intoxication, I stop. I've always found it unpleasant.
Besides those, however, aren't most drugs such as street fentanyl, crack, meth or heroin, expressly done for excess?
Also, the short-term mortality from these other drugs is higher than alcohol. That's not to say that alcohol doesn't have long-term problems (liver, heart, etc), but it's rare to hear of a fatal alcohol overdose.
@George-K said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
I consume alcohol pretty regularly, as you know. BUT, if I feel any sign of intoxication, I stop. I've always found it unpleasant.
That would be one swallow of hard liquor for me. I would feel the mental effects immediately. But as these things go, in order to keep feeling that, you have to keep increasing your BAC. Holding it steady does nothing.
Education is extremely important.
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@Klaus said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
Since I have a partner who doesn't drink, I have become much more aware of how deeply alcohol drinking is part of the culture and is treated very differently from other drugs.
True, but most alcohol consumption is not done to become drunk. Maybe marijuana use falls into the same category. Besides those, however, aren't most drugs such as street fentanyl, crack, meth or heroin, expressly done for excess?
@Jolly said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
True, but most alcohol consumption is not done to become drunk.
People who are dependent on alcohol rarely show signs of being drunk. They also often don't drink to become drunk but to change the way they feel. To get rid of anxiety. Boredom. Depression. Sadness. The drunkards who sleep under the bridge are only a tiny fraction of those with alcohol problems.
I have only really paid attention to this in the last two years or so, but I think almost everyone knows a couple of people who drink "too much". The same doesn't hold for other drugs, I think.
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@Jolly said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
True, but most alcohol consumption is not done to become drunk. Maybe marijuana use falls into the same category.
I consume alcohol pretty regularly, as you know. BUT, if I feel any sign of intoxication, I stop. I've always found it unpleasant.
Besides those, however, aren't most drugs such as street fentanyl, crack, meth or heroin, expressly done for excess?
Also, the short-term mortality from these other drugs is higher than alcohol. That's not to say that alcohol doesn't have long-term problems (liver, heart, etc), but it's rare to hear of a fatal alcohol overdose.
@George-K said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
I consume alcohol pretty regularly, as you know. BUT, if I feel any sign of intoxication, I stop. I've always found it unpleasant.
Maybe once a year or so (usually when I visit @jon-nyc
) I drink enough to feel seriously intoxicated. I can enjoy this while drinking with others, but as soon as I'm alone I hate the feeling. I can enjoy a nice glas of wine alone, but drinking enough to be intoxicated alone would be completely pointless for me. -
Alcoholic beverages were developed due to the lack of clean water supplies in many areas. It's also a food to some degree. I think alcohol can, over a long period of time, be habit forming, but not nearly to the same extent.
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Reducing alcohol consumption is probably one of the simplest interventions people can make to improve health. I get that it’s not easy for everyone in practice.
Only non-witches get due process.
- Cotton Mather, Salem Massachusetts, 1692
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That said, these days there are good alternatives, once one gets rid of prejudices.
0% alcohol beer can be awesome, for instance.
@Klaus said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
0% alcohol beer can be awesome, for instance.
Agreed. Guinness 0 is such. Actually tastes like real beer - closer to an English bitter IMO, although Phibes might not agree.
Two thirds the price of Guinness Draught, they can’t keep it on the store shelves it’s become that popular here since it came out late last year.
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@George-K said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
I consume alcohol pretty regularly, as you know. BUT, if I feel any sign of intoxication, I stop. I've always found it unpleasant.
That would be one swallow of hard liquor for me. I would feel the mental effects immediately. But as these things go, in order to keep feeling that, you have to keep increasing your BAC. Holding it steady does nothing.
@Horace said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
That would be one swallow of hard liquor for me. I would feel the mental effects immediately.
I think that is a matter of age, and times have changed too.
In college drinking 10-20 beers in a day or long night wasn't unusual. But now a couple will put me to sleep.
And of course drinking and smoking were more acceptable back then. I tell young people that we could smoke in class while in college, and lots of people did. It is hard to believe.
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@Klaus said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
Since I have a partner who doesn't drink, I have become much more aware of how deeply alcohol drinking is part of the culture and is treated very differently from other drugs.
True, but most alcohol consumption is not done to become drunk. Maybe marijuana use falls into the same category. Besides those, however, aren't most drugs such as street fentanyl, crack, meth or heroin, expressly done for excess?
@Jolly said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
....most alcohol consumption is not done to become drunk.
Korea (and other countries in North Asia) seems to be an exception. Most Koreans cannot "hold" liquor very well, but they drink until they are falling down.
My explanation is that society is very straight and conforming. If you are drinking, you can do goofy stuff and no one will think anything of it and it will be "accepted". Maybe accepted is not the correct word, but no one will say anything. The next morning at the office, it will be business as usual.
I was at a get together with a group of Japanese one time, and the head Japanese guy ended up falling asleep in the lap of waitress/hostess. Next morning, it was not mentioned, and things carried on as normal.
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Reducing alcohol consumption is probably one of the simplest interventions people can make to improve health. I get that it’s not easy for everyone in practice.
@jon-nyc said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
Reducing alcohol consumption is probably one of the simplest interventions people can make to improve health. I get that it’s not easy for everyone in practice.
Every Monday I'm ready to do just that. Then
TuesdayFriday comes around and the siren song of wonderful IPA's starts up again. -
@Horace said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
That would be one swallow of hard liquor for me. I would feel the mental effects immediately.
I think that is a matter of age, and times have changed too.
In college drinking 10-20 beers in a day or long night wasn't unusual. But now a couple will put me to sleep.
And of course drinking and smoking were more acceptable back then. I tell young people that we could smoke in class while in college, and lots of people did. It is hard to believe.
@Copper said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
@Horace said in Alcohol Hypocrisy:
That would be one swallow of hard liquor for me. I would feel the mental effects immediately.
I think that is a matter of age, and times have changed too.
In college drinking 10-20 beers in a day or long night wasn't unusual. But now a couple will put me to sleep.
And of course drinking and smoking were more acceptable back then. I tell young people that we could smoke in class while in college, and lots of people did. It is hard to believe.
I'll top that...First lab I worked in, was an assault on the senses. Floor model centrifuges so loud you needed earplugs and a constant barroom haze from the cigarettes (mostly Marlboro, Winstons and Camel w/filters).
