Why Do People Choose to Drink Alcohol?

[Mépris]

Yes, I am referring to alcoholic drinks. Why? Why do you?

I love beer but a few times, I have had too much of it in a single night. And it wasn't pretty the day after. It never stopped me before. I'm pretty certain that if I were to have had *too much* chocolate eclairs, I really wouldn't have tried it again, though. Conclusion? Maybe I just like to get stupid for a few hours...

You?

 

[micromass]

I don't drink. I don't enjoy it at all. I don't like the taste of alcohol and I certainly don't enjoy being drunk.

 

[russ_watters]

I love beer but a few times, I have had too much of it in a single night. And it wasn't pretty the day after. It never stopped me before. I'm pretty certain that if I were to have had *too much* chocolate eclairs, I really wouldn't have tried it again, though.

I totally disagree: I love spicy salsa and there is no way that the fact that it isn't pretty the day after will stop me from eating it.

 

[Mépris]

I don't drink. I don't enjoy it at all. I don't like the taste of alcohol and I certainly don't enjoy being drunk.

Interesting.

I totally disagree: I love spicy salsa and there is no way that the fact that it isn't pretty the day after will stop me from eating it.

I suppose that this cool to hear. :)

I have no clue what spicy salsa is though. It sounds Mexican.

 

[Chi Meson]

I like a good beer now and then. About a six-pack per month is my current rate of consumption, but often a six-pack will last two months or more. I no longer enjoy being drunk (college was a long time ago) and the "next day" is awful if I have even 2 beers in one night.

So if a beer has a good robust flavor, I will actually enjoy the process of drinking it.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I used to know why, but I forget.

 

[gravenewworld]

I actually like the way beer tastes.

 

[206PiruBlood]

A good meal with quality beer or wine is excellent!

 

[MarcoD]

I only drink in company, never could stand drinking solitary. It's a purely social thing to me.

 

[Pattonias]

To get drunk is why I "drink". I've developed a taste for dark beers that can be really good. You don't drink the better beers to get drunk as they punish you for it the next morning.

 

[BobG]

In itself, I do enjoy some wines and some beers. I'll have either with a meal now and then just because I enjoy them.

Parties where we sit around the fire or parties where we play games such as Balderdash are a lot of fun. Or playing beach volleyball, or playing pool, or dancing, etc. Alcohol isn't necessary for any of those activities (and has to be done around some of those activities since it's awful hard play volleyball with a beer in your hand), but it's common enough to have at least a little association with good times.

On the other hand, parties with drinking games aren't fun. Parties where the main activity is drinking aren't fun. In fact, consuming huge amounts of alcohol is just repulsive. I don't like being drunk and I don't like talking to Ralph on the big, white phone. I'm not sure which I enjoy less. I can't understand why a person would intentionally turn themselves into an idiot.

In other words, I really don't know why a lot of people have the drinking habits they do, or how a person could possibly become addicted to alcohol. I can read the studies and understand them on an intellectual level, but I really just can't identify with it.

 

[GregJ]

I have a drink every now and then, but it is rare. I do enjoy the taste of certain beers and wines and find that they sometimes compliment my food very well.

Other than that, I find myself having them more often while watching a good movie rather than with food (like I said, it is still a rare occurrence).

 

[nucleargirl]

Getting drunk is fun! Its fun to lose control once in a while and to have an excuse to do stupid things. I like not knowing what's going on sometimes. I like the hazy feeling. and not knowing what might happen next. But only get drunk with people you know who are going to take care of you! You don't want that scary feeling of not knowing where you are/who you are with and not knowing how to get home...

 

[BobG]

Getting drunk is fun! Its fun to lose control once in a while and to have an excuse to do stupid things. I like not knowing what's going on sometimes. I like the hazy feeling. and not knowing what might happen next. But only get drunk with people you know who are going to take care of you! You don't want that scary feeling of not knowing where you are/who you are with and not knowing how to get home...

If you tattooed your address and phone number on the bottom of your foot, people finding you on the street could help you get home.

I just don't know why more people don't do this!

 

[flyingpig]

the same reason why people smoke, to relieve anxiety.

 

[Vanadium 50]

The next planet was inhabited by a tippler. This visit was very short, but it plunged the little prince into deep dejection.

"What are you doing here?" he said to the tippler, whom he found settled down in silence
before a collection of empty bottles and a collection of full bottles.

"I drink", replied the tippler, with a lugubrious air.

"Why do you drink?" asked the little prince.

'"To forget", replied the tippler.

"To forget what?" inquired the little prince, who already felt sorry for him.

"Forget that I am ashamed, confessed the tippler, hanging his head.

"Ashamed of what?" inquired the little prince who wanted to help.

"Ashamed of drinking!"

--- Antoine de Saint-Exupery. (Translation errors are my own)

 

[Astronuc]

Getting drunk is fun! Its fun to lose control once in a while and to have an excuse to do stupid things. I like not knowing what's going on sometimes. I like the hazy feeling. and not knowing what might happen next. But only get drunk with people you know who are going to take care of you! You don't want that scary feeling of not knowing where you are/who you are with and not knowing how to get home...

Best not to get drunk, not even with people one knows. Losing control of oneself puts the burden on someone else. In my earliest years of university, I used to watch out for a friend who occasionally lost it. I'd keep him (or others) from harming himself (him), or someone else. He nearly killed himself - he rolled his car between two trees. That was on a tree lined campus road. Fortunately, there were no pedestrians in his way. And he got arrested a couple of times, once for threatening an ex-girlfriend. And I've seen worse. No - it's not fun or funny to lose control.


That said, I enjoy a beer or two in the evening or late afternoon, usually with a snack or meal. I also enjoy a Scotch whisky, or a glass of wine.

I never like losing control.

 

[206PiruBlood]

Social lubrication XD

As far as getting drunk, I guess that depends on how drunk. Sure it is irresponsible to get so intoxicated you become a burden to yourself and others - not to mention driving - but depending on the circumstances and individual it is very much possible to achieve intoxication and remain responsible. "Losing control" and doing stupid things is relative. For someone reserved this might mean participating in activities they might normally be apprehensive about, like dancing or being jolly. I see nothing wrong with that.

 

[Adyssa]

I drink in moderation for the most part. A couple of beers here and there, maybe twice a week. Sometimes I'll get a friend over and we'll do damage to a bottle of gin, smoke a lot of cigarettes and stay up till dawn, but that's very much the exception to the rule. It's funny the conversations to be had when you are staving off sleep and pouring warm drinks after the mixer runs out. Equal parts profound and ridiculous. Some of my favourite memories with friends are from 5am, sitting around a table outside in the dark and cold, nursing a stiff drink.

Oh, and beer taste's amazing. We have some excellent beers here in Australia, it would be a crime to abstain!

 

[Insanity]

I drink only beer, and some wine. I do not care for hard liquor.

A good beer is quite enjoyable, and I never drink with the purpose to get intoxicated.
A pint or two with a good meal and friends, might be a bit tipsy, but I haven't been intoxicated enough to forget the event or be sick in many years.

I would say I've developed a good regulator bar with drinking, and I know what I can tolerate and when I feel that limit has been reached, I stop drinking.

 

[ThomasT]

Yes, I am referring to alcoholic drinks. Why? Why do you?

I love beer but a few times, I have had too much of it in a single night. And it wasn't pretty the day after. It never stopped me before. I'm pretty certain that if I were to have had *too much* chocolate eclairs, I really wouldn't have tried it again, though. Conclusion? Maybe I just like to get stupid for a few hours...

You?

Chocolate eclairs can't give you the buzz that drinking does. Everybody who drinks does it for the buzz, more or less.

I agree that even a minimal amount of drinking tends to make the drinker less capable wrt just about everything. I like the occasional buzz, but I don't like the decreased capacity (getting stupid), so I drink in moderation, and not that frequently. I'm ignorant enough as it is.

 

[Proton Soup]

the same reason why people smoke, to relieve anxiety.

definitely

 

[Evo]

Getting drunk is fun! Its fun to lose control once in a while and to have an excuse to do stupid things. I like not knowing what's going on sometimes. I like the hazy feeling. and not knowing what might happen next. But only get drunk with people you know who are going to take care of you! You don't want that scary feeling of not knowing where you are/who you are with and not knowing how to get home...

Yikes! I'm the polar opposite, I can't even stand the thought of losing control, and definitely not doing something stupid. If I ever did that and friends had to haul me home, I'd probably move to another state and change my name, if I didn't die of embarrassment first.

But that's just me.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

If I ever did that and friends had to haul me home, I'd probably move to another state and change my name, if I didn't die of embarrassment first.

Jimmy is a nice name.

 

[Evo]

Jimmy is a nice name.

 

[Drakkith]

Remember that there's a difference between drinking and getting tipsy, to getting "drunk" or "wasted". I don't mind having a couple of drinks to take the edge off or whatever, but I have zero interest in getting drunk. And I can't stand being around drunk people.

 

[fluidistic]

To get drunk of course. If I had to drink I'd prefer the faster way (and no need to go to bathroom, or almost): Stop breathing -not to feel the taste- and swallow a gulp of either Tequilo, Vodka, Whiskey or any other strong alcohol. Repeat a few times if the effect isn't coming.

 

[KingNothing]

For fun!

And social lubrication.

 

[Mépris]

In fact, consuming huge amounts of alcohol is just repulsive. I don't like being drunk and I don't like talking to Ralph on the big, white phone. I'm not sure which I enjoy less. I can't understand why a person would intentionally turn themselves into an idiot.

It is indeed repulsive. Drinking a certain amount forces my head to hit the breaks and sometimes, I really need to slow things down. I think too much, too quickly...

--- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I remember being urged to read Le Petit Prince but I never got around to it.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

People drink for the same reason people do any other drug - to escape reality in some fashion. Well, that and addiction.

For all practical purposes, I gave up drinking on my twenty-first birthday. That was one of the best choices I've ever made.

 

[KingNothing]

I can't speak for everyone, but I can tell you guys why I like to drink.

Like Ivan said - it's to escape reality in some fashion. I usually don't become a drunken mess, but I do like to on occasion. In some ways I admire true idiots in that they are so free, unquestioning, and don't worry so much about every thing in their life. Honestly, I admire them, because frankly I wish my brain had an off switch sometimes. But it doesn't. I probably get about 3-4 hours of sleep in a normal night because I can't stop thinking about every little detail of the world.

It's nice to laugh at simple things and bad jokes without analyzing every situation. My daily life is basically an intellectual game that I play, and although I'm good at it, it gets boring. I get tired of having intelligent discussions. On the other hand, meeting people, talking to people, socializing...I just was not born with the talent. It feels like a game where everyone knows the rules except me, and no one is willing to teach me how to play. Alcohol is like a steroid for me in social situations. I don't often get drunk (maybe 3 or 4 times a year), and I don't need to. Even just a couple drinks and I become good at it.

I've made a lot of friends that I wouldn't have without a few drinks to loosen me up. I've said a lot of things I would have never said without the help of alcohol (good things). I'm not saying alcohol is some magical substance. But it helps me greatly.

Before ya'll judge and think I'm an alcoholic, know that I actually drink very little, and am just being honest about the positive experiences I have had. I've never driven drunk or hurt anyone. I probably have about 3 drinks per week.

 

[mege]

I honestly enjoy good liquor, beer and wine. There's more variety with alcohol too. For example: there are many many types of lagers, but soft drink selection is more homogenized. Coke or Pepsi for Cola (or RC or Faygo if you're really lucky!) - but for lagers there's generally something different depending on where you are in the country, and maybe even multiple different types available. What's the last resturant you've been to that has Coke and Pepsi available? But there's lots of places with Bud and Miller both on tap (and lots of other closely 'related' beers by genre).

The associated 'feel good' mentality that comes with a few drinks over a night is nice, but it has been a very long time since I've been drunk (and don't intend on doing so again). The 'social lube' mentality is also very true. Some people (myself included) have a hard time shifting into a social setting and turning our brains to auto-pilot. Beer helps me enjoy the situation for what it is more so than without (it's probably 1/2 mental and 1/2 chemical). Ever been to a dry wedding? I don't think I've seen so many sad faces at a wedding ever, and the dancing wasn't good either.

Why do people drink any sort of beverage besides water? Pop will rot your teeth, lemonaid will give you ulcurs, cranberry juice might have ecoli, and water sometimes tastes bad.

 

[Zryn]

I drink because if I don't, my friends will make fun of me and call me names.

 

[Mépris]

I can't speak for everyone, but I can tell you guys why I like to drink.

You speak for me, anyway. :)

In some twisted way, I'm content with things being the way they are. Things that helped me greatly were the concepts of "acceptance" and "satisfaction". I don't do "happy" too often but I do "satisfied". If I were the kind of guy who did happy, I probably wouldn't be doing physics. In any case, maybe you and I are very different individuals but I could very much relate to what you shared.

 

[wukunlin]

like other posters have mentioned I normally drink so I have an excuse to do stupid things, otherwise I can live without alcohol very easily

 

[saxen]

Because beer tastes great and being drunk is fun!

 

[nucleargirl]

If you tattooed your address and phone number on the bottom of your foot, people finding you on the street could help you get home.

I just don't know why more people don't do this!

oh come on! this would only work if you never move house! and didnt wear shoes...

 

[nucleargirl]

Best not to get drunk, not even with people one knows. Losing control of oneself puts the burden on someone else. In my earliest years of university, I used to watch out for a friend who occasionally lost it. I'd keep him (or others) from harming himself (him), or someone else. He nearly killed himself - he rolled his car between two trees. That was on a tree lined campus road. Fortunately, there were no pedestrians in his way. And he got arrested a couple of times, once for threatening an ex-girlfriend. And I've seen worse. No - it's not fun or funny to lose control.


That said, I enjoy a beer or two in the evening or late afternoon, usually with a snack or meal. I also enjoy a Scotch whisky, or a glass of wine.

I never like losing control.

Yeah, it depends on the person and how they behave when drunk. If someone does things they would regret or harms others when they're drunk, then they shouldn't drink.
I never do anything like that! and I don't ever lose it so I'm lying in a street (BOBG!). Like the most I'd do is sing loudly with my friends... and that's fun for everyone!

Its interesting how many people dislike losing control. Its so interesting! how people think so differently about this! some people never lose control, some like losing control!

 

[rhody]

I totally disagree: I love spicy salsa and there is no way that the fact that it isn't pretty the day after will stop me from eating it.

Russ,

If you like spicy salsa, you should PM me. Once you have tried salsa kicked up with ghost pepper you will never be the same again, I promise, check out the discussion in the food thread https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=124615&page=204".

Rhody...

 

[xxChrisxx]

I agree that even a minimal amount of drinking tends to make the drinker less capable wrt just about everything.

After several pints my ability to play both darts and pool increases.

 

[Norman]

There is only one answer to this question - graduate school made me do it.

I kid, I kid. I hail from the grand land of Wisconsin and drinking is sort of a state past-time there. The tavern culture likely comes from the strong Germanic influence on the regional culture. In Germany, you will often see grandparents at the Beirgarten until 11 pm on a weeknight. So, it is sort of a cultural thing for me also. For any holiday, we usually have a big family party with great food, beer, dancing, and games. It is, in some ways, an integral part of celebrating for me.

I also enjoy certain beers, a few wines, and quality whiskey. Someone previously talked about the nuances of the same type of beer from different places. I think food, wine, and beer can tell you a lot about a culture and it is a very interesting way to explore other cultures.

But I have 2 kids (ages 2 and 4) and I rarely get to enjoy a beer much anymore. Mainly, I am just too damn tired and if I have a beer I will fall asleep before I finish something I need to accomplish. But on other days, I say screw the work, and have a beer because sometimes you just need a break.

 

[Reshma]

Yes, I am referring to alcoholic drinks. Why? Why do you?

I love beer but a few times, I have had too much of it in a single night. And it wasn't pretty the day after. It never stopped me before. I'm pretty certain that if I were to have had *too much* chocolate eclairs, I really wouldn't have tried it again, though. Conclusion? Maybe I just like to get stupid for a few hours...

You?

I have no idea why people drink. Most of my closest relatives (including my parents and siblings) do not consume alcoholic drinks. In fact, the idea of alcohol being part of a lifestyle is quite alien to me. I personally haven't tasted any alcoholic beverages and I don't plan to try it anytime in the future as well.

 

[bp_psy]

I usually drink because I'm thirsty.

 

[Cuauhtemoc]

I drink because if I don't, my friends will make fun of me and call me names.

Not saying it's the reason, but when I was younger I went to a party and since I had a test in the next few days I choose not to drink. Much to my surprise, since I thought it was just something adults said to keep you from drinking("Son, you just drink because your friends drink, not because you like it, if they jumped over a cliff would you do the same?"), everybody was making fun of me, saying how stupid that was, and blablabla
Funny enough I was actually the one not doing things that deserved to be laughed on.

It's also interesting why do people do this. I mean, I'm not saying they cannot drink, I just say I will not drink and everybody gets mad.On the topic, I rarely drink, the reason people do is because it makes their life less boring. You know, these guys that spend all week thinking about the weekend and how they will drink so much and do this and that.
It's a pretty stupid thing to do really. It seems some people just can't have fun without drinking a lot.
And I mean heavy drinkers, not someone who drinks a beer because he enjoys the taste.

 

[Astronuc]

I drink because if I don't, my friends will make fun of me and call me names.

They don't sound like friends, just people one hangs out with. Find another set of real friends.

 

[physics girl phd]

I just like GOOD beers and ciders now. Even wine has too much alcohol and makes me have trouble sleeping (something I'm already prone to). But I limit myself to 2-3, just a few times a week.

I think my issue is that (like mege hints at) I HATE the taste of most water (the exception was when I lived in Boulder and had the town's fresh "glacier-water" on tap). And beers or cider get saved for me (and lucky for E and I we our own gallon of "Whole" and juice ... high fat and sugars make these mostly off limits to the others in the family... but I like to make sure she always is well-stocked first).

 

[Willowz]

In reality it's irrational behaviour. But, it seems normal because it's accepted socially; in moderation that is. Even so, I don't drink much.

 

[Useful nucleus]

While I do not drink myself, I keep hearing the argument that drinking makes you healthier! Sounds weird to me...

 

[klimatos]

I don't mind social drinkers (one or two drinks in an evening), but I have a strong aversion to drunks. In my Navy days, I stood Shore Patrol on about two-hundred occasions. I have lost track of how many sick drunks threw up on my uniform and how many combative drunks I had to put on the floor.

On the other hand, during my Foreign Service days, I would make a tall Scotch and soda last all evening. I had to, or I couldn't do my job. That job was to take note of what every foreign national with whom I had a substantive conversation said and did during the course of the evening. This information would be written up in a report and filed before I went to bed that night. Having more than a single drink made that job immensely more difficult.

 

[Proton Soup]

While I do not drink myself, I keep hearing the argument that drinking makes you healthier! Sounds weird to me...

maybe. on a couple of measures like cardiovascular or bone health. but i don't think it's conclusive. generally, you see the positive results with beer and wine, not so much with spirits. so some of it may be about chemicals other than the ethanol.