Logic Behind Drinking Alcohol

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For years I've been attempting to understand the logic people utilize when they decide to consume alcohol. As far as I'm concerned, anyone utilizing alcohol in any amount is simply utilizing it as a crutch for their confidence issues -- which seems pathetic to me. At the same time, when you begin to utilize alcohol as a "crutch" to become "more social", I can only imagine that one grows dependent on it after awhile.

I always feel very anxious and weird around people who drink. They never seem to be able to justify their actions completely and seem to just do it so they can act like idiots (which I consider pathetic). I seem to be the only person who ever bothers to completely analyze these things and argue with myself about them.

I don't have time to read your paper right now, but I will say that I agree, and always have, that alcohol is nothing but a pathetic excuse to act like an idiot.

And whenever I express this opinion, people tend to decide I'm a stuck-up pretentious jerk.

LOL!
There is no logic in drinking alcohol.

I have been sober in AA for over 24 years, and I have heard tens of thousands of personal stories from self diagnosed alcoholics. Not once did I hear someone say, "And it was just logical I took a drink". I heard a lot of rationalization, justification and denial, though.

not to be confused with Logical Alcohol drinking is logic WHILE drinking, (i.e.) If it was one minute before midnight I would drink another quart of beer before 12, but if it was after midnight, I didn't drink again because tomorrow was a work day. Or drinking several drinks quickly so it wouldn't hit you until after you bicycled home.

Merle

Why should it be logical? People drink because of the way it makes them feel. End of story.

This.

Firstly I am going to admit I drink quite a lot - and secondly I am a student.

No, no - I drink because I enjoy it. Being more social is a side effect, as well as the increased confidence. Of course it happens to have the effect of making NT's seem less boring and tbh I much prefer being around merry NT's than sober ones. They tend to be nicer. Though admittedly its a brilliant way of hiding being an Aspie with next to no effort at all, anything little social misstep I make gets blamed on being drunk or hung over.

Another reason for drinking is that it really does help a less motivated person (like myself) get through a stack of work. Its the best way of being an efficient worker. I have even sat an exam drunk (and gotten the top in my year at the same time).

As for dropping inhibitions, I like that side even more. There are plenty of things I would say that I would have missed out on if I did not drink.

I can always justify my actions when hammered and the morning after I assure you. Though the reason you feel uncomfortable around people who drink I suspect is that you don't like people to lose control around you - personally its exactly the reason I like being around merry people; they are less tied to the social rules which I so loathe.

You claim to be open-minded. How about showing it and trying alcohol properly? Cider is the best one. As for spirits drinking - I rarely do so, unless I have to get drunk quickly (and even then I have a lot of mixer to go with it)

Totally disagree - there are rational reasons out there. Moderate drinking has been shown to be potentially good for you, and another example would be its ability to make you go to sleep (I freely admit to doing the latter).

Are you saying that in order to disagree with something others do, I need to have done it myself? So, if I want to disagree with people who use meth, I clearly need to have tried meth before... right?

Ok -- moderate drinking. But you just openly admitted that you drink (at least sometimes) to become drunk. After consuming that amount of alcohol, any positive health effects of drinking alcohol have been lost, and you are actually beginning to harm your body. If you want to listen to one part of the study which shows positive health effects for one glass of wine a day, you need to also listen to the part which shows heavy drinking has negative health effects, right?

And wouldn't using alcohol to allow you to go to sleep cause you to become dependent on it? Wouldn't you rather actually solve whatever problem it is which is preventing you from getting to sleep then just using alcohol to temporarily get around it?

To actually understand it, you really need to try it - unless you don't want to understand it I guess. Understanding and disagreeing are different things.

My suspicion here is that you are against it because you (a) want something extra to blame for your social shortcomings and (b) have control issues.

So, essentially you rely on alcohol to be able to communicate with NTs?



Why not solve the confidence issues which prevent you from saying them without consuming alcohol? Are you just going to go through life and drink everytime you need to say something BIG?

Ah yes - but I am saying its a reason for doing so, not one that I follow.

Totally true, but then I don't drink for health reasons and will probably cut down a lot when I leave university (if not before then).

If you are doing it occasionally nope. My problem is that I have no sleep pattern.

First off, I hate drunks and alcoholics - and the only difference between the two is that drunks don't go to AA meetings.

Second, I never drink in a social situation. I never want people to see me drunk, and I never want to behave in a way that is not "natural" to me.

Third, when I do drink, it's wine. Wine is not gulped or guzzled, it is sipped and savored.

Fourth, there are very few occasions when I drink. I have to be in my own home. It must be in the evening. And I must have already eaten and be ready for bed. The only exceptions are when I have a cold or the flu, as a little wine helps with my digestion and disposition. It also helps me sleep. For $10 to $20 per bottle, it's inexpensive and not necessarily a crutch.

(Maybe all these rules indicate an OCD? Whatever ... )

Last edited by Fnord on 05 Jan 2009, 10:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

You never really answered my question here. You're also making the assumption that I haven't tried alcohol, which would be incorrect.



Well, you have little evidence that I have "social shortcomings". Since I'm pretty happy with my current social state and don't seem to have problems with other people, I don't know what "social shortcomings" you're talking about. I was able to ask out my girlfriend just fine without alcohol. Anything else I am missing?

And I have control issues because I am trying to understand why people do something? That's interesting... I suppose you think I should just "go with the flow" on everything eh?

Not at all. I find them more enjoyable to be with when drunk, especially strangers. That is partially due to the university environment though.

No, no, I mean things that I would do as a result. I doubt for example I would have done Skydiving without making a hammered promise one night to do it (though deep down I wanted to do it, really I was looking for an excuse). I can give a speech perfectly sober if I like to.

I think its rather hypocritical of you to lecture me on confidence issues when you are scared to try even something minor which is new.

You seem to make numerous statements like this. What evidence do you have that I am "scared"? It sounds like according to you, just because someone doesn't want to do something, means they are scared?