Drinking

I am personally very against this but I would like to see your veiws. I dont drink nor am I planning to and none of my family or friend's do. I dont have a lot of real-world experience with this so if i offend anyone i am sorry. I have always wondered: why do people drink? So I've decided to pose this question to all of you.

Some people enjoy it. My parents have let me try small sips of alcohol and I don't like it, and I don't find the idea of being drunk or "buzzed" appealing. If I want a social setting I can drink something else, an if I want a distraction from life there are plenty of "anti-drugs" out there that provide similar distraction. That said, it's none of my business if other people enjoy drinking and choose to do so, so long as they aren't drinking excessively and/or hurting anyone else. On that last note, however, I have zero sympathy or tolerance for drunk drivers.

DUI is just something an utter moron would do. One of my friends often uses this phrase as an explanation for many things and I have adopted it. The conclusion that I have come to, along with my friend, is that the general populace of the earth are complete idiots. Simply put, people are stupid.

Sensible (non-Scottish) drinking is fine by me. Excessive (Scottish) drinking I tend to frown upon.

I have problem with it until it hurts other people. If people harm themselves by having too much, it's still their problem, but I do feel sorry for them, as it suggests psychological "ïssues" underlie their behaviour.

I drunk to fit in with the 'teen lifestyle'; to make sure that I still fitted in with my friends; going out to house parties and camp outs and drink, etc (avoided the casual sex bit though ), well I say drunk, I still 'get merry with friends' sometimes! Nothing wrong with it in itself though I find that people will probably start to mature after the initial buzz of the first few years of doing it, and as I lost contact with a lot of my friends after I left school I don't do much of it anymore. The people I know aren't the type of people who I could do it with. Oh, what do American teenagers do for fun without drink?

So yeah is not immoral to have a few drinks sometimes, as long as it's responsibly!!!!

A lot of them just drinkanyway, even though it's illegal. I just don't because 1. I think it's dumb an unnappealing and 2. It's against mybeliefs. It's not that hard to have gun without alcohol.

What!? What the hell is this?! I thought this was a place for free buckie when I saw the title and instead I find out its for moralising. You people need a good buckie down you. What about all the fun times, the laughs with mates when you're two sheets to the wind, the wandering through city streets at 4 in the morning sinigng 80's indie hits? Meeting complete strangers and treating them like life long best friends? The lowering of womens sexual inhibitions (and expectations), all the good things in other words.
And I refuse absolutely to take moral pointers from Americans a race for whom its easier for a 18 year old to get a gun than a bottle of buckie- that is the wrong priority my colonial cousins! Mind you given what passes for drink in the US maybe I don't blame you.
I was given my first pint at New Year aged approx 7- I might have been younger, I shall need to find the photo of myself and my older brother standing in our pjamas just after the bells proudly holding our first pints. I started going to céilidh's from about 12 and those were with a posh Pony Club with mainly Upper Class members, Duke of Argyll and the like - I learnt two things mingling in high society 1. the law doesn't apply to them so even children are bought whiskey and you are expected to make all the toasts and 2. Never refuse to dance Strip the Willow with a Duchess.
By 15 I was a regular in pubs, The Vic, the Wellington (odd really, all English names) and for any ex-US navy types that were stationed there Sinbads and the long defunct Harmony where ladies of the night were mainly providing the Harmony. Never any shortage of seamen round there!(And where there was always a good chance of entertainment when the armed SP's came chargng in to get those who were AWOL). Even our school sanctioned drinking in those days. Our 5th and 6th year dances were in the Rose Garden Hotel with full licensed bar. And our Prom (back then a US only thing- but with a US base here once it was explained it was just a drinking session you dressed up for we went for it) was held at Hafton House which had not one, not two but three bars. Now thats organised.
And every drunken occasion I have listed is a fond and cherished memory (well the memories I still have of course). Great days having great fun in great company drunk as drunk can be. (And I haven't even got round to the casual sex part either! But suffice to say I thnk I preferred those first sexual encounters to be fuelled by buckie on both sides or who knows how they might have gone-although admittedly passing out and snoring mid act on top of some poor lassie is maybe not so memorable!)

I like wine myself. Pinot Grigio actually, and then there's communion wine, but that tastes nasty . I've never been to a party with alcohol because luckily my friends are the few people who don't drink. Almost everyone at my school does, that and smoke pot. This is how it goes; you get drunk, then you hook up with someone. And that's considered fun these days. I, on the other hand, still enjoy being rebellious. That includes adventuring, pulling pranks, being a little dangerous. You know, what kids are SUPPOSED to want to do...

Royalty should always have to set the example. All very sensible of you TIn- now go follow the link in my other post to my local festivities and see how your supposed to drink!!

I was waiting for Petty to find this thread.

And it's not hard to get alcohol in the US even if you're under 21 (or 18). It happens at pretty much every high school and college in the country.

Yeah but thats US alcohol. Or as its known here 'tainted water'.

I didn't know that you Brits had a different word for piss.

Tinuviel wrote: I, on the other hand, still enjoy being rebellious. That includes adventuring, pulling pranks, being a little dangerous. You know, what kids are SUPPOSED to want to do...

My goodness! I find that all very shocking, your Majesty! "SUPPOSED" to do! I only drank because my parents didn't want me to... No that's not really true, my parents let me have the occasional tipple - or gut full at my older sblings weddings, but with the "adults"' keeping a protective eye over me. (I was the knd of drinker who very often had a gut-emptying as well before long). The Scottish way seems appropriate. Why should adfults have all the fun? Real fun, that is, not FUN you're SUPPOSED to have. "Pranks? How cruel! Hope no one gets hurt? And being dangerous? Oh Varda (God of Life and Booze, and Flowers, I think?) Bless us all... What kind of parents do you have, Tin? Monsters? (Fabncy tellng you how to have fun - not very modern of them, no - and, even worse, telling you what FUN is! )

Eldorion wrote:I didn't know that you Brits had a different word for piss.

Not just Brits, laddie...

Yea after reading all that... I want to drink even less. Oh Orwell, my parents don't even drink themselves, let alone let me. Again, none of my friends do either. I did use to live in the area of the US that has a higher drinking rate than anywhere else in the country. And the only Place in the US with a higher drinking rate than Germany.

Germany? Alright they have big glasses but not a proper drinkng culture at all. You have to further north for that Lorient. Germans are amatuer drinkers- its why they lost the war you know. Churchill on the other hand was a well known drunk.

"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly."- Churchill in the House of Commons in response to a female MP accusing him of turning up drunk.

My lovely land used to hold the record! Not sure what the figures are now mind.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7460372.stm

I can only assume Scotlands youth was too drunk that day to take part in the census. 2nd indeed- that can't be right!

Pettytyrant101 wrote:I can only assume Scotlands youth was too drunk that day to take part in the census. 2nd indeed- that can't be right!

What a damning indictment!

Its ok we are back on top again according to the latest figures. We have more alcohol consumption and deaths per head of pop than anywhere else in Europe.

Evolution sorting out the Scots, p'raps?

Mmmm.... buckie could be the answer to a lot of my problems....

I notice Wales, Scotland, and England all make the list. Must be you Brits trying to escape from your dreary little island via the bottle. Though the Irish seem happier.

Eldorion wrote:I notice Wales, Scotland, and England all make the list.

Not a surprise, even in many of the early histories, written by people trying to invade or smply visiting there are comments on the drunkeness of the inhabitants of these fair isles!