ddrueding
Fixture
Just a random question... :eekers:
Behavioral Survey
- Thread starter ddrueding
- Start date
jtr1962
Storage? I am Storage!
I'll drink occasionally (rarely anything stronger than beer), often alone, once in a while with other family members. I've never went to a bar in my life. I don't see the point. The drinks are too expensive, the quality of people you meet is generally low, and I can't hold alcohol well at all. Unlike many who claim drinking decreases their inhibitions, I find that it just makes me want to lie down and go to sleep. Since you can't sleep at bars, I don't drink at them. In other words, social drinking to me is an oxymoron. I like the taste of a cold beer when there's hot weather, or an occasional mixed drink. However, I'm out like a light shortly afterwards. A cat looking for a warm body to sleep next to might find me "sociable" after drinking but for most people I wouldn't be very good company.
Tannin
Storage? I am Storage!
If you have to count it, it's too often.
If you rely on a drink to the extent that it occurs to you to ask this question, then you shouldn't be drinking alone. (You probably shouldn't be drinking incompany either, for that matter.)
If you rely on a drink to the extent that it occurs to you to ask this question, then you shouldn't be drinking alone. (You probably shouldn't be drinking incompany either, for that matter.)
Jake the Dog
Storage is cool
just wondering (not attacking), how would you know this if you;ve never been to one yourself?jtr1962 said:
Pradeep
Storage? I am Storage!
Drinking alone at home or at a pub? Personally I only go out to the pub if I'm with friends. But I drink often at home 
"Since you can't sleep at bars" *ask Tea about that one *
"Since you can't sleep at bars" *ask Tea about that one
*
Pradeep
Storage? I am Storage!
I should add that I don't often drink with the intent of getting hammered anymore, I just enjoy the taste of a cold ale. *Ahh sweet college days*
sechs
Storage? I am Storage!
The key here is to have a drinking buddy -- even if that person isn't going to drink.
If you can't come up with some excuse to drink with other people, then there's a problem.
If you can't come up with some excuse to drink with other people, then there's a problem.
jtr1962
Storage? I am Storage!
Seeing what others picked up in bars, the results of surveys, hearsay, etc. I remember the crowds I used to like to hang around with, and none of them went to bars. I remember groups of people I didn't particularly like who said they did. Most who go to bars tend to have some "issues" of some sort or they wouldn't be going to a place late at night to drink and/or smoke. To me it seems a way to avoid confronting whatever problems you may have as well as a waste of lots of money. You can literally piss your entire paycheck away in a bar. In general if you're looking for a partner of the opposite sex a bar is literally the worst place to look with the workplace being the next worst. School is probably the best as you have a wide selection, and if in a decent school you know they'll be intelligent as well. Unfortunately, school doesn't last forever. I gave up trying to meet people once I finished school. Short of random encounters on the street or subway, it's practically impossible for me to have a chance of bumping into compatible people. BTW, that's no reflection on this group-you're all very nice and fun to hang around with, but since the membership here is nearly 100% male and 100% located at far distances from me the "relationship" possibilities are nil. You're all my friends, though. :aok:Jake the Dog said:
And I'll second what Tannin said-if you need to worry if you're drinking alone too often then maybe you're just plain drinking too often, period. As I heard in a movie once: "The answer's not in that can, son." Or substitute bottle if you want.
ddrueding
Fixture
sechs said:
90% of the time, this isn't a problem. But my drinking buddy has been out for the last few days.
Self medication? Yeah, that's me. But it is cheaper, and more legal than the alternatives, with less adverse side-effects.
Buck
Storage? I am Storage!
What Tannin said.
I just turned 21 in September, and I really have no desire to drink... I went out for the "Get smashed on your 21st B-Day" celebration, but my friends were more drunk than I was. Drinking is pretty costly, tastes like crap, and can end you up in jail if you're lacking intelligence. Maybe I'll become more fond of the taste of alcohol as time goes on... Who knows.
ddrueding
Fixture
Until I was 15 I had abosutely no taste for it, though all my friends did. I've been "smashed" a total of 2 times in my life. I quickly went through that phase and onto appreciating finer things.
Now I stick to "the good stuff", with my base being:
Belvadere or level vodka
Patron Silver or Gold Tequila
Galante Vineyards "Blackjack Pasture" Cabernet Sauvignon
Now I stick to "the good stuff", with my base being:
Belvadere or level vodka
Patron Silver or Gold Tequila
Galante Vineyards "Blackjack Pasture" Cabernet Sauvignon
Tannin
Storage? I am Storage!
I have a simple rule: I drink whatever I like, as often as I like.
When I was in my 20s, that meant little or nothing through the week, and a right royal piss-up with my mates on most weekends. My tastes changed over the years, but a typical big night would be a half-dozen stubbies followed by two bottles of Brown Brothers port. Mixed in along the way would be some cups of tea - not with the beer, but tea goes rather well with port.
At other times it might be a bottle of Grants scotch and soda over ice, and, way back in the distant mists of time, I used to drink Southern Comfort. (I have no idea why.)
In my 30s, that became rare, but I'd still go in for the odd night on the turps, typically splitting a bottle of scotch with a friend or two over a game of cards.
And now ..... practically nothing. Anytime I feel like a drink, I have a drink. If I feel like 10 drinks, I have 10 drinks. What that means in practice is that maybe two or three times a year I'll have the equivalent of a bottle of red with a friend or five. I drink some beer (typically one to three glasses, nearly always Cascade Light) about ... oh ... maybe six times a year.
Whenever I get home from work, I say to myself "now what do I feel like drinking?". About 97 times out of 100, the answer is "Tea, and lots of it!"
PS: Speaking of Tea, she (the ape, not the drink) is all talk, no action. Whatever she might say here, she doesn't drink much more than I do. But then Tea doesn't need to drink. She is terminally light-headed when she's stone-cold sober. With a mind like hers, drinking is a waste of perfectly good hooch!
When I was in my 20s, that meant little or nothing through the week, and a right royal piss-up with my mates on most weekends. My tastes changed over the years, but a typical big night would be a half-dozen stubbies followed by two bottles of Brown Brothers port. Mixed in along the way would be some cups of tea - not with the beer, but tea goes rather well with port.
At other times it might be a bottle of Grants scotch and soda over ice, and, way back in the distant mists of time, I used to drink Southern Comfort. (I have no idea why.)
In my 30s, that became rare, but I'd still go in for the odd night on the turps, typically splitting a bottle of scotch with a friend or two over a game of cards.
And now ..... practically nothing. Anytime I feel like a drink, I have a drink. If I feel like 10 drinks, I have 10 drinks. What that means in practice is that maybe two or three times a year I'll have the equivalent of a bottle of red with a friend or five. I drink some beer (typically one to three glasses, nearly always Cascade Light) about ... oh ... maybe six times a year.
Whenever I get home from work, I say to myself "now what do I feel like drinking?". About 97 times out of 100, the answer is "Tea, and lots of it!"
PS: Speaking of Tea, she (the ape, not the drink) is all talk, no action. Whatever she might say here, she doesn't drink much more than I do. But then Tea doesn't need to drink. She is terminally light-headed when she's stone-cold sober. With a mind like hers, drinking is a waste of perfectly good hooch!
ddrueding
Fixture
Well, with a mind like mine, a drink is downright necissary. Here it is, 7AM on a monday morning, and I haven't been to sleep nor feel like sleeping. But I really should have, considering I have a meeting in an hour. With nothing to stop me I'll easily go 3 or 4 days without really feeling like sleeping or even feeling tired for that matter. I used to think it was insomnia, but mania seems to fit the bill better. Bipolar would also help explain some of the other stuff. Whatever.
Buck
Storage? I am Storage!
Tannin said:
And nothing fits the bill for me like some Asam tea and a few biscuits.
PS: Nice choice with Grants.
Fushigi
Storage Is My Life
You're drinking an Orangutan? How does one prepare that? I'm assuming a blender is required.Tannin said:
uke-r:time
Storage? I am Storage!
I think it depends on how long a period you intend this to go on for. As a lifestyle, it's a big problem, but I agree that it's more effective than other medication.
Unfortunately, I know exactly what you're talking about: I use caffeine to kick start myself in the mornings and alcohol to slow me down at nights - otherwise I'd never sleep. I also share your manic-depressive tendencies, although I've often found that complex work done on little sleep turns out to be crap.
I'd recommend sleeping pills to try to encourage some kind of routine. Having said that, I'm still struggling (because I don't like taking them).
There's also the fact that booze can be very, very nice - if you have taste buds. Fine wines are one of life's greatest pleasures, and very probably improve your intelligence while extending your life (seriously, that's what wacky researchers come up with). There are countless studies that show that a couple of glasses of (preferably red) wine a day are good for your health. I'd say it's also good for your all-important sense of well-being.
But spirits can bite you. Single malt whiskys are to be treasured and sipped, but when you start gulping bourbon or vodka, maybe it's time to take stock. That could be alcoholism - and many people can't control that. Besides, it makes you build up a tolerance to alcohol that nullifies the effect of a good belt when you need one. :-?
Unfortunately, I know exactly what you're talking about: I use caffeine to kick start myself in the mornings and alcohol to slow me down at nights - otherwise I'd never sleep. I also share your manic-depressive tendencies, although I've often found that complex work done on little sleep turns out to be crap.
I'd recommend sleeping pills to try to encourage some kind of routine. Having said that, I'm still struggling (because I don't like taking them).
There's also the fact that booze can be very, very nice - if you have taste buds.
Fine wines are one of life's greatest pleasures, and very probably improve your intelligence while extending your life (seriously, that's what wacky researchers come up with). There are countless studies that show that a couple of glasses of (preferably red) wine a day are good for your health. I'd say it's also good for your all-important sense of well-being.But spirits can bite you. Single malt whiskys are to be treasured and sipped, but when you start gulping bourbon or vodka, maybe it's time to take stock. That could be alcoholism - and many people can't control that. Besides, it makes you build up a tolerance to alcohol that nullifies the effect of a good belt when you need one. :-?
Bartender
Storage is cool
Here is my take on the poll options:
How many times a week is it acceptable to drink alone?
Never.
If you don’t like drinking alone, no problem. However, if drinking alone makes you feel like an alcoholic, then maybe you should review why you are drinking alcohol in the first place. If it is for the wrong reasons, then you should quit. I have some friends who have chosen to abstain from alcohol because of the ill effects it has brought upon their life.
Very rarely, just when **it hits the fan.
It may be nice to use alcohol for this type of scenario, but you could easily put yourself into the dependence category – whenever trouble arrives you begin to automatically reach for this cure-all tonic. Also, alcohol in moderation can be enjoyable, so why associate trouble with drinking alcohol?
Once a week, only when others aren't available.
If you need to consciously schedule the amount of alcohol or the frequency with which you drink (regardless of the company) then you might want to quit all together.
You know the bartender's first name, that counts.
Boring. How about drinking at home and enjoying some complementary music? Plus, you won’t have worry about the drive home.
Buying booze for 2 is too expensive anyway...
It is expensive, especially at a bar. However, if you insist on drinking alone because spending money on a good friend contradicts your miser instincts, you have other issues that need to be resolved first.
Nothing wrong with "over the counter" "self medication".
If you view drinking alcohol as “self medication” then you should quit completely.
How many times a week is it acceptable to drink alone?
Never.
If you don’t like drinking alone, no problem. However, if drinking alone makes you feel like an alcoholic, then maybe you should review why you are drinking alcohol in the first place. If it is for the wrong reasons, then you should quit. I have some friends who have chosen to abstain from alcohol because of the ill effects it has brought upon their life.
Very rarely, just when **it hits the fan.
It may be nice to use alcohol for this type of scenario, but you could easily put yourself into the dependence category – whenever trouble arrives you begin to automatically reach for this cure-all tonic. Also, alcohol in moderation can be enjoyable, so why associate trouble with drinking alcohol?
Once a week, only when others aren't available.
If you need to consciously schedule the amount of alcohol or the frequency with which you drink (regardless of the company) then you might want to quit all together.
You know the bartender's first name, that counts.
Boring. How about drinking at home and enjoying some complementary music? Plus, you won’t have worry about the drive home.
Buying booze for 2 is too expensive anyway...
It is expensive, especially at a bar. However, if you insist on drinking alone because spending money on a good friend contradicts your miser instincts, you have other issues that need to be resolved first.
Nothing wrong with "over the counter" "self medication".
If you view drinking alcohol as “self medication” then you should quit completely.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
I'm of the opinion that it's better to never start.
Alcohol is expensive. It doesn't smell good. And a bottle of anything "decent" costs as much as 256MB DIMM.
No, I still haven't had my first drink. I don't know what circumstances would lead me to do so. I do think there has to be a better answer than alcohol to whatever leads other people to drink.
Alcohol is expensive. It doesn't smell good. And a bottle of anything "decent" costs as much as 256MB DIMM.
No, I still haven't had my first drink. I don't know what circumstances would lead me to do so. I do think there has to be a better answer than alcohol to whatever leads other people to drink.
Bartender
Storage is cool
Mercutio said:I'm of the opinion that it's better to never start.
Alcohol is expensive. It doesn't smell good. And a bottle of anything "decent" costs as much as 256MB DIMM.
No, I still haven't had my first drink. I don't know what circumstances would lead me to do so. I do think there has to be a better answer than alcohol to whatever leads other people to drink.
I wish it was that inexpensive . . . besides, there are some of us who do like the taste and smell.
Alcohol can easily be misused and abused, so never starting is a good alternative. What I really dislike is when people who drink look down upon someone who has chosen to abstain.
ddrueding
Fixture
Re: The cost.
I've managed to keep costs relatively low. Most of my regular stuff can be had for under $50 a bottle (except the wine).
I've managed to keep costs relatively low. Most of my regular stuff can be had for under $50 a bottle (except the wine).
jtr1962
Storage? I am Storage!
Living with my parents perhaps? :frusty: That's mostly what fuels my occasional indulgences. It's a good thing I'm not obessive-compulsive or I would probably be an alcoholic living around here. Anyway, I split an 18 can box of beer with my mom. That was about five weeks ago. I still have 2 of the 9 cans left. Left to my own devices, I feel like drinking less than two dozen times a year, if that, and mostly a can of beer at a time. Wine is good, but I'm not particularly found of red. Amaretto and anisette are also good occasionally. I'm not into the strong stuff like dd except maybe for a mixed drink at New Years. As I said, it's an occasional indulgence which I've been doing for years with no change in consumption either way. Oh, and I first tasted alcohol at age five or six I think at family gatherings. I think the mystique of forbidding it to minors is repsonsible for more than a few alcoholics. To me it's always been something you indulge in at occasions, or once in a while just because you feel like it. I see nothing wrong with letting kids sample it. Most don't care for it except in small quantities anyway. It takes the mystery away, and the peer pressure to start drinking later on.Mercutio said:
Buck
Storage? I am Storage!
jtr1962 said:
I agree.
Tea
Storage? I am Storage!
Whaaa! :x Juzt when there'z an interesting topic, I'm not allowed tkj —
(Tea! You're banned. Get off the computer!)
(But I was juzt —)
(No you weren't.)
(Tea! You're banned. Get off the computer!)
(But I was juzt —)
(No you weren't.)
Mercutio said:Alcohol is expensive... a bottle of anything "decent" costs as much as 256MB DIMM.
Only a computer guy would think in those terms.Considering all you have been through in the past couple of years , I doubt you will start drinking now.
ddrueding
Fixture
BooST said:
21 with a mortgage payment? There's a congratulations in there somewhere...
Gilbo
Storage is cool
Personally, I think drinking alone is just fine --as long as it isn't regularly interfering with other things that are important to you. I've never really believed that the stigma, that drinking suddenly develops if it's done solitarily, has any real merit.
Personally, I enjoy many alcoholic drinks for the taste as well as the warm, fuzzy feeling. I absolutely love wine --it's a serious hobby of mine--, which is how I end up drinking alone most commonly. Usually I'll seek out company, but I have to admit that sitting back and relaxing with some good music and a bottle of wine by myself is something I regularly actively seek out, and, yes, I usually have the entire bottle. I find it very relaxing and very enjoyable.
Sometimes I think that the money could be used for a more ultilitarian end, but, honestly, if you like wine, then a good bottle of wine can be a sublime experience. A good bottle of wine often reminds me of Walter Pater's beautiful conclusion to his Studies on The Renaissance, which is IMO one of the highest points in the history of English prose. It's one of my favourite couple pages anywhere. One sentence that comes to mind was written something like "Not the fruit of experience, but experience itself, is the end. A counted number of pulses only is given to us of a variegated dramatic life." A bottle of wine is always a particularly pleasurable pulse for me. Yes, it's even more pleasurable than slapping in a new DIMM (I recently held and installed a 1GB SODIMM in my laptop though, and I have to admit that that gave several decent bottles a run for their money...). I don't know what's worse being a geek or an alcoholic.
I also have to admit, without any pretty rhetoric about the virtues of wine, that I believe getting drunk semi-regularly is good for the soul --at least for some souls. Some people handle alcohol well, and some handle it terribly, but I almost invariably react positively and often feel rejuvenated the next day (spiritually anyway ). In this respect, it comes down to the fact that I identify tremendously with Dave when he says "With a mind like mine, a drink is downright necessary." My mind thinks too much, and will often keep me up till the wee hours of the morning. Some times you just need to slow it down a little. As you get older, I've found that it gets harder and harder to savour the moment, and occasionally a little alcohol can help settle you in it.
Sorry for the essay. How does the disclaimer go? But I could be wrong, and it would be a terrible (horrible?) shame....
Personally, I enjoy many alcoholic drinks for the taste as well as the warm, fuzzy feeling
. I absolutely love wine --it's a serious hobby of mine--, which is how I end up drinking alone most commonly. Usually I'll seek out company, but I have to admit that sitting back and relaxing with some good music and a bottle of wine by myself is something I regularly actively seek out, and, yes, I usually have the entire bottle. I find it very relaxing and very enjoyable.Sometimes I think that the money could be used for a more ultilitarian end, but, honestly, if you like wine, then a good bottle of wine can be a sublime experience. A good bottle of wine often reminds me of Walter Pater's beautiful conclusion to his Studies on The Renaissance, which is IMO one of the highest points in the history of English prose. It's one of my favourite couple pages anywhere. One sentence that comes to mind was written something like "Not the fruit of experience, but experience itself, is the end. A counted number of pulses only is given to us of a variegated dramatic life." A bottle of wine is always a particularly pleasurable pulse for me. Yes, it's even more pleasurable than slapping in a new DIMM (I recently held and installed a 1GB SODIMM in my laptop though, and I have to admit that that gave several decent bottles a run for their money...). I don't know what's worse being a geek or an alcoholic
.I also have to admit, without any pretty rhetoric about the virtues of wine, that I believe getting drunk semi-regularly is good for the soul --at least for some souls. Some people handle alcohol well, and some handle it terribly, but I almost invariably react positively and often feel rejuvenated the next day (spiritually anyway
). In this respect, it comes down to the fact that I identify tremendously with Dave when he says "With a mind like mine, a drink is downright necessary." My mind thinks too much, and will often keep me up till the wee hours of the morning. Some times you just need to slow it down a little. As you get older, I've found that it gets harder and harder to savour the moment, and occasionally a little alcohol can help settle you in it. Sorry for the essay. How does the disclaimer go? But I could be wrong, and it would be a terrible (horrible?) shame....
Tannin
Storage? I am Storage!
Not at all. It was a well written essay, and one that made a good deal of sense. I agree about the virtues of getting spastic now and again: it does you good. Cleans out the mind and reminds you of your priorities in life.
And yet .... I no longer feel the need for that and doubt that it would do me any good at my time in life. Am I so old and settled in my ways that I no longer need a periodic clean out, a re-swinging of the compass of the soul, if you like?
No. More settled, yes, without doubt. But I think the real answer is that I now have a different way of achieving the same general end: I spend a great deal of time alone in the wilderness, completely out of touch with civilisation. Officially, I'm taking photographs of wildlife, but in reality I'm doing a great deal more than that, and though I love to return with great pictures of wonderful creatures on my flash cards, just being in the places where they roam and people don't is the real purpose, and the real benefit.
And yet .... I no longer feel the need for that and doubt that it would do me any good at my time in life. Am I so old and settled in my ways that I no longer need a periodic clean out, a re-swinging of the compass of the soul, if you like?
No. More settled, yes, without doubt. But I think the real answer is that I now have a different way of achieving the same general end: I spend a great deal of time alone in the wilderness, completely out of touch with civilisation. Officially, I'm taking photographs of wildlife, but in reality I'm doing a great deal more than that, and though I love to return with great pictures of wonderful creatures on my flash cards, just being in the places where they roam and people don't is the real purpose, and the real benefit.
Tannin
Storage? I am Storage!
Tannin
Storage? I am Storage!
Tannin
Storage? I am Storage!
