The Atlantic on alcohol consumption

Primates have long been observed seeking out fermented fruit and fermented tree sap.

Alcohol consumption - and drunkeness - may predate humanity itself.

Drunken monkeys: what animals tell us about our thirst for booze

 

Personally, I thought the accompanying piece on millennials and their downturn in drinking was more interesting than the main Atlantic piece. I'm kind of there right now. I'm a little bored with just "going out drinking" and kind of a little over making drinking the centerpiece of a weekend's social activities. With the end of college football/NFL, I won't be spending as much time just sitting around sipping on light beer watching football. Good for my waistline and my liver, I suppose.

 

if the outing is centered on drinking - craft breweries - it’s hard to involve that person.

In a funny way, people go out of their way to not make alcohol about getting drunk - they make it about the craft of the booze, which I tend to find pretentious- and end up having a drinking problem in the process.

 

I did a sober October in 2018 but still went out with my usual friends to watch football, etc. Just drank club soda and lime instead of booze. No one seemed to give a shit. You don't want to drink? You do you, boo.

 

I guess a lot of it depends on whether or not the people drinking are actually your friends or just acquaintances or whether they're nice people, if you really get down to it. It probably even has a bit to do with geography. Here in the Bible Belt, it's not uncommon for drinkers and tea-totallers to hang out together.

 

I no longer drink and it’s rarely an issue at social gatherings, unless I act like a vegan at a barbecue.

The rare person who gives me anything more than glance and makes it an issue could probably benefit from a little introspection about whether their drinking is still a choice, but even they almost never push it.

The exception is assholes. Assholes are louder when they are drunk, but they’re still assholes when they haven’t been drinking.

 

Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about wine.


- Fran Lebowitz

 

I only watch porn for the dialog...

 

This is America: We want to smoke what we want, drink what we want, and marry who we want.

 

But we can't grow black currant in our back yard.

At least not in my state.

 

Man, I don't really drink. I'm not completely dry, but it's seriously two or three years tops and usually on a vacation where something sounds good or something like that. I don't like it that much anyway, but my family has a strong history of alcoholism and a bad one and I just don't want to risk it plus I don't like what I've seen.

In almost all social situations, especially if I just meet people like at a conference or professional event or even at something like a wedding where I just ran into a bunch of people I didn't know before, I have to explain it. Almost every time. Why? Why does anyone give a shit? But I'm weird because of it. It's not always comfortable even though I am used to the situation.

May have been different for you because you were with your usual friends. Obviously if I'm with people who are close to me they won't care or say something.

My other favorite is being at an event and beer and wine are free and paid for but I have to buy pop or other non-alcoholic drinks.