Binge drinking (1 Viewer)

[DocHolliday]

Not proud of this in any way. Same core group of guys I used to run around with went to Hawaii for a week around that time. We stopped at Costco when we arrived and bought two gallons of Jack, and four cases of beer. We finished it all in five days, and were also going out for drinks at bars at night. There were six of us, and four doing the lion’s share. Seriously don’t know how we survived it either. Drinking was definitely a competitive sport. 

Sometimes during that span I’d have the good sense to get a cab or a ride home. There were times the next day I literally had no idea where I’d parked my car. This was not culturally unusual amongst that crew, and our extended group of 50 or so friends.

We used to finish nights for a couple years at a club called the Dragonfly in LA. We’d usually start them at the legendary karaoke at the Farmer’s Market with $6 pitchers of Nut Brown Ale. We knew the bartender at the Dragonfly and she’d pour us 3/4 Jack to 1/4 Coke, and we have multiple of those to end the night.

I don’t get why we did that, but I think it had to do with a bunch or young guys trying to make it in LA and trying to have the best stories at the end of each weekend, and needing to be utterly trashed to have the nerve to one up each other.

What’s paradoxical is I was also working out 7 days a week, and was ostensibly in great shape. But like clockwork, Friday and Saturday nights were reserved for heavy binge drinking, whereas I might have 2-3 drinks the rest of the nights of the week. 

Come to think of it, the obsessive fitness was another symptom of the same thing. Trying way too hard to prove I wasn’t average in a land of people trying to be validated by the world as being special.

I lived a similar life until I was almost 40.  I worked out religiously but got wasted on weekends.   I look back now and know that I was a complete idiot.   I was having fun with my bros and with the ladies but I was certainly not fulfilled or happy.   

I quit binge drinking 5 years ago and typically have a drink or two in a week at most now.   I did some pretty good drinking on New Year’s Eve this year but I wasn’t smashed.   I will never go back to being a drinker.  Feeling like crap the next day is awful.   

 

[DocHolliday]

What age? Did you grow up around many drinkers?

I grew up in a German household.  My grandparents came to the US from Germany and my Grandfather poured everyone at the table a glass of beer with dinner from the time his grandkids were about 8 years old.  It was only about 4-5 ounces and wasn’t a drink to have a party.   It was just what we drank at dinner.   

My dad has always been a big beer drinker but that is all he drinks.   

 

[Bonzai]

Not trying to argue but I call BS. Pour someone the most expensive bourbon you can think of. If they’ve never had booze before they will think It tastes like ####. Alcohol is a poison. It’s not that you didn’t have a plate you did and you didn’t like it. . We all force/learn to like it. 
 

off soapbox. 

I'd say you're definitely trying to argue.

I think bourbon is certainly an acquired taste. My early exposure to alcohol was definitely partying related. I wasn't sipping coffee stouts or 50 dollar bourbons 20 years ago. I was pounding bud lights and doing shots like an idiot. But with exposure comes evolving tastes. Bourbon is now the most interesting, delicious thing I drink. It's great to find a new bottle and experience a unique, complex flavor. If you see booze as a means to an end to get ripped, you're doing it wrong.

I think you could say something similar with music, film, and most other forms of art. I didn't like Miles Davis when I was 15 either. 

 

[Terminalxylem]

I grew up in a German household.  My grandparents came to the US from Germany and my Grandfather poured everyone at the table a glass of beer with dinner from the time his grandkids were about 8 years old.  It was only about 4-5 ounces and wasn’t a drink to have a party.   It was just what we drank at dinner.   

My dad has always been a big beer drinker but that is all he drinks.   

Makes sense then. You were raised with the expectation that alcohol was a fixture in daily life, started at a young age and were surrounded by role models who drank consistently. I’m still a little surprised you liked beer from the very first sip, but there probably was a bit of subconscious desire to like it independent of the flavor.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I do this almost daily. 

So you're telling me that when the Newport Cobras defeated the heavily favored Colombia Dealers to take home the 2019 dyNASTY championship that you took out that rocks glass and only filled it 1/10th of the way to the top? 

I don't buy it sir. Not for a minute 

 

[Bonzai]

So you're telling me that when the Newport Cobras defeated the heavily favored Colombia Dealers to take home the 2019 dyNASTY championship that you took out that rocks glass and only filled it 1/10th of the way to the top? 

I don't buy it sir. Not for a minute 

Indeed I did. 

Doesn't mean I only had one pour!

 

[DallasDMac]

Not trying to argue but I call BS. Pour someone the most expensive bourbon you can think of. If they’ve never had booze before they will think It tastes like ####. Alcohol is a poison. It’s not that you didn’t have a plate you did and you didn’t like it. . We all force/learn to like it. 

As you can likely tell my from my earlier responses, I don't binge drink ever. But I enjoy wine, beer, bourbon, single malts, and other types of alcohol. And I have to call BS on your BS. Your opinion seems pretty extreme and yet you seem to feel that your opinion on this must hold true for everyone. It seems like a very, very odd line of thinking, at least to me.

 

[boots11234]

As you can likely tell my from my earlier responses, I don't binge drink ever. But I enjoy wine, beer, bourbon, single malts, and other types of alcohol. And I have to call BS on your BS. Your opinion seems pretty extreme and yet you seem to feel that your opinion on this must hold true for everyone. It seems like a very, very odd line of thinking, at least to me.

Which part is BS or opinion?  The poison part? It is.   The pallet part?  Give your 10 year old a really Good shot of bourbon and report back.
 

look I’m happy you enjoy alcohol but think you are fooling yourself if you think you took to it like mothers milk. Cuz you didn’t.  

 

[TheFanatic]

As you can likely tell my from my earlier responses, I don't binge drink ever. But I enjoy wine, beer, bourbon, single malts, and other types of alcohol. And I have to call BS on your BS. Your opinion seems pretty extreme and yet you seem to feel that your opinion on this must hold true for everyone. It seems like a very, very odd line of thinking, at least to me.

My first taste of beer tasted like ###. Same with wine. Same with a martini. Same with whiskey. Same with tequila. Anyone who thinks they drank a beer for the first time and loved it is fooling themselves. Was black coffee great the first time you tried that too? Nope. All of these are acquired tastes. Keep in mind, that other than the tequila, I loved the taste of all of these things for decades. But the first taste of any of them is not good. And I agree that give someone who never drank before a straight sip of a 95pt anything (beer, wine, spirits) and they are going to think it tastes like ### too. 

I think the only spirit that didn't taste like ### when I first tried it was maybe peach schnapps. It wasn't terrible. It was cheap so it wasn't great either. 

 

[nirad3]

Interesting conversation here and most certainly germane to what's been going on in my mind and with my body the past year or so.  

It's mostly mental for me;  I do not want to give up my current routine which does involve going out and drinking larger quantities of alcohol a couple/few times a month.  But the negatives (read: the next day) are starting to outweigh the positives it seems.  

Side note / tangent here, but has anyone ever tried these supposed "hangover helpers"?  Like Cheers?  I know drinking water, perhaps a B-vitamin and an ibuprofen could also offer the same benefits, but just wondering if these pills have any merit.  I could certainly use some "help" the following day after a binge.

 

[TheFanatic]

Interesting conversation here and most certainly germane to what's been going on in my mind and with my body the past year or so.  

It's mostly mental for me;  I do not want to give up my current routine which does involve going out and drinking larger quantities of alcohol a couple/few times a month.  But the negatives (read: the next day) are starting to outweigh the positives it seems.  

Side note / tangent here, but has anyone ever tried these supposed "hangover helpers"?  Like Cheers?  I know drinking water, perhaps a B-vitamin and an ibuprofen could also offer the same benefits, but just wondering if these pills have any merit.  I could certainly use some "help" the following day after a binge.

Gatorade is your friend. 

 

[Mister CIA]

My first taste of beer tasted like ###. Same with wine. Same with a martini. Same with whiskey. Same with tequila. Anyone who thinks they drank a beer for the first time and loved it is fooling themselves. Was black coffee great the first time you tried that too? Nope. All of these are acquired tastes. Keep in mind, that other than the tequila, I loved the taste of all of these things for decades. But the first taste of any of them is not good. And I agree that give someone who never drank before a straight sip of a 95pt anything (beer, wine, spirits) and they are going to think it tastes like ### too. 

I think the only spirit that didn't taste like ### when I first tried it was maybe peach schnapps. It wasn't terrible. It was cheap so it wasn't great either. 

My first bloody Mary tasted fantastic!

 

[nirad3]

Gatorade is your friend. 

Big fan - probably don't utilize it enough.  Love the fruit punch flavor.  Should stock up... especially on my trip to Santa Barbara in May where I *know* there will be mass consumption.

Good call.

 

[coyote5]

Big fan - probably don't utilize it enough.  Love the fruit punch flavor.  Should stock up... especially on my trip to Santa Barbara in May where I *know* there will be mass consumption.

Good call.

https://www.amazon.com/Emergen-C-Immune-Dietary-Supplement-Orange/dp/B07CWCCS4V/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=DUSK0FbkIDICKpLRLYL1Vw&hsa_cr_id=1998611740001&ref_=sb_s_sparkle_slot

I used to take these to Vegas and have one in the morning and then probably another one early afternoon when I was still in the mode of having a water every so often between drinks.  By late afternoon everything is off the rails and any thoughts of moderation or hangover mitigation are just a faint memory   

 

[nirad3]

https://www.amazon.com/Emergen-C-Immune-Dietary-Supplement-Orange/dp/B07CWCCS4V/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=DUSK0FbkIDICKpLRLYL1Vw&hsa_cr_id=1998611740001&ref_=sb_s_sparkle_slot

I used to take these to Vegas and have one in the morning and then probably another one early afternoon when I was still in the mode of having a water every so often between drinks.  By late afternoon everything is off the rails and any thoughts of moderation or hangover mitigation are just a faint memory   

Huh, never thought of using Emergen-C.  Hell, I could just add one to my vodka-seven or whatever.   May give this a try.

 

[TheFanatic]

My first bloody Mary tasted fantastic!

Mixed drink is different. Also, was that your first sip of alcohol ever?

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Huh, never thought of using Emergen-C.  Hell, I could just add one to my vodka-seven or whatever.   May give this a try.

I get the tablet form that dissolves in a bottle of water.  No colds or flu yet and it does double as a drink mixer when needed.

 

[DocHolliday]

Interesting conversation here and most certainly germane to what's been going on in my mind and with my body the past year or so.  

It's mostly mental for me;  I do not want to give up my current routine which does involve going out and drinking larger quantities of alcohol a couple/few times a month.  But the negatives (read: the next day) are starting to outweigh the positives it seems.  

Side note / tangent here, but has anyone ever tried these supposed "hangover helpers"?  Like Cheers?  I know drinking water, perhaps a B-vitamin and an ibuprofen could also offer the same benefits, but just wondering if these pills have any merit.  I could certainly use some "help" the following day after a binge.

Your age?

 

[The Duff Man]

It is the worst when you reach the point that you don’t even get a buzz when you drink.  I lived like that for years, drinking 4-5 times a week, 3-5 drinks each night (20 oz each so maybe this qualifies as more)

After dropping 20 lbs and being more careful what I eat, I have enjoyed drinking a lot more. 

Often I will fast or eat very lightly on days I am drinking. After three drinks I have a better buzz than I used to get from three times that amount, and don’t feel the need to keep consuming. 

 

[Leroy Hoard]

It is the worst when you reach the point that you don’t even get a buzz when you drink.  I lived like that for years, drinking 4-5 times a week, 3-5 drinks each night (20 oz each so maybe this qualifies as more)

After dropping 20 lbs and being more careful what I eat, I have enjoyed drinking a lot more. 

Often I will fast or eat very lightly on days I am drinking. After three drinks I have a better buzz than I used to get from three times that amount, and don’t feel the need to keep consuming. 

I've always been more of a happy hour type drinker, so my main meal always came after the majority of my drinking, with a light breakfast to start the day.

 

[nirad3]

Your age?

I'm 46.  Sometimes I feel like I'm 26, other times 66.  

 

[Cowboysfan8]

My first taste of beer tasted like ###. Same with wine. Same with a martini. Same with whiskey. Same with tequila. Anyone who thinks they drank a beer for the first time and loved it is fooling themselves. Was black coffee great the first time you tried that too? Nope. All of these are acquired tastes. Keep in mind, that other than the tequila, I loved the taste of all of these things for decades. But the first taste of any of them is not good. And I agree that give someone who never drank before a straight sip of a 95pt anything (beer, wine, spirits) and they are going to think it tastes like ### too. 

I think the only spirit that didn't taste like ### when I first tried it was maybe peach schnapps. It wasn't terrible. It was cheap so it wasn't great either. 

I thought my first beer sucked and I still think beer sucks. Don’t know how anyone can drink more than maybe 3 in a sitting