NationStates Jolt Archive

Okay before we begin I'm not saying drinking alcohol is a bad thing, I do it myself, but why do people turn to alcohol when they have problems knowing it can only make matters worse. I'll give you two cases from my personal life that have got me thinking strongly about the subject.

Case 1: My father.

My father has been an alcoholic all my life and before I was born. Maybe he was influenced by his father who is also an alcoholic, I don't know but that's my theory. My dad has put alcohol before many things including his own family and work. The family example can be as recent as yesterday. My mother was doing a long shift at work and I was working also meaning my brother and sister aged 12 and 9 were in his care for around 9 hours. I came home to find that my siblings had gone to a friends house and my dad wasn't at home. My brother and sister soon came home and then a few hours later my dad came home drunk. This is a regular occurence and me and my siblings now look after each other. Even my 9 year old sister wants him gone from the house but he won;t stop. He was arrested for drink driving and anyone would think that is enough to put someone off but no he continued worse than before. I have lost all respect for him.

Case 2: A friend.

My friend up until a year ago had not touched alcohol but decided to give it a try. He liked it a lot. Now he finds any excuse to get drunk ,seeing him quit 2 jobs and not studying as he should be for our exams that are this week. I was talking to him via MSN yesterday where he told me he was drinking a bottle of Sambuka. This guy wants to be a doctor yet if he goes how he is at the moment he won;t get the grades needed.

So why do people turn to alcohol to comfort them? Okay getting drunk at a party or celebration is okay but doing it on a regular basis? Ther seems no reason for it. Why does it happen?

Okay before we begin I'm not saying drinking alcohol is a bad thing, I do it myself, but why do people turn to alcohol when they have problems knowing it can only make matters worse. I'll give you two cases from my personal life that have got me thinking strongly about the subject.

Case 1: My father.*snippage*
Case 2: A friend.*moar snippage*

So why do people turn to alcohol to comfort them? Okay getting drunk at a party or celebration is okay but doing it on a regular basis? Ther seems no reason for it. Why does it happen? Probably genetics. I wouldn't say it's the only reason, but genes do influence alcoholism. It could also be psychological... in which case yes they know it's worng but hey it's a temporary fix...

So why do people turn to alcohol to comfort them?

Because it comforts. Would this be another episode of short answers to stupid questions?

For a bit of a longer answer: People resort to food, drugs, OCD, denial, whatever, because they make them feel good. Before they know it, though, they become ways of feeling less bad. Tada.

I like alcohol. Drugs are my anti-WoW.

Okay before we begin I'm not saying drinking alcohol is a bad thing, I do it myself, but why do people turn to alcohol when they have problems knowing it can only make matters worse. I'll give you two cases from my personal life that have got me thinking strongly about the subject.

Case 1: My father.

My father has been an alcoholic all my life and before I was born. Maybe he was influenced by his father who is also an alcoholic, I don't know but that's my theory. My dad has put alcohol before many things including his own family and work. The family example can be as recent as yesterday. My mother was doing a long shift at work and I was working also meaning my brother and sister aged 12 and 9 were in his care for around 9 hours. I came home to find that my siblings had gone to a friends house and my dad wasn't at home. My brother and sister soon came home and then a few hours later my dad came home drunk. This is a regular occurence and me and my siblings now look after each other. Even my 9 year old sister wants him gone from the house but he won;t stop. He was arrested for drink driving and anyone would think that is enough to put someone off but no he continued worse than before. I have lost all respect for him.

Case 2: A friend.

My friend up until a year ago had not touched alcohol but decided to give it a try. He liked it a lot. Now he finds any excuse to get drunk ,seeing him quit 2 jobs and not studying as he should be for our exams that are this week. I was talking to him via MSN yesterday where he told me he was drinking a bottle of Sambuka. This guy wants to be a doctor yet if he goes how he is at the moment he won;t get the grades needed.

So why do people turn to alcohol to comfort them? Okay getting drunk at a party or celebration is okay but doing it on a regular basis? Ther seems no reason for it. Why does it happen?

Because it makes you feel good and unlike some other things its legal.

Probably genetics. I wouldn't say it's the only reason, but genes do influence alcoholism. It could also be psychological... in which case yes they know it's worng but hey it's a temporary fix...
In that case I better be careful.:(

My father was a bad guy and my mom thought she could turn him into a good guy. But he didn't quit drinking so she left him before I was born. I never met him before he got killed in some criminal activity.

One of my uncles started drinking as a teen and it got worse until his wife and kid left him, which made it even worse. Then he was deemed unfit to work and was retired in his twenties. Since then he has been sitting alone in his apartment drinking beer for 30 years. He has no friends, his relatives can't stand him, his neighbors can't stand him so every 5th year or so he feels forced to move. By now the alcohol has broken down his body so he must eat a dozen different medicines. Worst loser I know.

I'm never going to get drunk/high. Those 2 relatives have shown me that escaping reality is for losers.

I'm never going to get drunk/high. Those 2 relatives have shown me that escaping reality is for losers.

If done excessively

what part of "its an illness" dont you understand?

your dad is physically and psychologically addicted to alcohol. it runs his life. there may come a day when he is so sick of it that he does what is necessary to quit but until he does, alcohol is the most important thing in his life.

yes that does suck big time.

your friend may have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. he certainly went downhill fast eh? or he may have far more stress in his life than you realized and is using booze to deal with it. bad bad decision. yes, it could very well end up that getting drunk is more important to him than getting the grades necessary to graduate let alone get into med school.

yes that does suck too.

In that case I better be careful.:(

My father was a bad guy and my mom thought she could turn him into a good guy. But he didn't quit drinking so she left him before I was born. I never met him before he got killed in some criminal activity.

One of my uncles started drinking as a teen and it got worse until his wife and kid left him, which made it even worse. Then he was deemed unfit to work and was retired in his twenties. Since then he has been sitting alone in his apartment drinking beer for 30 years. He has no friends, his relatives can't stand him, his neighbors can't stand him so every 5th year or so he feels forced to move. By now the alcohol has broken down his body so he must eat a dozen different medicines. Worst loser I know.

I'm never going to get drunk/high. Those 2 relatives have shown me that escaping reality is for losers.

thats a wise decision. for people like you (and i) who are related to lots of drug and alcohol abusers even starting down that road can lead to disaster. you see your friend drinking and drugging and it seems FINE. it is fine for them. for us, it can easily lead to addiction and a ruined life.

So why do people turn to alcohol to comfort them? Okay getting drunk at a party or celebration is okay but doing it on a regular basis? Ther seems no reason for it. Why does it happen?

I think if your purpose for drinking is to "get drunk" then you don't have a healthy relationship with alcohol. I am kinda extreme on the issue though.

I think if your purpose for drinking is to "get drunk" then you don't have a healthy relationship with alcohol. I am kinda extreme on the issue though.

I think you're wrong here. Alcohol has one purpose - intoxication. That's what it does, that's why it is drunk. I don't pretend to drink alcohol because of its supposed good taste and refreshing hydration powers. It tastes like alcohol and it dehydrates. I drink because I want inebriation on some level. This is honesty, not unhealthfulness.

I think you're wrong here. Alcohol has one purpose - intoxication. That's what it does, that's why it is drunk. I don't pretend to drink alcohol because of its supposed good taste and refreshing hydration powers. It tastes like alcohol and it dehydrates. I drink because I want inebriation on some level. This is honesty, not unhealthfulness.

there is a difference between intoxication and drunkenness.

However, I rarely drink but when I do it's because I like the taste of the drinks that I do drink.

there is a difference between intoxication and drunkenness.

Semantics mainly. IMO "Getting drunk" is getting drunk, doesn't matter if you're only a little drunk or a lot.

However, I rarely drink but when I do it's because I like the taste of the drinks that I do drink.

They would taste better without the alcohol; I think you are fooling yourself, as do many people who drink. Anyway, nonsmokers like to say that I only smoke cigarettes for the nicotine, would you agree with that?

I think if your purpose for drinking is to "get drunk" then you don't have a healthy relationship with alcohol. I am kinda extreme on the issue though.

i have to agree with you.

those who use alcohol as a drug, who drink as much as possible as quickly as possible with the goal in mind to get wasted, have a bad relationship with alcohol.

Semantics mainly. IMO "Getting drunk" is getting drunk, doesn't matter if you're only a little drunk or a lot.
there is a varying scale. If I begin to get intoxicated I know I have had too much. Most people I know who "get drunk" have that goal.


They would taste better without the alcohol; I think you are fooling yourself, as do many people who drink.
I think maybe you haven't ever had any good alcohol.

Anyway, nonsmokers like to say that I only smoke cigarettes for the nicotine, would you agree with that?
people smoke for a lot of reasons, I used to smoke because I couldn't get high at work. I know people who smoke cigars socially, they have maybe one a year, I doubt they are doing it for anything other than ambiance and taste.

Semantics mainly. IMO "Getting drunk" is getting drunk, doesn't matter if you're only a little drunk or a lot.



They would taste better without the alcohol; I think you are fooling yourself, as do many people who drink. Anyway, nonsmokers like to say that I only smoke cigarettes for the nicotine, would you agree with that?

nooooo, if you smoked only for the nicotine it would be easy to quit. and you could use the patch, the gum or the lozenges and avoid many of the bad health effects.

there is a varying scale. If I begin to get intoxicated I know I have had too much. Most people I know who "get drunk" have that goal.


Most people I know who "drink" have that goal.

I think maybe you haven't ever had any good alcohol.

Quite untrue. Alcohol tastes like one thing: alcohol. It's a chemical that doesn't really change, you can mask it with varying degrees of success, but that's about it.

Most people I know who "drink" have that goal.
then most of the people you know who drink have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol imo.


Quite untrue. Alcohol tastes like one thing: alcohol. It's a chemical that doesn't really change, you can mask it with varying degrees of success, but that's about it.
bourbon tastes different than vodka, vodka tastes different than beer, beer tastes different than rum, rum tastes different than scotch, and schnapps tastes like puke.

then most of the people you know who drink have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol imo.

You're free to your opinion, but it's psychologically invalid. They lead normal and healthy lives. If you want my opinion, alcohol is itself a toxic chemical and drinking it at all for any reason is a sign of instability. ;)

bourbon tastes different than vodka, vodka tastes different than beer, beer tastes different than rum, rum tastes different than scotch, and schnapps tastes like puke.

The beverages taste different but the alcohol itself has one taste.

That's why I like vodka. It tastes the most like alcohol. Lets me know what I'm doing, none of this "tasting" self-deception. (And generally no "tasting" ability for hours afterwards too) :D

You're free to your opinion, but it's psychologically invalid. They lead normal and healthy lives. If you want my opinion, alcohol is itself a toxic chemical and drinking it at all for any reason is a sign of instability. ;)
I don't think it's healthy to use alcohol to get drunk. (although I do a lot of other things I don't think are healthy either.....)

I can only lend my experience. I drank for 28 years and have not had a drink for over four years. Much of my time is helping alcoholics and drug addicts through extensive volunteer work to include both a detox hospital and a state hospital.

According to the book "Alcoholics Anonymous", alcoholics drink essentially because they like the effects of alcohol. It has become accepted by both the Medical and Psychological professions that alcoholism is a disease. This disease contains a physical, psychological and spiritual aspect.

For some, the consumption of alcohol affects them physically as if they had an allergy. Upon the first drink the body wants more and more alcohol, the phenomena of craving. Additionally, a psychological craving is triggered in the mind of the alcoholic. No matter what negative experiences the alcoholic may have had, the mind tells the alcoholic that it will be different this time.

Any rational person would recognize the effects and consequences of alcohol. Unfortunately, in regards to alcohol, the alcoholic is not rational. Since the alcoholic is irrational regarding drinking only abstinence can alleviate the consequences.

Abstinence is good as far as it goes but with the alcoholic who usually began drinking during adolescence, alcohol has been his solution and comfort for problems in which he has not the tools or alternative experience to deal with. Because of this Alcoholics Anonymous believes that the alcoholic is suffering from a spiritual malady. Upon the onset of a spiritual solution and process, the alcoholic is able to find a process of alternative behaviors for serenity which allows for the acceptance and maintenance of abstinence regarding the drink (and drug).

This is my experience and the experience of millions of alcoholics in recovery. For one who does not have this experience the ability to understand the irrationality of alcoholics is impossible. For one who has the experience of this irrationality there remains a solution.

Mikeswill

Well. I cant stand drunk people at all, bad experiences in the past as well as no idea what to expect from them. I have never been drunk (or high) and I dont plan on ever reaching either state.

However, I do enjoy the casual drink now and then. That be a glass baileys in good company, a smirnoff ice to go with the nachos and dips during a night of wow, or whatever drink I feel like trying when Im on some cocktail bar.

I agree with the statement that alcohol tastes alcohol, but Id like to add the fact that taste is a personal matter. I actually *like* the taste. The same drink mixed with nonalcoholic syrups lacks the taste, 'bite' and 'heat' I like with the alcohol.

I usually prefer vodka based drinks, maybe because of the fact that they taste alcoholish. I tried some (maybe .05l) 60% once and I think I was the only one there saying "hmm...not bad" without making weird faces.

I guess I should also add the fact that I tried the tiniest sip of near 96% somethingsomething. It was, bar none, the worst thing I have ever tasted.
Also, there is NO way I will ever even consider drinking beer. I simply hate the taste.

My two cents. Not that anyone will care for more than a few minutes, but it did make the time fly for me.

:)

Well. I cant stand drunk people at all, bad experiences in the past as well as no idea what to expect from them. I have never been drunk (or high) and I dont plan on ever reaching either state.

However, I do enjoy the casual drink now and then. That be a glass baileys in good company, a smirnoff ice to go with the nachos and dips during a night of wow, or whatever drink I feel like trying when Im on some cocktail bar.

I agree with the statement that alcohol tastes alcohol, but Id like to add the fact that taste is a personal matter. I actually *like* the taste. The same drink mixed with nonalcoholic syrups lacks the taste, 'bite' and 'heat' I like with the alcohol.

I usually prefer vodka based drinks, maybe because of the fact that they taste alcoholish. I tried some (maybe .05l) 60% once and I think I was the only one there saying "hmm...not bad" without making weird faces.

I guess I should also add the fact that I tried the tiniest sip of near 96% somethingsomething. It was, bar none, the worst thing I have ever tasted.
Also, there is NO way I will ever even consider drinking beer. I simply hate the taste.

My two cents. Not that anyone will care for more than a few minutes, but it did make the time fly for me.

:)

I can speak from experiance when I say that it represents an easy way out. Though I have not suffered from alcoholism, when one is in a state of profound emotional distress, intoxication seems a highly attractive route to circumvent such emotions.

*doubts*

*doubts even more*

There is no specific reason. It just happens. You just start to drink more, and as you drink more you crave it more and so on.

It has become accepted by both the Medical and Psychological professions that alcoholism is a disease. This disease contains a physical, psychological and spiritual aspect.

*doubts*

you know somebody is insane when they have a bottle of sambuca to themselves.. get him some help.

Snip

Mikeswill

Thank you Mikeswill for sharing your experience.

I would like to second the points Mikeswill has made here; finding serenity, peace, or a way to pour oil on ones inner troubled waters is not so easy - alcohol can insulate you from your battles with yourself (yes, beer goggles work on the whole world not just the opposite sex :p)and is not easy to give up until you find a different solution to that problem.

Thank you Mikeswill for sharing your experience.

This isn't Alcoholics Anonymous. This isn't a church discussion group.

I would like to second the points Mikeswill has made here; finding serenity, peace, or a way to pour oil on ones inner troubled waters is not so easy - alcohol can insulate you from your battles with yourself (yes, beer goggles work on the whole world not just the opposite sex :p)and is not easy to give up until you find a different solution to that problem.

You're probably correct, but, then again, Bernard Black or Manny?:D

what part of "its an illness" dont you understand?

your dad is physically and psychologically addicted to alcohol. it runs his life. there may come a day when he is so sick of it that he does what is necessary to quit but until he does, alcohol is the most important thing in his life.

yes that does suck big time.

your friend may have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. he certainly went downhill fast eh? or he may have far more stress in his life than you realized and is using booze to deal with it. bad bad decision. yes, it could very well end up that getting drunk is more important to him than getting the grades necessary to graduate let alone get into med school.

yes that does suck too.

I generally agree. I didn't necessarily buy the whole 'alcoholism is a disease' argument until I went to some AA meetings for an article I was writing for an assignment. They were all so desperate to quit, and had many times, but most could avoid relapsing. There were some pretty fucking depressing stories there. :(