Drinking IRL? [Alcohol]

[EvilMonkey]

What are your drinking habits in everyday life? Do you drink a certain amount per day, per week or whenever you feel like it? Do you abstain from drinking alcohol or prefer pharmaceutical solutions?

I used to drink a fair bit but only really in social situations. So not at home but whenever I went out. This has led to a 'binge drinking' habit which I personally think is more preferable than a regular drinking habit as it gives my body more time to recover from the effects and shocks the body rather than lulls it into thinking that a constant level of blood-alcohol is the norm. Now personally, I'm a big fat fella (6'2" and over 300lbs) who can drink a fair bit but I'm well out of 'practice' so currently I'm on my 11th pint of lager and I'm just starting to feel 'pissed', to a level that I need to really concentrate when I'm typing. In my heyday when I was in my 20's and well 'practiced' I could put away about 16-18pints (3.5%-5% ABV) before I really suffered. I could drink a bourbon and cola mixer (Jack and Coke) all night usually without reaching an upper limit as long as I didn't go mental (I've polished off a 1L bottle of JD and still put myself to bed).

What are other peoples limits or did you never really push it or feel like it was something you wanted to do?
What are your habits?
Do you drink everyday, every week, a couple of times a month or just whenever the social events crop up?
Do you skip drinking sometimes?
Do you partake in an alternative option to alcohol?
Give your approximate size and drink alcohol content.
Are you straight edge and avoid all stimulants?
What's your poison? (By poison I mean what chemical you use to 'relax'; whether it be over the counter, under the counter or prescribed.)

[I thought about creating a poll but I don't think it would tell the story I want from people, as everyone's ability to absorb alcohol (or whatever) is different and depends on the type of alcohol and bodytype.]

 

[TeamInfernus]

5 drinks at 160lbs is enough for me. Most of my drinking is after stopping by a liquor store and picking up a bottle on sale, then I usually have about 2 drinks every 3 days until it's gone. A dirty Roy Rodgers is my fav cocktail and stouts,beer. Sugar is my weakness though, feels like I'm having sugar withdrawal on days I don't have a token glass of juice or a cookie or something.

 

[DarthSeduction]

I never drink to get wasted. I get tipsy and maintain that, but try not to go to the point where I'm too clouded. I'm a social drinker as well, I don't like to drink alone or anything. I really prefer pot if I can, either vaped or in baked goods, not as big a fan of smoking it. However sometimes drinking, with friends, is good enough.

 

[EvilMonkey]

I never drink to get wasted. I get tipsy and maintain that, but try not to go to the point where I'm too clouded. I'm a social drinker as well, I don't like to drink alone or anything. I really prefer pot if I can, either vaped or in baked goods, not as big a fan of smoking it. However sometimes drinking, with friends, is good enough.

Ah, that's something I hadn't considered. I, and I know my friends, drink to excess to attain inebriation, to get drunk/wasted. Our drinking chant/motto is "To oblivion, and beyond!", paraphrasing the Buzz Lightyear motto from Toy Story. I personally don't see the point in drinking a few drinks, thinking it a waste if I'm not shooting for 'drunk'. I recognised the habit in myself when I was younger so I actively tried not to become an alcoholic but I have social anxiety and drink to relax in company so it was always a bit of a struggle for me. I'll freely admit I'm a binge drinker though.

I used to smoke weed when I was in my 20's but I've never been a 'big' smoker so it never overpowered alcohol.

 

[Domiek]

I used to drink a lot more especially socially. Now I don't get as many opportunities to do so because

1) developing a game takes a lot of time and you can't afford to spend a night or afternoon with friends often when you're trying to meet deadlines.

2) Drinking makes me sleepy, which means a lack of productivity once you do get home.

If I'm on vacation though, the gloves come off. I'll be drinking throughout the day just enough to get a good light buzz and relax.

Just like you mentioned though, I'm out of practice. Far gone are the days of my early 20's where you stay up all night drinking yourself retarded and then being able to show up to work almost perfectly functioning on a few hours of sleep.

 

[toolkitxx]

My job entailed having lunches with customers and prospects for years. Wine or a beer during those occasions was just 'normal' until i felt it was simply too much when i actually listed how much i had during a single month just due to that.

That was about 6 years ago and i have hardly had anything alcoholic anymore since then. Not even socially anymore as i really dont miss it at all.

 

[mickydoo]

Im as old as dirt, when I was younger (up until my mid 30's) I used to drink like a man possessed, seldom do it at all now, its the money, here in Australia the tax on booze makes it expensive. Even though I seldom drink now, I'm a 100 plus kilo man, (220 - 230 pounds) and with my past habbits it means i can still drink a lot of it, would rather spend my $$$ on something else these days.

 

[toolkitxx]

Im as old as dirt, when I was younger (up until my mid 30's) I used to drink like a man possessed, seldom do it at all now, its the money, here in Australia the tax on booze makes it expensive. Even though I seldom drink now, I'm a 100 plus kilo man, (220 - 230 pounds) and with my past habbits it means i can still drink a lot of it, would rather spend my $$$ on something else these days.

You just destroyed one of my favourite stereotypes: All Aussies drink heavily and everything out of huge water glasses!

 

[mickydoo]

Its alright I'm the minority.

 

[Avaron1974]

I have a few drinks every two weeks on the Friday. I'm a chef and we have a fortnightly thing where we all go out after work to blow off steam and go clubbing.

I will admit, especially if i'm not working the next day, I will get smashed. More than once my girl has had to come and pick me up to take me home. Most of the time i'm still okay enough to order a curry or a kebab but there are times when she has to hold my hair while I pray to the porcelain god.

I'm quite blessed that it does take quite a lot to get me to that stage but if we go the shot route we get carried away, mainly because it doesn't really hit you until you've already downed quite a few. If we stick to ale we're fine.

I also set at least one day a month for me and my girlfriend to go out, just the two of us. We don't get drunk on those nights but we do have a few drinks. Usually go out for a meal then go to our local for a couple before going home. The cinema near us also serves alcohol in the expensive area so we sit there. Nothing beats a movie, popcorn, beer and my babe.

 

[Jaster42]

To be a bit of a counter balance, I don't drink at this point. While I did when I was younger (14 to 18, being in my 30's now), this was largely due to social things (was in a community in which not drinking / smoking / whatever was VERY suspicious to others and drew a lot of attention to you). But even then, I generally dislike having my perceptions altered or be removed from a normal frame of mind. Thus the last time I really did any drinking at all was around the same time I was depressed enough to be sucidal (at which point I was hammering bottles of whisky with a VERY low body weight). Since getting through that phase of my life, I've never felt any desire to return to alcohol.

But likely for the best of everyone, as drunk me has some questionable morality and retains enough clarity to still be a monster of a human.

EDIT; But reviewing the OP, I realized I skipped questions you asked! So more complete, since I figure you're looking for disucssion anyway (Though removing some as my answer sorta covers several of them without a point to minutiae).


What are other peoples limits or did you never really push it or feel like it was something you wanted to do?
While younger, I had pretty easy access to stuff, though I didn't end up going into anything really hard, pot and booze of course where just openly avilable, though being poor actually likely stopped me from too much. People share drinks and blunts, but coke and acid cost too much to be super generious with it. As an adult, I don't though some times hang out with friends at bars / etc, I don't suffer actual habitization like some alcoholic's / drug addicts in that I can be around it without concern to myself, nor do I view drinking or drugs as an inherently bad thing.

What are your habits?
None at this point, previously easily several drinks a week. Though it was sort of burst focuse, school and just in general being young ment it'd be a whole lot one weekend, or during vacations, and less the rest of the time.

Are you straight edge and avoid all stimulants?
At this point, yes, though I've always held a dislike for perceptive altering substances, including medically abscribed ones, I don't even like taking mild pain killers unless I'm in massive pain (such as recently suffering an illness that nearly sent me to surgery, and even then it was just antibiotics to keep some gut wounds from getting infected, I still avoided the anti-nasua meds that only served to ease the other medications). Most of this is stupid self imposed machoism, and other philosophical aspects more than anything (following the idea that if I am in pain, rather than numbing it I should pay attention and lay the fuck down for a while). It's not that I'm a health nut, as I do like my soda and caffine, and other trash tier food.

 

[Antiochus]

Boring old fart here; 6+ ft, 350lbs. I drink maybe 2-3 craft beer a month. A single malt scotch or bourbon a couple of times a year and a glass or two of good red wine maybe quarterly. I seldom drink alone; apologies to George; Paid my dues when younger and drinking was approached with a marathon like determination.

 

[Bip]

My guilty pleasure is a grog during the winter season, especially after a day of skiing.
Otherwise, a glass of wine with a good meal, most often a red Bourgogne, but rarely more than once or twice a week.
For the rest, I never drink alone and not too much socially.

Medicines? No. I hardly take painkillers and when I take one, it's a light one. Just antibiotics when I need them.
No stimulants, no "relaxing things"... In fact, I'm a boring guy I don't need them more than I don't want to use them, and I'm happy like that.
On the other hand, I practice a lot of high-adrenaline sports, such as extreme skiing, motorbike speed races, windsurfing and combat sports. That's maybe why I am a light weight of 1m75 for 65kg at nearly 50 yo.

 

[anne O'nymous]

I pushed the limits in my youth, but never was a fan of blackout ; what's the point to have fun, if you don't remember the said fun ?
I have really good memories of times, going as far as 30 years ago, when I was partying. Some of them include a lot of alcohol, but the key point is the memories themselves. I find it more enjoyable to remember that I did this/that, than just remembering that I don't remember a single second of the party.
But really, I pushed the limits. I've gone more than once as far as a whole Whisky bottle, for the 50 Kg (110 lbs) I was at this time. And yes, all this without blackout. The key is to slowly accustomed your body. I tend to start with a full glass of coca, then refill only with Whisky ; hey, I was young at this time, don't criticize my bad taste.

But now I don't drink this much anymore. I do it mostly to relieve stress. A beer, Belgian by preference but there's also some pretty decent >8% in my country (France), while relaxing quietly. This time to time, mostly once a week, to build up some energy. But it can happen more often, or less often, it all depend of the amount of stress that goes with the week. If there's not this much stress, a cigar and/or a good book can do the same.
I also tend to drink during social events. Some wine (local obviously), with short drink during the appetizer, champagne and digestive.

As for other poisons... well, I've probably tried all of what was available for a young guy in the late 80's early 90's. This except real hard drugs like crack, the intend was to have fun and/or relax, not to destroy myself.

 

[Barabash]

You'll know a good beer after the first sip, but it's always better to be sure

I simply love beer, and I always like to taste a lot of it. Like really a lot. There's always some in my fridge so I drink it pretty much everyday in amount between 4-12. Yeah, I know... well... But hey, there are some days I don't. It's not like I have to drink every day, I simply like it and since I can afford it I'm not stoping myself from pleasure ;] At least that's what I keep saying to myself... but I think it's still true.

I also like wine, semi-sweet the most, I drink it only occasionally, but damn, there is something in martini with olives

Whisky is my second "love" in the subject. Neat, on rocks sometimes, depends on weather.

And vodka... hell, where I live, we sure drink a lot of vodka (nope, I'm not Russian)

But after all, I rarely get wasted, every evening I'm quite dizzy, but after good night's sleep, wash and morning coffee I'm brand new.

 

[freedom.call]

I'm too old and fragile for that shit. Used to drink weekends when I was young, never tried drugs.
Had my last beer over 10 years ago.