I can't speak for those who enjoy being intoxicated, as I have never been so and have no plans to. I've never been quite comfortable in social situations, outside of close friends and family, either.
NA, this topic will require a blog post of my own in response. As for "The Spy Who Loved Me", you might stand a better chance of finding a second-hand paperback copy someplace.
I suppose it depends on your temperament and body chemistry how alcohol affects you, it affects everyone somewhat differently. I enjoy it quite a lot, but I very rarely drink to the point of not being in charge of my movements and my mouth. Then, it takes an awful lot more booze than I can generally afford to get to that point, thanks to my bulk and generally high threshold of intoxication. (makes dental visits and topical surgery no fun at all when the doses of painkillers they give do almost nothing for me.)
But realistically it's little different than taking certain medicines. just enough does a body good while usually slightly impairing your motor skills, and too much can make you ill and loopy and prone to saying impolitic things and making unwise decisions. Just gotta be moderate with anything you put inside your body. (:
Speaking as a lightweight on the drinking front, I know pretty much just how much alcohol it takes for me to cross the line between tongue tied, sliver tongued and gibbering idiot. About 3 pints of beer or half a bottle of red wine usually does it. Yes, my inhibitions do drop and I appear to become more sociable, but cross that line and I'm useless. An enemy to myself more than anyone and thankfully it only happens once in a blue moon. It isn't just about the taste. I do enjoy the effect of the alcohol but within strict limits. I can't weigh the milligrams but when you sit down to stop the room spinning - that's about 1 pint of beer too late. BUT convivial people don't say 'no'. And therein lies the path to the slipper slope we all know as overindulgence. But like you, I have absolutely no idea (at all) what it must be like to go out with the express purpose of getting drunk, tying one on, etc.
Thanks fit the great comments. I hope I didn't come off as a judgmental douche, that wasn't my intent. I'm very lightweight, I feel it right away and I guess I feel it as loss of control rather than inhibitions, even a little bit. That's part of the sensory experience but I guess I'm afraid of embarrassing myself.
I think a lot of people enjoy the drunken loss of control, at least to some extent, because it makes life more dramatic. It turns a simple walk down the street into a tightrope achievement. Every act becomes a tour de force (at least in the drunk's mind).
Funny you should mention gin actually. I've been known to roll in merry once in a while, but like those above, never wish to have the room spin. But gin though.... Gin's a different beast. While I like the taste of it, like you, I also feel gin almost straight away and not in a good way. It's like the hangover begins before I even get tipsy. This sort of muzzy headache comes on and I know that it can only go down hill from there. Beer or even other mixed spirits simply don't have the same effect.
As I've shared elsewhere, I have a strong allergic (physiological) reaction to alcohol. My whole family does, with the exception of my dad. For better or for worse (I always tell myself it's more of the former).
I can't speak for those who enjoy being intoxicated, as I have never been so and have no plans to. I've never been quite comfortable in social situations, outside of close friends and family, either.
ReplyDeleteNA, this topic will require a blog post of my own in response. As for "The Spy Who Loved Me", you might stand a better chance of finding a second-hand paperback copy someplace.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it depends on your temperament and body chemistry how alcohol affects you, it affects everyone somewhat differently. I enjoy it quite a lot, but I very rarely drink to the point of not being in charge of my movements and my mouth. Then, it takes an awful lot more booze than I can generally afford to get to that point, thanks to my bulk and generally high threshold of intoxication. (makes dental visits and topical surgery no fun at all when the doses of painkillers they give do almost nothing for me.)
ReplyDeleteBut realistically it's little different than taking certain medicines. just enough does a body good while usually slightly impairing your motor skills, and too much can make you ill and loopy and prone to saying impolitic things and making unwise decisions. Just gotta be moderate with anything you put inside your body. (:
Speaking as a lightweight on the drinking front, I know pretty much just how much alcohol it takes for me to cross the line between tongue tied, sliver tongued and gibbering idiot. About 3 pints of beer or half a bottle of red wine usually does it. Yes, my inhibitions do drop and I appear to become more sociable, but cross that line and I'm useless. An enemy to myself more than anyone and thankfully it only happens once in a blue moon. It isn't just about the taste. I do enjoy the effect of the alcohol but within strict limits. I can't weigh the milligrams but when you sit down to stop the room spinning - that's about 1 pint of beer too late. BUT convivial people don't say 'no'. And therein lies the path to the slipper slope we all know as overindulgence. But like you, I have absolutely no idea (at all) what it must be like to go out with the express purpose of getting drunk, tying one on, etc.
ReplyDeleteThanks fit the great comments. I hope I didn't come off as a judgmental douche, that wasn't my intent. I'm very lightweight, I feel it right away and I guess I feel it as loss of control rather than inhibitions, even a little bit. That's part of the sensory experience but I guess I'm afraid of embarrassing myself.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people enjoy the drunken loss of control, at least to some extent, because it makes life more dramatic. It turns a simple walk down the street into a tightrope achievement. Every act becomes a tour de force (at least in the drunk's mind).
ReplyDeleteFunny you should mention gin actually. I've been known to roll in merry once in a while, but like those above, never wish to have the room spin. But gin though.... Gin's a different beast. While I like the taste of it, like you, I also feel gin almost straight away and not in a good way. It's like the hangover begins before I even get tipsy. This sort of muzzy headache comes on and I know that it can only go down hill from there. Beer or even other mixed spirits simply don't have the same effect.
ReplyDeleteAs I've shared elsewhere, I have a strong allergic (physiological) reaction to alcohol. My whole family does, with the exception of my dad. For better or for worse (I always tell myself it's more of the former).
ReplyDelete