At what age are people supposed to start realizing heavy drinking is for losers?

fun is fun @23 or 30. obviously, getting older you have life responsibilities which don't go well with constant partying and certain public behaviors.

nothing wrong with occasional fun with the right company in the right places.

I have drank a half pint of AA sometime between Friday night to Monday morning for over 30 years, that's if all my weekly must do's are done, yep......my own little reward.

I do know some people who are very successful who drink every day, they have it figured out and it is not a problem or situation at all. Pretty much comes down to intelligence vs stupidity.

I never try to do anything about stupid people, they have no control over......DUH!!!!

At about age 16 I realized that a lot of drunks were real assholes--that they weren't funny or clever or cool, but just an embarrassment to themselves and others.

[At the same time I realized that I could be a real asshole *without* getting drunk...so I just decided to skip that middle step, and have ever since.]

There's a lot of successful people who are alcoholics. The key is to not let your alcohol problems hurt other aspects of your life. Once alcohol starts to hurt important areas of your life, that's when it really becomes a problem .

Sober Sam wrote:

It's pretty common for young people (18-23) to see nothing wrong with binge drinking and getting super drunk on a regular basis, but at what age are people supposed to start realizing that sort of behavior is shameful and for losers? Asking because I have a couple friends who are nearing 30 and still think it's not only fun but funny and something to share, like how drunk they get all the time and how fun it was and all the stupid things they did while drunk. It's not funny. It's embarrassing. But they don't realize that.

Very early college. At the latest.

Not to say that decent, eventually plenty-mature people won't do it later than that. But that's when one should probably be pretty close to getting it out of your system.

Objective fact !! I know.......

14

Took me an embarrassingly long time.

Finally quit after 30 years of that idiotic behavior.

Binge drinking is something amateurs do and is very common among the 18-23 year age group. We professionals just imbibe on our daily consumption and don't vary much from that.

STEVE THE ADDICT^^^^^^ wrote:

There's a lot of successful people who are alcoholics. The key is to not let your alcohol problems hurt other aspects of your life. Once alcohol starts to hurt important areas of your life, that's when it really becomes a problem .

There is so much wrong in your post. But I will note just one glaring omission, the horrendous affects on health.

The progression is in two stages

1 understanding that weekend binge drinking is for losers, this occur between freshman year and the end of grad school.

2 understanding the even special event binge drinking (reunion, birthday, bachelor party) isn't cool, that occurs around 30.

These ages vary and for many they never give up binge drinking (getting totally drunk).

Drinking becomes a problem when you start to use it as a coping mechanism. When you have a stressful situation in life and your first go to is to get a drink as opposed to getting some fresh air, or something else that's healthy. Than that's when it becomes a problem. If you drink once in a while, in a recreational manner, not a problem. A lot of this is genetics/how they were raised, if someone realizes earlier on that they are prone to abusing this substance or any other, they need to cut themselves off of it.

I realized at 19 that people who get drunk are losers. At 22 I realized how pathetic people in their late 20’s who brag about alcohol have mental issues and an unwillingness to grow up. When someone in their 30’s calls themself a whiskey connoisseur I just feel sorry for them and realize they are trying way to hard to try to be relevant. It is really pathetic.

For me, age 32. Drinking wasn't fun anymore. It became very clear the downsides outweighed the benefits for me. I haven't had a drink since that day, 15 years ago. It took an adjustment period, but now I feel so much better without it and don't miss it in the slightest.

They should realize it before their first drink.

13

Bragging about drinking is idiotic, at any age. But there's a difference between bragging about it and just recapping the night with friends, perhaps even laughing at your own foolishness.

I think the usual trend, for people who drink, is a shift from the weekend binge to more frequent but moderate consumption. I think there are a lot of reasons. The novelty wears off, hangovers get worse, you develop an appreciation for the taste of alcoholic beverages and the budget to buy better stuff (hence more moderate drinking on weeknights), you're not trying to meet people of the opposite sex or hookup (you're more likely to be in a serious relationship), and it becomes less socially acceptable to get drunk.

I will say that most people I know who drink will still occasionally have a big night. That goes for people in every age group, including senior citizens.

80?

Kidding. In a way.

But any age is good to buy into the idea that excessive drinking (and many other earthly pleasures!)

are ultimately going to have consequences that will be painful and upsetting to you and your loved ones.

Even we "controlled" drinkers have our limitations, and must at some point make concessions to the general fact of the harmful effects of booze, ciggies, and politics:))

I thought I had it handled. Eating right, good work habits, routine responsibilities, tick off all the boxes of The Good Citizen! But sucking up the suds way too much for way too long. Running 80 mis per week for 25 years did a lot to maintain the edifice, the appearances. But there came a time (there always does) when I had to bite the bullet and resolve the old patterns. 80 has hit the rearview mirror now and it's not at all (surprisingly!) so tough to just have the one beer at the end of each successful codgerly day! You appreciate it more. Of course it's the large bottle.

Little thing mean a lot in later years. Just dont give up the running, in whatever form or fashion you can manage. Cheers!

I'd say it's about the first time you have your first two-day adult hangover. For me that was in my early 30s.

Tychus Findlay wrote:

I'd say it's about the first time you have your first two-day adult hangover. For me that was in my early 30s.

This might be a display of excessive patience.