Drinking is a waste of time

Sand Dunes wrote:

Just going running at night when everyone else is getting wasted. Worked for Nenow.

Sometimes I do this. When a nightclub is closing and people are leaving and standing outside waiting for a cab home this is where I run past the club. I'm usually out for an easy run but I pick up the pace and run really hard but make myself look relaxed as possible so they think I'm an elite. It feels amazing rushing past crowds of people, especially lots of cute girls. I've been complimented before. Sometimes I stop beside them and stretch. I talk about my training and that I'm planning a big marathon. I also ask them how there night was and if they enjoyed the club. I tell them that I know the club well and that I've been enjoying the place for years. That way they will see me as a party animal and more fun and interesting. I like making as many muslces as possible visable when stretching in front of them.

Addiction is hereditary and it varies in degree. Some can take a drink, put it down, and walk away. Some can take a drink and become an alcoholic. I have had several close friends who were in the latter category. Their lives wrecked by alcohol. All of them told me they tried to quit but couldn't. Not worth it.

"I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me." Winston Churchill

Many problem drinking habits develop in college, so good for you for finding your place at this point in your life. Like you, I didn't drink in college because I didn't like the sh*tfaced or nothing attitude that surrounds college drinking. Such an unbalance approach seemed ridiculous to me, especially as a college XC runner. But post college I found balance with alcohol. I learned there are plenty of people who can handle, and limit themselves to a few drinks, and that can lead to a good time.

That's the key with alcohol, finding, knowing and respecting your limit, even if it's 0. Certainly many people think having another one past their limit will make their lives better, and usually that doesn't happen. Can lead to a vicious cycle, as you've pointed out. But balance that out with the realization there are plenty of people who can and do drink responsibly.

I have observed that drinking and the associated addiction is very insidious. Once someone starts you never know what the future holds. Often it is not good.

That's the problem - one never knows if it will be them.

my dad used to offer me sips of his nightly beverage when i was 6 years old, but after I went through the D.A.R.E. program I never had a sip of alcohol since. I routinely get messed up with insomnia, why would I damage myself even further with alcohol?

It really is bad news.

What happens is the way it impacts you changes over time. From 18-21 it’s not bad and it’s mostly fun and games. Then it starts picking up, easier blackouts and such. And then by the mid or late 20s it becomes pretty bad. Easy blackouts, some people start drinking as an escape from adult life, etc.

I never had a problem, except for big nights out where I would get too carried away. So I’ve decided recently to cut it out for a year. It will be tough because of the social pressure but I think I can do it. Also cutting out caffeine as well. They are crutches.

This is the main reason the Flagpole and I don't trust the president.

zohan wrote:

Never trust a man that won't take a drink.

Joe college wrote:

I'm 18 years old and in college and drinking alcohol is just disgusting to me. It's basically the equivalent of chugging a bunch of nail polish or drain cleaner, and you wake up feeling like sh*t in the morning. People waste their lives on it and if you overdo it you can lose some brain cells. What's the point?

You're doing college wrong then. Take some real classes or work a job. Get that stress level up and you will understand why people drink.

Psychology Professor wrote:

You're doing college wrong then. Take some real classes or work a job. Get that stress level up and you will understand why people drink.

It's really not that complicated. People drink because they are:

(1) Sheep who can't think for themselves, and

(2) Not able to feel good about themselves as they naturally are and so they need to alter their state to feel good more comfortable with their essence.

tristate wrote:

we that partake in libations.

It's not surprising that he would prefer to drink alone than go out with a pretentious pr!ck that uses phrases like this.

Good for you kid.

I progressed from being a decent college runner who drank occasionally to an adult with a substantial drinking problem.

Every stupid, dangerous, regretful, hurtful and moronic thing I ever did was while under the influence of alcohol.

I quit 100% 10 years ago.

Good for you kid.

bkavanaugh wrote:

Psychology Professor wrote:

You're doing college wrong then. Take some real classes or work a job. Get that stress level up and you will understand why people drink.

It's really not that complicated. People drink because they are:

(1) Sheep who can't think for themselves, and

(2) Not able to feel good about themselves as they naturally are and so they need to alter their state to feel good more comfortable with their essence.

Yup, exactly. I will say that having 1-2 drinks during dinner with friends or family's is an enjoyable experience to have once in awhile. But beyond that is where the trouble begins.

bkavanaugh wrote:

It's really not that complicated. People drink because they are:

(1) Sheep who can't think for themselves, and

(2) Not able to feel good about themselves as they naturally are and so they need to alter their state to feel good more comfortable with their essence.

First, hell of a username for trying to demonize drinking.

Second, I'd likely never want to hang out with you. You're definitely one of those weird neckbeard kind of guys.

So, heroin then?

I had similar views in at your age, but it's easier to loosen up, focus on running, maybe have a beer and chill with your buddies, but no need to over do it to the point where you are hung over the next day. Let the other kids do that and laugh at them the next morning. Just be responsible, have fun, no need to criticize others for their choices.

d1 scrub wrote:

you sound like a really good time bud.

Hes attending BYU, so hes gotta say that.

Luv2Run wrote:

Joe college wrote:

I mean, I've sat down with just a beer or two and found it to be quite relaxing. It's nice to come back to my dorm after classes and have one. However, it seems that hardly anybody, at least in college, drinks in moderation. It's always "let's get shitfaced tonight bro".

It is not as prevalent as you think. They are just loud and drawing attention to themselves. Plenty of people are not drinking or drinking moderately.

Agreed. I went to a notorious party school for undergrad. During my first semester, I went out drinking all the time. I figured that drinking was just what people did in college, and I though that I wouldn’t have any opportunity to socialize if I wasn’t going out and getting wasted.

I pretty quickly started to get bored with the whole routine, and decided to stop. Only then did I realize just how many people were doing things other than drinking heavily on Friday and Saturday nights. It turned out to be way easier than I’d expected to find friends who didn’t want alcohol to be the center of every social activity.

When you’re part of the party scene, it’s easy to feel like everyone else is too. But when you take a step back, you’ll realize that an incredibly wide range of interests is represented at your school.

OP good on you on figuring this out early.

I think drinking serves one purpose, to loosen you up in certain situations. So having maybe two drinks can be useful on a first date or other situations like that where getting a bit looser will improve the situation. That's really the only use of it, other uses are negative.