LaFemme

Alcohol also messes up the lives of non-alcoholics. I had a friend. One of the most amazing persons I had ever met. D rarely drank. Two summers ago D spent the day on the water with friends. When they got back to the dock they hung out for awhile and had a couple o beers...they weren't driving so what was the big deal? D went for a walk and never came back, he fell into the water and drowned, alcohol was a factor in his death. He was 28.

Tons of non-alcoholics drive drunk and kill people...it screws your judgment up whether youve got a problem with it or not.

Admiring someone who can drink without becoming an alcoholic makes no sense to me.

soberlicious

I have to agree lafemme...
When I admire someone it's based on some facet of them that I find inspiring (intellect, humor, passion, compassion, fearlessness, etc)

Supercrew

I looked down on them before because I could out drink them and they weren't any fun, and I look down on them now, because why would you want to have 2 glasses of poison and not get the full effect?

I'm kind of an all or nothing type of person.

Seriously though, why would you ever look up to someone who drinks period? Because they are a follower? Because they don't have the ability to take the edge off without drinking alcohol? As soon I realized I loved sobriety and never wanted to drink again I realized people who drink any amount are missing something in their lives. They aren't comfortable in their own skin. Sorry, but now I sort of look down on all people who drink, because it is a weakness in my opinion.

Sounds kind of funny coming from a person with a 27 year drinking problem, but I finally have seen the light.

sobervic

I just want to say thanks for your posts. They are always very helpful to me because I can relate to much of what you say about peer pressure, binge-drinking with friends, etc.

I was a hardcore, party-hard, binge-drinker and I've managed to stay away from it for the past 2 months, but it still doesn't take much to throw me off course.

Supercrew

Keep working it Man....it only gets better. I honestly never thought I could have fun or live a full life without alcohol. I was that party hard binge drinker as well for a very long time until it progressed to an all the time everyday drinker who would still binge heavily when out with frinds. I functioned for 3 or 4 years that way but I chased that high for too long and it quit working for me. Instead of living to drink, I was dieing, physically, mentally and emotionally because of the drink. But for some reason I didn't want to give up the only thing I truly lived for the past 27 years. Then I realized I was physically addicted as well as mentally obsessed.

I honestly can't believe the changes in my health, my appearance, my attitude, my bank accounts, my relationships, and my mental accuity over the past 14 months. I am a new and different person, yet I am still me. I am a happy, content sober me, who was always there. I was just drowning him over the past 2 decades. It is great to be free! Free at last, free at last!!!!

The hard work and the long journey over the past year or so has been the most rewarding experience of my life! I got MY life back!! You can do it too, and I will say it again, IT ONLY GETS BETTER!

vInDaLoO

#

Agree LaFemme, Think As Allan Carr says "They are all in the pitcher plant.just at different stages"

SomethingBetter

I like this - > Agree LaFemme, Think As Allan Carr says "They are all in the pitcher plant.just at different stages"

I was offered a beer the other day, I am getting better being around alcohol, TV, stores even if I see someone drinking but to be offered a drink, I said I don’t drink at all, but it felt as if I was lying to them, I wasn’t though, but it did set offs some weird feelings that lasted a few days.

Later I seen they had an 18 pack, I couldn’t help to wonder how many would be drank that night, I guess it is none of my business. Still I can’t help to wonder these things…

Reset

I don't look down on anyone for drinking. Who am I to judge? I also don't know why or how much they drink.

I do feel a bit sorry for those with drinking problems though. They're suffering and I wish I could help them alleviate that.

LaFemme

Thank you for saying what I want to say but did t have the words for

Beebizzy

Exactly my thougths - I don't look down on them for not drinking either, or admire them, or... anything.

You do help them alleviate that right here on SR.

BB

Chihiro

I can understand somewhat what you're going through. When I noticed that too..that's when I quit drinking..but then I turned to perscription narcotics like oxycodone, percocet, hydrocodone, and any opiate I could get my hands on.. sleeping pills, then went onto cocaine..and then weed. but I never did meth or heroin.

I wanted to blame my drug habit on the japanese tsunami after losing everything including my parents. I even wanted to take my anger out on americans...after moving here to the USA...if I wasn't high I'd be the biggest b*tch to come across anyone..I would go through terrible mood swings when I couldnt get high..and then i'd blame them for my problems too..but now I know that's not the answer.

MattM316

Maybe admire is the wrong word, but I hope I never get to the stage of actually looking down on people who drink.
For 'normal' people it's just something which helps them relax or which they enjoy now and again, and is unlikely to do them any harm. I really don't see why you'd look down on someone who did that.

It's like with fast food. I'd look down on someone who went to McDonalds twice a week and moaned about being overweight, but I wouldn't look down on someone who ate fast food now and again for example.

Supercrew

I look down on them because they need something outside of themselves to help them relax. Although it is accepted by society, and it is legal, there is nothing normal about drinking a toxin to make you dizzy and change your state of mind. It's just and accepted and legal bad habit....made more popular by advertising and media.

eJoshua

Soooo... what people have been doing for tens of thousands of years isn't normal? What is then? Just sayin.

I just think it's silly to judge other people based on their habits. All I can discuss is the fact that I can't drink. Whatever anyone else does is none of my business, just as my sobriety is none of theirs.

eJoshua

Not trying to make you feel bad, btw. I often think the same way too, but I've been thinking about this more lately.

MattM316

As is smoking and eating too much of certain foods.
If it wasn't for people abusing all of these things, then none of them would be a huge problem. Smoking arguably might, I don't see the point in that at all, but then again i've never been a proper smoker so I can't really judge people that do smoke alot.

Supercrew

People have been unhappy for thousands of years as well, it doesn't make it right or normal. And you aren't hurting my feelings. I prefer not to drink now, because it doesn't have a purpose in my life. I'm not bitter about others who drink, but from what I have learned over the past 14 months I realized it's not a smart decision for anyone, whether you consider them normal or not.

LaFemme

Matt...there was a time when doctors prescribed smoking for your health...just saying

And I agree with Supercrews, just because things have been done a certain way for thousands of years doesn't make it right or healthy. People used to think bathing was unhealthy too...I'm sure we could find tons of these examples

MattM316

I don't think the medical people around back then were quite as knowledgable about things as they are now to be fair!
And it's fairly recently where medical experts have said that drinking alcohol (ie wine) actually can have some health benefits.
It's also been shown after many tests and much research, that people who don't drink alcohol at all, tend to die earlier than people who do.
But obviously that doesn't take into account alcoholics, who heavily abuse the drug and the fact that there are alot more negatives around alcohol.

But overall, abuse is the key word in all of this. Which is why I really can't understand earlier comments about looking down on people who drink alcohol but don't abuse it. Like we all have or do.

Beebizzy

I'm fairly indifferent to who does what in terms of drinking.

Someone posted on this thread that they would worry about alcoholics because they are ill and unhappy - this I agree with. But otherwise... Not bothered.

Having said that, my bf quit 3 weeks ago - if he had continued to drink at the rate he was I wouldn't have been indifferent about that. I was extremely worried about him. It touched my life. But if we are talking about general social settings, here, then I don't admire and I don't look down on.

One other thing I think is that to 'normies' the alcohol is typically secondary to the social occasion - not the other way round, as it often is to alkies. Begs the question why, then, they choose to drink alcohol and not coke or water. But because they are drinking normally (and assuming it stays that way forever as opposed to leading to to a booze problem) I guess it is of no consequence either way.

BB