fritolay

I have a question. If the only side effect of alcohol was the high feeling you get when you're loaded, would you still drink? It's a hypothetical question, obviously, where alcohol has absolutely no ill effects on your health.

I would still drink if it were true.

Justme57

It was the damage it did to my SOUL which prompted me to quit

HUGX
lee

c'est la vie

The high feeling allowed me to do some pretty embarrasing things and some that I'll regret forever. I've ruined friendships because of my stupid behavior and it sent me into a zone of mild but constant depression.

If there was some magical way to feel that happy and silly without the stupidity factor (in addition to the health factor) then you may be on to something. I think the problem is that our bodies have changed the way we mentally and physically approach alcohol, so that would need to be magically corrected too.

I'm still trying to figure out how to go back to drinking under normal conditions after drinking heavily for many years and drinking abusively and secretively for the past few years. So I guess that means my answer is yes, but I think that's only because now I've developed a mental obsession that is fed by the act of drinking.

CarolD

The key for me is to stay high on my sober life. ..

Rusty Zipper

hey fritto, i totaly agree with lee... i know have the Soul Vacination of a lifetime......'Sobriety"... hypothetical!... wad'a ya kid'n me... mabe i put my hand on a fired up stove, and wont get burned! ** i like heat!}... no i wouldn't.....i'm done run'n from life and me.... fritto, agw, & tol.....Pattee

Steve58

I guess I'm with Justme, the physical damage is just one part of the total picture. Even without the physical damage, drugging yourself is like cheating on life. The lows of life can hurt, but they allow us to fully enjoy the highs. They need each other. I believe I would have the same issues with alcohol even it was "free", which it is not.

God (and yes, I guess the existantance and extent of your faith has a lot to do with it) gave humans emotions for many good reasons. If you mess with one, you will have an impact on the others. Movies (cant think of titles just now) have depicted similar scenarios, and they dont work. We need all of our emotions to keep good balance.

Do you really want to be "happy" when your child flunks math? How about when you lose your job, just get "happy" and when the bills for that come in, "happy again". Of course not, we need the other human emotions to guide us toward corrective, positive action.

Sorry, I did not mean to preach, only express my own opinion. I think this is a good thread, and look forward to more comments. Dont get me wrong, I have done my share of drinking, I like to drink, I like the buzz, (and I'm like many of us, the fun is out of it for me, all thats left is the mess) but I am kinda glad that even our good friend alcohol came with a ready made set of checks and balances.

Take care and thanks for starting the thread!

S

boo.b.good

I must say one of the things that bothers me the most is the empty calories and the toll that it takes on your body!

However, I've decided to quit not mainly because of that but the fact that alcohol has caused many problems in my relationships, embarassed me and doesnt allow me to have a clear mind.

Yes, it's only been 6 days of sobriety for me but my spirits are SO LIFTED!
I've been training for a marathon and cutting, so without the alcohol I'm doing great!

Take Care!!!
Stacy

Phinneas

No, I wouldn't. I learned the hard way what that "high" feeling does to my emotions and soul. I could not function and I lost everything that I cared about - the physical issues were the least of my concerns.

ASH

I would have to say no. I quit drinking because instead of pleasently high
drinking made me drunk, obnoxious and stupid,
just to name a few negative side effects other than those to my health!!

BLackshirt

No, it wasn't the physical damage, in fact other than headaches and some nausea, I never experienced any physical problems. Other than a little weight gain that is. The damage that I suffered was to my emotional and spritual well being.

2dayzmuse

No. I was trying to fill a void with alcohol. I was drinking to be happy and was using it as a crutch. And a huge crutch it was. I depended on alcohol for everything. Today, I enjoy being independent and free from alcohol. Like the others mentioned, the damage was far more then health issues. I was robbed of my soul and my sanity. There is nothing worth losing that. Alcohol isn't a fair trade.

jimhere

I alcohol still did what it used to do for me, I'd still be doing it, if I wasn't dead or locked up by now. For an alcoholic, booze is got to do something for you before it does something to you.

Don S

I didn't have significant health effects from drinking. I quit for other reasons. So the answer to your question would be 'no'. But your question reflects an ambivalence about permanent sobriety that I think we've all felt at one time or another. The benefits of sobriety far outweigh the benefits of drinking for me.

c'est la vie

The thread has been remarkably eye opening. I know that the stupidity of being drunk in the past and the misery of being drunk currently is what's making me what to stop drinking, NOT the health issues (Yet). But it's really interesting that all of you have said that even if you could somehow not have side effects, that you would still choose not to drink. It sounds like you can't have the upside without the fear of the downside or at least the painful rememberance of the downside.

Very interesting question that I was hoping to hear the answer to.