tnman1967

I live in the western culture so this might not apply to you. But I got kind of bummed out this evening at a social event. Why is it that there has to be alcohol served at every venue nowadays? This was an event which travels the country and require a certain attention span and the courtesy of being somewhat quiet. Well there was an open bar of course and after about an hour there were several people who had four or more beers. You all know where this goes. Loud talking, overbearing laughs and one guy next to me had to comment on everything that was said up on the stage. I was not really tempted to drink and I only had a passing thought about how I would have enjoyed a beer with the rest of them. After that thought, I quickly realized that I will be getting up early in the morning as I have several things to do tomorrow and I would have gotten none of them done If I had drunk. Nevertheless I didn't feel I got my money's worth when I had to sit together with a bunch of drunk people. So I ask again, how did we become a society in which the majority has to drink? Sorry for my rant.

Dee74

I dunno. It doesn't bother me anymore.
I went to a play last night (local amateur theatre) they had a bar - a lot of Folks were drinking.

Act two was certainly more warmly received than act one LOL

I suspect most of those people didn't go home and carry on like I would have tho.

it is what it is. I lost that kind of hyper awareness I had about other peoples drinking.

D

INgal

I couldn't agree with you more. When I was a kid we used to make fun of the strict baptists in our area cause they didn't drink, smoke, go to the movies or dance. Maybe they had the right idea all along. (I couldn't live without the dance part though!)

tnman1967

Well, you would think that they restricted sales when you couldn't hear what was going on because of the loud talking and going on. The drinking per se wasn't the problem, the problem was that I paid for something which I couldn't enjoy because they wanted to sell alcohol as a more important avenue than actually let someone enjoy the performance. That's what bummed me out.

kinzoku

Trust me its actually FAR FAR worse in eastern culture.

Edit: East Asia (my areas of expertise: Korea, Japan)

Tang

I still think there are more problem drinkers than know it and I've noticed an uptick in alcohol hobbies like home brewing and microbrew collecting. I even had a friend recently who traveled to a city just to tour a brewery. I wasn't seeing this kind of trend 10 years ago.

Dee74

You may be right. Like I said I lost that kind of hyper awareness of what other folks were drinking a few years back.

D

MesaMan

^^^ +1 to Post #5.

SERIOUS Drinking in Eastern Cultures where I went on Biz. And, out-drank my Pals there many nights. That 'ability' earns you respect. As did whipping their Azzes in Table Tennis after Tech Training Sessions.

You learn to lift your Shoes on a late night Train when you hear that Hurl 'splat' on a curve. This means the 'flow' is gonna be headed your way. Lots of Folks hammered, and sleeping in Alleys and in Park areas. Drinking 'Games' that are insane, really.

All around us in W. Colorado are Small Batch Distilleries. Wineries. Folks making Grappa. Peach and Lavender Vodkas. Foodie Tastings with local Booze, of course. 'Apple Jack' - ~16% Alc Apple Juice. I agree that this sort of activity is on the uptick, but I'm at the Sweet Spot of my own Curve to blow it all off. My solution in Early Retirement? When the going gets tough, the Sober go Camping. I'm very energized to go my own way. The Drinking World can carry on as they will.

Drunks yelling at Concerts are close to causing me to call it a day. I'll watch Shows on DVD instead. That's fine.

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tnman1967

Agreed, and I know there are some who can handle that interest and hobbies. Nothing wrong with that, I was just hoping for an event where alcohol wasn't the center stage. I have noticed here in the states that alcohol and especially beer has to be served everywhere. I realize it's hard for a venue to make any money without beer sales but it still saddens me. Not to mention all the people driving home from that venue. No one seem to think anything of drinking 4 to 6 beers in a couple of hours and then drive home. Well, I'm off of my soap box now. I am not here to judge, I was just a little disappointed when I got home.

tnman1967

Not arguing with you but I guess I am not clear, I wasn't bothered by the drinking, I was bothered that they couldn't handle it and it got to the point that you couldn't hear what was going on up on stage. Management didn't care. The drinking was fine with me if people could behave. I guess that's it, when we get alcohol in us we don't realize that we are getting loud, obnoxious and bother others without realizing it.

Dee74

No I do get it and I appreciate you're venting. I'm not disagreeing with you really.

I don't much like drunk people either, but I've learned to tune out all but the most obnoxious ones - hope you'll find the same in time

D

MesaMan

Hey, these Evenings can lead to memorable moments, as it has here...

I sprung $225-/Seat w/Fees to see 'The Who' in Denver. The new Arena had Seats on a pretty steep 'rake'. Good Sight Lines.

A couple of Guys roll into Mile High Denver after an ~8 hour drive from closer-to-Sea Level Kansas City. Less Oxygen up here. Alcohol hits you much harder. They hit it, and start Drinking. My Drug-experienced hunch is that they popped some 'Ludes prior. One Guy is really going downhill during the first Band. At Break, he turns around to my Wife in her tight Jethro Tull Tee Shirt and - at 'that' Eye Level - says 'are those 36Cs'?. Having learned to handle Drunks in Bar Bands, I pipe up 'Well, as a matter of fact, they are'! My Wife looks at me in disbelief of this entire Episode, and Drunk 'Lude Guy hits the Floor soon thereafter. Folks on the other side of him call the Arena EMTs before he pulls a Jimi Hendrix and chokes. They strap him down, and haul him away.

He never even saw The Who. He was out ~$225-, and faced a long ride back to Kansas City. That '36C' line is still legendary in this Household!

All we can do is not be those Drunks, eh?
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Alynn

I know what you mean. It's EVERYWHERE! I think about this a lot

Fluffer

Don't even get me started on sporting events. That was actually my introduction to drunken anti-social behavior as a boy. I remember we went to a twi-night double header game at Yankee Stadium with a rain delay and that was the ugliest thing ever. I guess that's why they stopped having those evening double headers in major league baseball. I saw people getting arrested for throwing full beers off of the upper deck onto the lower deck patrons. Why? Some random fights and a guy getting arrested for climbing down the foul pole from the upper deck and then the keystone cops chases by the police of drunks on the wet playing field. And let's not even talk about some of the raunchier football stadiums! (I'm looking at you, Jets, Eagles and Raiders!)

Crossfitdad

There are jerks everywhere...sober and drunk. If you're not comfortable someplace, the best thing to do is leave. Trust me that drinking is much more frowned upon in polite society than it was years ago. That's why we have do many closet drunks and people hiding their liquor bottles. In the past they were trophies.

Fluffer

Really? What era are you talking about? I'm curious as to how things have changed in recent decades.

Pouncer

Alcohol addiction is very difficult to overcome because alcohol is everywhere. There aren't heroin stand at the local minor league baseball stadium, or methamphetamine sauce inside your Christmas chocolates.

MelindaFlowers

I always wondered how people managed to actually get drunk at events. My tolerance was so high, six beers didn't make me bat an eyelash. I could drink six beers and do a cartwheel on a balance beam. I've been to concerts since I stopped and I've been shocked at how many people aren't drinking and the ones that do have like.....one beer! Or two. Of course there's always the drunken buffoons.

Mixed drinks at events tasted like water to me. H20. Was always shocking to see them carefully measure the booze in those freakin' shot glasses. I didn't even own a shot glass at home. I'd reckon my mixed drinks at home would have averaged out to triples. It was always so much stress. One concert I said Screw it and decided to drink how I wanted to and spent $100 on ten beers and barely copped a buzz.

So glad to be done with all that crap.

EndGameNYC

I truly haven't noticed people drinking to excess when I've been in social situations in which drinking is involved. For "normal" drinkers, having a drink or two is merely a prop...maybe a social lubricant or something that gives them a temporary lift or feelings of relaxation, something that they occasionally enjoy with a good meal, but nothing more. And many people who say something like, "We're going out for a beer...wanna come along?", they mean A beer.

thomas11

In my opinion, it alway goes back to money. Money as the root of all evil.

Melindaflowers nailed it.