Would you drink if you weren't alcoholic?
 

Looking back, I never felt better the next day for having taken a drink. Even on the rare occasion where I truly only had 1 or 2, I could tell the difference in my sleep and how I felt in the morning, even if it was just waking up one additional time or not getting up quite as quickly or not being hungry for breakfast.

And what did those 1 or 2 really do for me in the moment I was drinking them? As I was cleaning up the yard today (which is something I always "planned" to do when I drank), working at a peaceful pace, enjoying the weather, appreciating things were beginning to look nicer, even if it was just me and God looking at them, I realized this was one of my prime drinking moments. And becoming aware of the present, the Now, I thought, ok, maybe a 1 or 2 drink buzz would be "fun", but it wouldn't necessarily be "better." I wasn't miserable. I was enjoying the work as a combination chore/contemplation/exercise. It didn't need to be more fun. It was good that it was a little boring. It helped me watch my thoughts and seek to toss out the junk.

And I thought, if I could drink like a normal person, I still wouldn't want to. It really doesn't add anything to life. It just changes the way we view the situation. I'm not criticizing normal folks who drink with control, and I can't guarantee that if the "controlled drinking genie" appeared to me tomorrow and offered me to drink like normal that I'd refuse, but at the moment I wouldn't even want one if I could.

Thought I'd share. Anyone else look at it this way? Or not? Seemed like it might spur some interesting discussion.

Even if I could drink 'normally', I wouldn't want to cause I don't like what it does to me anymore.

99% of people are going to say no because they don't have that perspective. My sister drinks once or twice a year, and she doesn't get blotto - ever. She never drinks because things are ******, had a long week, or whatever reason. She'll never be an alcoholic, and I'll never know what it's like to have that perspective on booze. It is for those such reasons that I never demonize booze; it's my problem.

All true.

I will never know, becuase that is not me.

I have friends that are tee- total - one of which doesn't drink because they simply don't like the taste. I used to think when we'd all go for a night out 'aww they're missing out'- but now I realize that they weren't. They could remember everything, came home with a clear head, full wallet and didn't wake up with a crushing hangover and a sense of dread.

I also have other friends on the other scale, binge drinkers, only drinking at the weekends but in no way do they drink during the week and they would never give it up.

If I could only have one or two drinks, I'd still not. Like someone else said, my AV is saying "what's the point, let's get blocked".

I would. It also opens many social events. Regarding, I'm in an environment also of "normal" drinkers. I wouldn't go to ******** clubs or anything like that. Because let's face it, those places are just tolerable if you're in a very questionable condition.

So, if it was an event or a dinner and I could have one or two (I currently will drink the whole bar), sure, I would. But again that's not the case :)

I would have liked to be a normal occasional drinker. That ship has sailed.

To be honest I had some very enjoyable times drinking. Before I became an alcoholic I really enjoyed being able to have a few drinks to relax after a week of work or drink at social events. Girls night out, things like that.
That being said, I look around me today and see a lot of people my age (44)missing out on so much because they spend their weekends being buzzed or drunk or are full blown alcoholics.

It's possible I might if I was not an alcoholic. But I can't knowing what I now know and thinking like I now think. The question is almost impossible to answer because of the part that qualifies "If I were a non-alcoholic." That's another kind of person altogether, and I've never walked in those shoes. But with the experiences I've had, and who I am now, I can't think of a reason why I would want to drink if I could.

Of course I would. I didn't know I was an alcoholic way back and I would take a drink. There was a time in my drinking career when I just drank occasionally or just had a couple.
I don't drink now because I am an alcoholic, I also don't care for the taste, but at one time, I was not an alcoholic and would drink a glass of something to be social. Even though I wasn't too crazy about the taste.

No, I would not. The health impact and weight gain alone would keep me sober now. Never mind the $$.

I think that is what has really changed this time around for me getting sober. I have no desire to drink normally feeling so good and as you said even after 1-2 can feel the effects. Much happier in my new life

Interesting question. I did enjoy my drinking when I could keep it between the lines. Which I could, for many years. It was fun to go and have a couple of drinks and let loose a little. I'm pretty tightly wound, and tended to be awkward in social settings when I was younger. Back then, alcohol did help to enhance my socializing, and I rarely overindulged to the point where I felt bad the next day or did stupid stuff.

BUT that all changed at some point. It's hard to know what I would do now if someone waved a magic wand and I could be like I was when I was in my early 20's, and I could be assured I'd just stay that way for the rest of my life. It sure would be tempting. But then I'd have to ask myself if I even need that social "help" anymore. And the answer to that is no. I have plenty of fun socializing without booze now. I don't feel as awkward as I used to, because the work I've done on myself in sobriety has given me much better self-esteem and I don't care as much what others think of me. So one of my main reasons for drinking doesn't exist anymore.

Still don't know what my decision would be, but I think it would be no.

If I had never had an issue with alcohol, and drank normal I would know no different, right.

Just like, I drank and had issues and now I know how I am, so I would choose to never drink again.

It's like the double end sward question. It just depends on where the start is.

Maybe I would drink but I don't think I would be any happier or more satisfied than I am now. Particularly if we are talking about very low quantities of alcohol, like two beers twice a month. Right now, I have no desire to drink 1 or 2 beers. Would I if I did not drink so much? maybe.

However, I have to think those who drink very low quantities of alcohol would have no trouble quitting if needed. If a doctor told someone who drinks no more than 2 times a month, and no more than two beers at a time, that they had a medical condition that required them to drink zero alcohol would they really care? Would they feel they are missing out? I doubt it, they would probably go about there life exactly as is and be grateful their medical condition was so easy to fix.

Before I quit, I could drink moderately on many occasions without the aim of getting drunk. I drank a lot of alcoholic drinks for the taste actually, so yes, if I didn't have a problem with alcohol, I'd likely still be drinking it. Having a problem with it has introduced me to many very nice non alcoholic drinks though, so I'm fine without it.

I don't know, because I only ever drank for the buzz, and I always wanted more and more of the buzz.

Even from a young age, I enjoyed getting drunk. Then it slowly over the years, stopped becoming as fun, and the hangovers and repercussions became worse.

Then, I slipped into dependency. It was a gradual decline over many years, but the problems with alcohol became apparent in my early twenties, when I drank to treat my anxiety (which was mainly caused by my drinking in the first place). Drinking on my hangovers is probably where the wheels were set in motion.

Once I started drinking on hangovers, my fate was sealed, and all that happened as over the years I slowly sunk further and further into the abyss until all of a sudden I would be on week long binges drinking from morning to night unable to stop.

I simply can;t enjoy one or two drinks anymore. I don't get a satisfactory buzz from a couple of drinks. I don't even feel it. The amount I need to make drinking enjoyable, is exactly relative to the amount which will cause me bad withdrawels / hangovers and other consequences the next day. There isn't a holy grail of the perfect amount of alcohol which will satisfy me, and simultaneously allow me to avoid the black outs and hangovers.

My life is too good and perfectly imperfect now to think about this to-do-or-don't type of question. Who knows what my path would have been or my life would be like now if I'd been a normal drinker, or just a non-alcoholic, or even someone who doesn't drink?

I value the path I have been on too much to try to rewrite it, and I wouldn't trade what my reality is here at almost 43, in recovery, for any other version of life.

I would absolutely drink if I weren't an alcoholic for some of the same reasons I wish I still could. Socializing primarily. I'm 39 and been single for a while. And every single woman wants to get to know each other over drinks, not coffee. And I'm not at the stage where I can do that because I would almost certainly cave in and join her for a drink. A coworker is having a BBQ this weekend for family and friends where I know basically everybody will be drinking beer. I'll likely skip it, though I want to go.

So hell yeah, if I wasn't an alcoholic, I would 100% drink socially.

Indeed.

If I weren't an alcoholic, I'd drink until I became one. That's why I don't drink.

^ LOL yep :)

I was thinking this was a lot like asking me if I'd run were it not for my disability. The real answer is I run anyway - as ill advised as that may be.

Humans are weird :)

D

I think it's a question that for me is impossible to answer. As a person who's had a drink problem, alcohol has taken up so much time in my life- solving the problems it has brought and the energy taken to stop the problems from happening.

I've had times when I've wished so much that I didn't have the problem and times when I've struggled so much to resist a drink that it's been necessary to demonise alcohol in order to be able to say no. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions, so I can't really make a logical judgement and answer this question.