[chihuahua]

I have to admit I simply don't understand drinking alcohol. Apparently it affects me differently from most people. The only effects I get are that I feel tired, and my field of vision narrows. Neither of those are pleasant. I wish I knew how other people feel when they drink alcohol.

[orthecreedence]

> I wish I knew how other people feel when they drink alcohol.

I feel a sense of euphoria when I drink. I also have a bell curve where drinking enough removes a layer of fear which allows me to do things I couldn't previously do while still retaining my coordination. For instance when I was younger and lived in Santa Cruz, I'd often bomb hills skateboarding. On the nights I was 3-4 beers in, I'd have no problem whatsoever. If I drank less than that or more than that, I'd be a meat crayon.

On a general note, be happy alcohol does nothing for you. It's one of the most addictive, vile, and damaging drugs that exists. The withdrawl for alcoholics is worse than heroin, and one of the most deadly. The people I've met in my life that are addicted to it have a really hard time.

[eyelidlessness]

I like to drink more than I ought to (and less than I used to), but your assessment sounds not exactly but a lot like how I feel about cannabis. At any THC dose enough to feel at all, it’s almost always tunnel vision and time dilation and anxiety, and all I want is to go be alone to wait it out. All side effects, no joy there. If I’m lucky enough to hit the perfect mark of low dose but perceptible effects, I like it okay but it’s totally unpredictable. Not worth whatever I might enjoy with perfect precision dosage.

People who enjoy THC describe it to me as similar to how they enjoy caffeine, which makes some sense to me having a dopamine supplement daily. Most of what I enjoy about alcohol is tasting it. As far as psychoactive effects, I find it calming but not as much as you do. It doesn’t generally make me sleepy unless I’m already headed that way. It just makes me feel less at odds with things in the world. Which is good for my psyche, as long as I don’t drink too much… which is when I remember feeling at odds with things in the world.

[briga]

Everyone reacts to chemicals in their own way, but I think what you’re describing might be more related to general anxiety than to a particular chemical. It may exacerbate these feelings but I don’t think it’s ever really the root cause

[eyelidlessness]

This was exactly my theory for a long time, but I really do think it’s chemical. My baseline anxiety turns out to be very well treated by my ADHD meds (amphetamines). Cannabis high doesn’t feel at all like my baseline anxiety or like heightened anxiety that more closely fits typical general anxiety symptoms for me. It feels like what people describe when they talk about a bad trip.

Anyway I’ve thought about taking advantage of the legal market to see if there’s bud that works for me, and even (maybe especially) after working in the industry for over half a decade I’m not inclined. They just don’t grow anything for me, and I’m too old now to want to experiment.

I do appreciate your pattern recognition, because it’d be the same recognition I would have. I don’t think the pattern fits me though, I really do just react negatively to THC in high doses.

[fanso99]

You have most likely done that already… but have you tried many different kinds of alcoholic drinks? Beer affects me exactly as you describe it so I almost never drink it.

Single malt scotch, on the other hand, has a very different effect - gives me energy, makes me more sociable, lifts my spirit. Red wine affects me differently from white wine, cocktails also have a different effect (can’t have sugar with alcohol!). Basically, at least for some people different kinds of alcohol have a very different effect.

[theteapot]

Your not drinking enough. There all the same eventually. Although, I'll pay that the severity hangover can differ pretty widely.

[fanso99]

Obviously in terms of the overall contents they are not the same - even eventually. Alcohol contents can be the same but the rest of the drink can not be discarded from the equation. For example, my body react poorly to high amounts of sugar, so drinking a sugary cocktail is vastly different from a shot of tequila. Beer instantly makes me feel bloated, so if I drink 2 pints of beer to match a glass of scotch, I will feel slow and foggy, not upbeat and sociable.

[theteapot]

Like I said, your not drinking enough.

[nkozyra]

I used to drink pretty heavily in what could frequently be described as a "functional" alcoholic (regardless of what one thinks of that term)

For me the benefit was dulling the frantic nature of my mind, especially at night. Instead of thinking or worrying about everything under the sun, I was able to not ... have those brainwaves snapping until 3 am.

It is of course a cycle, since the negative effect of alcohol exacerbates that latent anxiety. I'd dull it and it would pop back up the next night.

[zoomablemind]

The alcohol effects may be moderated by dosage, pacing, anything that accompanies the drink, etc. Personal metabolism can also affect the effects. Having right kind of food with the drink may indeed diminish the alcohol almost to the level of condiment.

I guess, the relaxing effect is what the casual drinkers are after. Loose tongue, less inhibitions in interactions, less anxiety. It works... but briefly, it's too easy to cross into drnking-for-the-sake-of-drinking zone. All leading to feeling tired and dehydrated one way or another.

As it's figuratively said, at some point even the finest wine begins drinking itself, that is its alcohol content overpowers anything else that made it 'fine'.

I guess, in youth the drinking is mostly for bonding, in adulthood it's also for coping and habit, god forbid, dependence... Well, it does make one sleepy too.

Looking back, one thing for sure is early youth social drinking is very much unnecessary and can cause more trouble than good.

A nice piece on the subject of alcohol and anxiety:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/staying-sane-inside-...

[nevi-me]

I was exposed to alcohol from around 13. Under age drinking is a pandemic where I'm from.

I never was a heavy drinker. I mostly stopped for religious purposes and out of personal conviction when I was 20.

On the personal conviction part, I always say that I prefer being in control of my faculties. Fast response times (esp when driving), situational awareness, control over what I say and do.

I don't know about other people: when I'm tipsy I'll do or say something, then a few seconds later I would say to myself "this isn't something I would have said/done". That alone has been enough to dissuade me.

I drink "on occasion with an annual quota". I find that to be a great personal goal because when in a situation where alcohol is offered to me, I almost always abstain.

Then again, I don't drink coffee as I jokingly say that caffeine is a drug (I don't judge anyone, it's something I say when asked why I don't drink it). I drink things with a significant amount of caffeine when offered and it's the only alternative, like cola.

[tootie]

For me, I definitely felt the full range of physical effects but I also didn't really enjoy it all that much. I drank an unhealthy amount in my early 20s due to social situations. It was kinda fun, then I'd just had enough. I never "quit" and still drink occasionally but I have absolutely no compulsion to drink and it doesn't do much for my mood.

[pcurve]

Everybody also gets the tiredness and narrowing field of vision.

How much do you drink?

For an average 175lbs male to feel buzzed, he would need to drink 2 pints of beer (or close 1 1 liter) on relatively empty stomach quickly.

To feel drunk, it would require at least double that amount if not more.

[chihuahua]

> How much do you drink?

These days, a single sip of wine when my wife is having a glass of wine with dinner. When I was younger, I'd have a glass or two of wine, or a pint of beer. But I always concluded that I'd feel better without the alcohol, so I cut back to the minimal amount.

[gsich]

This is normal, especially with beer/wine. That's why some people switch to cocktails or mix stuff with Red Bull/Coke, the sugar keeps you awake.

[chihuahua]

OK, but presumably other people experience some kind of positive/pleasant effect? I don't get that at all.