To drink or not to drink

Postby Jay Feely » Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:16 am

Since I turned 21, I have been wondering about alcohol and whether or not I should drink or not
So, I did research, and this is what I found:

1. Moderate consumption of alcohol do not destroy brain cells

2. A standard drink is 12 oz bottle or can of beer, 5 oz glass of wine, or 1.5 oz of 80 distilled sprits

I also considered legal consequences of being drunk in Texas:

1. No open container may be in plain view, it must be out of sight of driver and passengers

2. A person is considered drunk if their BAC content is more than .008

3. Being caught DUI will result in an arrest and 90, and 180 days of driver license suspension
Last edited by Jay Feely on Thu Mar 10, 2011 9:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
You will have to subdue me to restrain me. I been a bad boy so make sure you torture me too with anything but pain.

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Jason Toddman » Thu Mar 10, 2011 9:32 am

IMHO you're better of without it.
If you haven't started drinking yet, why start now?
If you've already started drinking and like it, there's no point in even asking this question; you'll probably keep doing it regardless of what anyone says like most drinkers do.
BTW your second line should read:
A standard drink is 12 oz bottle or can of beer, 5 oz glass of wine, OR 1.5 oz of 80 distilled spirits
Big, BIG difference there!
As per one of your other points:
A person is considered drunk if their BAC content is more than .008
It takes about five drinks within two hours by your definition to reach this point for the average person; the heavier you are or the slower you drink though, the more alcohol it takes to get you drunk. Sounds like a lot to me, but apparently a lot of people have no trouble passing this limit. I hope you aren't ever one of them! It's a downward spiral from there in many cases.
Dare to be different... and make a difference.
To boldly go where no one in their right mind has gone before...

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Jay Feely » Thu Mar 10, 2011 9:39 am

I can't argue with the law, but those are facts
Now, I have to make a decision.
You will have to subdue me to restrain me. I been a bad boy so make sure you torture me too with anything but pain.

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Jason Toddman » Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:22 am

I think you already made up your mind long ago and are just waiting for a good opportunity to try it (or haven't worked up the nerve yet). Otherwise you probably wouldn't be posting this in the first place.
Dare to be different... and make a difference.
To boldly go where no one in their right mind has gone before...

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Jay Feely » Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:38 am

There is two reasons why I posted this:

1. To consider drinking for the 1st time, and I never considered it before
2. To educate people about alcohol

Why would I post this out of the blue with no context?
That hardly makes sense to me.
You will have to subdue me to restrain me. I been a bad boy so make sure you torture me too with anything but pain.

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Jason Toddman » Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:08 am

There is two reasons why I posted this:

1. To consider drinking for the 1st time, and I never considered it before
I find this difficult to believe based on other things you have written over the past few months.

2. To educate people about alcohol
Laudible goal.

Why would I post this out of the blue with no context?
That hardly makes sense to me.
True, but it wouldn't be the first time you have done such a thing (or said something that made no sense for that matter).
You even admitted to me in a PM a few months back that you enjoy doing precisely that!
Anyway, I didn't say that there was NO context; I think the context is that you have decided to do it and are trying to come up with good reasons to talk yourself into believing that it's the right decision to make (or you are hoping othrs will respond and encourage you to 'go for the gusto'. You wouldn't be the first one I've seen do this in writing something others would read; you're probably not the last one I'll see either unless I drop dead today.
Dare to be different... and make a difference.
To boldly go where no one in their right mind has gone before...

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Jay Feely » Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:20 am

That was in China where there is no regulation of drinking age.
So, I had a sip of white wine
That does not mean, I would enjoy alcohol beer as much, as what this is referring to.
You will have to subdue me to restrain me. I been a bad boy so make sure you torture me too with anything but pain.

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Jason Toddman » Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:31 am

No, it wasn't.
Actually I once sipped white wine myself when I was 17 at my grandparents' 50th wedding aniversary at a restaurant; but it was an accident - I thought it was water! I didn't know WTF wine glasses were; why should I? I was from a non-drinking family! I didn't like the wine at all, especially since I'd taken a big gulp before I realized my mistake! I haen't liked wine ever since then, either.
Anyway, I was referring to a number of your separate writings, not any one post in particular. You have a theme of writing about certain actions (underage drinking for one) and punishments that go along with it. But since you seem to find punishments appealing in many contexts, one wonders what your true (that is, subconscious) feelings concerning drinking actually are. This is not meant as any kind of criticism. It is quite possible you don't even consciously know for sure yourself what your feelings are; this is why there is such a thing as teenaged angst. The human mind can be (and often is) tricky like that.
Anyway, you're 21. It's up to you to decide.
First, you may as well find out if you even like the taste of the stuff! If it turns out you don't like it at all, you're not likely to drink to excess any time soon anyway. :D
Dare to be different... and make a difference.
To boldly go where no one in their right mind has gone before...

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Jay Feely » Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:41 am

Yeah, but my stories does not mean I represent it in my real life
Wine does not equal beer
You will have to subdue me to restrain me. I been a bad boy so make sure you torture me too with anything but pain.

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby xtc » Thu Mar 10, 2011 12:09 pm

Just so you understand my point of view; this is from an unashamed drinking man.

The choice of whether you should drink or not is entirely yours. You might or might not damage yourself.

The choice of whether you drink and drive is also entirely yours. You might or might not damage innocent people.

Choosing the former does not presume that you also need to choose the latter. Don’t confuse the two choices.

End of sermon.
Boxer shorts are cool,
but little speedos rule!

More by the same author: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=22729

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Appleguy224 » Thu Mar 10, 2011 1:20 pm

Jason Toddman wrote:IMHO you're better of without it.
If you haven't started drinking yet, why start now?
If you've already started drinking and like it, there's no point in even asking this question; you'll probably keep doing it regardless of what anyone says like most drinkers do.
BTW your second line should read:
A standard drink is 12 oz bottle or can of beer, 5 oz glass of wine, OR 1.5 oz of 80 distilled spirits
Big, BIG difference there!
As per one of your other points:
A person is considered drunk if their BAC content is more than .008
It takes about five drinks within two hours by your definition to reach this point for the average person; the heavier you are or the slower you drink though, the more alcohol it takes to get you drunk. Sounds like a lot to me, but apparently a lot of people have no trouble passing this limit. I hope you aren't ever one of them! It's a downward spiral from there in many cases.


no, to be drunk it is .08, not .008

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Jason Toddman » Thu Mar 10, 2011 2:53 pm

That was Jay's typo not mine; I merely copied it.
Dare to be different... and make a difference.
To boldly go where no one in their right mind has gone before...

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Jay Feely » Thu Mar 10, 2011 3:59 pm

That was not a typo
That is information I obtained from this website: http://www.alcoholcontrols.com/lebaclibyst.html
While it is true that .08 is going to make you more drunk, the law clearly states 0.08 as over the limit
And factors come into play:

1. Gender: Whether you are male or female

2. Body Weight

3. Whether or not you are taking medication

So, even though 5 drinks could make you drunk, the above factors are essential in calculating the bac
You will have to subdue me to restrain me. I been a bad boy so make sure you torture me too with anything but pain.

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Tied beauty » Thu Mar 10, 2011 4:24 pm

sometimes a beer by friends there i nothing against

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Kyle » Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:19 pm

There's nothing wrong with alcohol in moderation (note that word "moderation," it makes all the difference). That said, if you have any doubts at all you should be very wary about drinking alcohol. Personally I think more people would be better off not drinking than actually doing it, because while not nearly everyone will become an alcoholic I'm not sure a lot of people care about moderation. The health problems that come from drinking too much alcohol are probably a lot bigger negative than the health benefits you can gain from it in moderation.

But an occasional drink is not bad at all. As long as you don't set out to get drunk, or use drinking to try to avoid problems, and especially don't drink before driving or otherwise doing something that requires a lot of concentration, you shouldn't have problems.

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Jay Feely » Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:23 pm

I have to think hard about this.

I know a friend, whom will not be named to protect his identity,that got drunk during a fraternity party. The other members took advantage of the situation, and pranked him. They stuffed marshmellows in his toes, drew on him with a lot of profanity and explict pictures. Finally, they rubbed cream on his chest because he was shirtless. They never got in trouble for it because my friend did not report it to anyone. That is one of the dangers of being drunk to the point where you pass out and people, who is not in their right mind, would do stuff to you.
You will have to subdue me to restrain me. I been a bad boy so make sure you torture me too with anything but pain.

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Jason Toddman » Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:00 pm

[quote="jay"]That was not a typo
That is information I obtained from this website: http://www.alcoholcontrols.com/lebaclibyst.html
While it is true that .08 is going to make you more drunk, the law clearly states 0.08 as over the limit

Thing is you wrote .008 not 0.08. A bit of a difference there (like 1000%). :twisted:
Dare to be different... and make a difference.
To boldly go where no one in their right mind has gone before...

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby SamanthaBoundx » Fri Mar 11, 2011 3:01 am

You're thinking about this way too hard!

For a start, you can drink without getting drunk. I quite often have a glass of wine with a meal simply because I enjoy the taste - and that barely effects me. Although if you've never drunk alcohol in any amount before then you will probably find that a very small amount will make you feel a little odd. You need to know your OWN limits. It's all very well and good to spout facts and figures about how much alcohol you need to consume to get drunk, but they're essentially useless. It depends on your gender, your size, your livers ability to process it, how much you've drunk before etc etc.

Secondly, even if you DO get drunk, its hardly the worst thing in the world. I will unashamedly admit that I've been drunk many times in my student life - it doesn't make you a bad person or an alcoholic. In fact, I will go as far as to say that it can actually be a lot of fun! You can still be completely in control when you're drunk so you really don't need to worry too much about what happened to your friend - after all, frat parties are kinda known for that sort of thing!

Finally, drinking and drink driving should be mutually exclusive. Your consumption of alcohol does not require you to drive a car afterwards. That's just dangerous and quite frankly, stupid. That really is an irrelevant factor in your decision.

Essentially, what I think I'm saying is - if you want to drink, then drink! Just be careful with it if you're a first timer. To begin with, start off small (alcopops are a good place to start as they're such low percentage and don't taste massively alcoholic), drink indoors - either at your house or a friends and make sure you have people around you who will look after you (just so that you feel safe when drinking - because even if it's only a tiny bit, people tend to panic the first time they drink). And most importantly, if you're going to do it, just have FUN with it! What's the point if you're just going to sit around feeling guilty or scared? You may as well stick to water.

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby PetSilkenvixen » Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:50 am

Happy birthday!
Now's the time you should consider a less-younger-looking you for an avatar.

Drinking is a personal preference. If you like it and enjoy it, there's no reason you shouldn't. AS LONG AS you remember the magic word "moderation". If I have a drink, I always limit myself, usually no more than 2 if it's a social occasion, I usually stop at 1 if I'm at home. Any more than 2 and turn into Dudley Moore from the movie Arthur.

Don't try to keep up with your friends if they're drinking, don't give a crap what they say if you decide you're stopping and let them know it. And have a way home if you don't want to put up with them anymore and decide you want to leave.
Christyne

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Reidy » Sat Mar 12, 2011 2:44 pm

Give it a try. If you enjoy it, then continue to drink in moderation. If not, then leave it... its not for you. I know plenty of people who don't drink on the basis of taste, or it just not being for them.

And you don't have to get stupidly drunk when you do have a drink. Know your limit and enjoy yourself, no harm is done.


And this post is coming from someone who has consumed five pints of Guinness today. :D

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Misquamicut » Fri Mar 25, 2011 9:34 am

This question is a couple weeks old, but I just happened to find it, so I am going to throw in my two cents worth. Of my three brothers, one had a very infrequent 'drink', like when he went out to eat he might have ONE wine or mixed drink. Never two. He was not trapped by alcohol. He had a nice married life and enjoyed his friends and family.

My oldest brother and I never drank.

One of my brothers was an absolutely disgusting alcoholic. He didn't start that way, starting with just a couple drinks a day, but he became one while still in his 20's. He would stumble around, fall into furniture, drop dishes and glasses and break them. He would drive home, drunk, and sleep in his car because he could not get out and walk into the house...but he drove!! It is a horrible way to live and it is terrible for family and friends who care about the person but can not do anything about it. Once you have become a drunk, you ruin your life and the lives of those who care about you.

In my opinion there is only one reason for drinking alcohol -- to get a buzz. You are better off if you never take that first drink.

End of lecture.

.

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Jay Feely » Mon Mar 28, 2011 6:37 am

Thanks for all your advice. I have made the decision not to drink.
You will have to subdue me to restrain me. I been a bad boy so make sure you torture me too with anything but pain.

Re: To drink or not to drink

Postby Misquamicut » Mon Mar 28, 2011 7:55 am

I respect your decision.