Do you drink? Alcohol that is...

[Tombstone]

I just read this thread and it provided me with entertainment. I don't drink, although I have in the past. I dislike how alcohol alters my behaviour, and I am irritated by the usual behavioural traits that drunken people have: aggressions, childishness, ignorance, puke, loss of memory, irrationality etc, so I choose to avoid them. But I don't think there's any moral problem with drinking.

Re: "Supporting the alcohol industry is bad as the industry is responsible for supplying alcohol to irresponsible people"

I don't think this is accurate. I mean, a company that sells bread knives will sell a knife to someone who will kill someone with it. That doesn't make the company bad, and it certainly doesn't make everyone who buys bread knives bad people. People are irresponsible, and people do stupid stuff. That doesn't mean that all items involved in said irresponsible / stupid activities shouldn't be bought by anyone else.


Re: "But alcohols is healthy"

In response to this, I'd like to know of anyone who went from not drinking any alcohol to drinking alcohol frequently on the basis that it's good for you. I bet the number of people who did this is close to zero. I think that the 'it's healthy' line is used by people who are trying to irrationally defend their habit, rather than provide the real reason, as they'd drink it anyway regardless of how healthy / unhealthy it is, and prior to finding out that it is possibly healthy, they were still drinking it, so the whole point is irrelevent in my opinion, and was never a reason to start drinking.

[VeganJohn]

I like a drink at the weekends, as I find going to pubs etc with friends to be a good social activity. These days I rarely drink more than a few pints and can't remember the last time I was sick from alcohol. I did drink quite a bit in my late teens probably due to peer pressure more than anything.

One thing I can't abide however is smoking!!

[eve]

Poison Ivy, you state:

Many people start off following a vegan diet purely for health reasons, then find that they become concerned about animal testing, factory farming, environmentalism etc, etc, etc as a natural progression. Just because it's the opposite way around from how others who converted to veganism from an ethical standpoint arrived here doesn't make it insane.

I turned to veganism from an ethical standpoint, for the animals and the planet. But nowadays I'm glad I made that decision because it is certainly proven to be healthier. Mind you, if someone proved that eating meat is healthier, I'd stick with being a vegan.

[kokopelli]

The thing that really annoys me is the way the UK government has been encouraging drinking through their policies at the same time as deploring 'binge drinking' which is becoming ever more widespread, to the extent that apparently the army have been used in barracks towns during the summer to control drunken disorder, hospital accident and emergency departments are full of alcohol-related injuries every weekend, there's been a 900% increase in cirrhosis of the liver over the past 10 years, large increases in the numbers of teenagers being admitted to hospital with acute alcohol poisoning, etc etc etc.

Meanwhile, the Blair government have been busy granting more and more alcohol licences and extending drinking hours while alcoholic beverages have been steadily increasing in strength and becoming ever cheaper (relative to average income)

But as long as the alcohol business is so powerful and contributes so much to the treasury, I suppose we're all going to have to suffer the fallout.

I don't have a problem with people drinking moderately, it's their choice, but it does tend to get out of control when social pressures predispose some to excess and addiction.

My uncle died of alcoholism, it was a horrible thing to watch. My brother is now alcoholic and I fear for his future health. His family has already split up because apparently drink was more important as far as he was concerned.

[snaffler]

Wine has been used medicinally throughout time. Jesus drank wine! (tongue in cheek but true nontheless...)

Ye and he's got long hair so that's cool enough for me, so come on all grow your hair and get pissed, not to sure about that book the dude wrote but the rest is cool.....works for me.

[chrismith]

i'm straightedge, but i don't have a problem with other people drinking.

[caribbeanvegan]

I am somewhat of a recovering alcolholic. I never touched a drop of alcohol until I was 21 and legal in the U.S. Now, at 31 I drink waaaay too much and am trying very hard to stop. It isn't easy, especially living here in Cayman where rum is the main commodity.


But I'm curious...does anyone else here drink alcohol? Are you trying to stop? Why did you start? What have you done to help you stop? Do you care if you ever do stop?

[thecatspajamas1]

I'm not really too interested in drinking. I'm not of legal age yet, but I'm kind of tired of it already anyway. I've had my fill of going to parties to get sloshed, and then getting really tired, and waking up with a killer hangover. The only time I really ever drink now is a glass or 2 of wine at a special occasion. Supposedly, alcoholism runs in my family so it's not a good idea for me to get into it anyway.

I think it would be really great for your emotional and physical health to slow down with the drinking if you are having a problem. We'll be here to support you! And just remember that if you had the ability to cut out all animal products from your diet, you definitely have to ability to cut out one more thing.

Maybe you can transfer your addiction to almond butter instead. (I always get really happy when I eat it)

[Sweets]

i always said i wouldnt touch it because i believe i have an addictive personality, but when i did start drinking i must say i fell in love with it... but i've never really gone overboard and i only drink maybe once a week. I may completely give it up sometime soon as i'm a complete health nut and i believe its not good for the body

[mophoto]

I am somewhat of a recovering alcolholic. I never touched a drop of alcohol until I was 21 and legal in the U.S. Now, at 31 I drink waaaay too much and am trying very hard to stop. It isn't easy, especially living here in Cayman where rum is the main commodity.


But I'm curious...does anyone else here drink alcohol? Are you trying to stop? Why did you start? What have you done to help you stop? Do you care if you ever do stop?

i too have a bit of an addictive personality. i was a giant pot head in high school and slowed down a bit in college (anyone who says that pot isn't addictive should meet my soon to be ex-husband and his idiot friends).

beer has always been my love! i used to drink, literally everyday, except if i had a hangover. it was a form of self medication because i also
suffer(ed) from clinical depression and massive anxiety. in the last six months i have cut back dramatically, for me. i drink 3 or 4 days a week and it is something i consciously have to do. i feel so much more in control. i actually choose my drinking days. my friends don't help so much when they call and want to go to the bar. i have learned to say no- they are all aware of my non-drinking plans.

i am never going to stop drinking beer. i now have the power over it. i used to be such a lush that i went to AA for five days in a row. i felt like a lightweight! i live in a somewhat impoverished area and the hardcore AA people were not only drunks but former druggies. the only people that weren't had to get a sheet signed at the end of each meeting which lead me to believe that they had DUI's. all that talk about a higher power kinda irritated me, so i left. i now manage as best i can. i am off antidepressants (they leave you dead inside) and have never felt better. i am enjoying a beer right now. it was one of my best friends birthday and she wanted to go to a fondue restaurant. i got a crappy $7 salad while everyone filled up on food. i filled up on beer.

i was just in the caymans and i feel so bad about the hurricane damage, such a beautiful place. when we were in a bus, the driver had a cayman radio talk show on and the people there seemed highly religious. do the locals drink??

[foxytina_69]

i drink sometimes. usually i just have a couple of drinks with my bf every now and then. maybe once or twice a month, and sometimes a few when my dad comes out here to spend time with us, he usually wants to go to nightclubs lol.

to answer your questions:

yes i do drink alcohol

no im not trying to stop

i started when i was around 10 because my whole family drank all the time and had so much fun doing so that my friends and i started.

i was addicted to it once when i was about 16 and was depressed and partying too much because my mom was dying. i made myself stopped, and had to walk in circles and eat alot of apples to make myself not drink. it was hard.

no i dont care if i stop, because its not something im addicted to. its something i do just as a casual thing. i would care to stop if i was addicted to it however.

[mophoto]

i drink sometimes. usually i just have a couple of drinks with my bf every now and then. maybe once or twice a month, and sometimes a few when my dad comes out here to spend time with us, he usually wants to go to nightclubs lol.

to answer your questions:

yes i do drink alcohol

no im not trying to stop

i started when i was around 10 because my whole family drank all the time and had so much fun doing so that my friends and i started.

i was addicted to it once when i was about 16 and was depressed and partying too much because my mom was dying. i made myself stopped, and had to walk in circles and eat alot of apples to make myself not drink. it was hard.

no i dont care if i stop, because its not something I'm addicted to. its something i do just as a casual thing. i would care to stop if i was addicted to it however.

that's great that you are in control of your drinking, even though your family members may not be! that throws a wrench in the alcoholism is genetic thing. self control is liberating

[foxytina_69]

i definitely feel proud of that fact. considering every one of my family members has been addicted to alcohol (and/or other substances) and i have never done any drugs and only drink very casually.

i never thought of that, that it could throw a wrench in the genetic thing. hopefully that happens!

[applepie]

i never drink. oh, actually, i had a sip of champagne on new year's eve. but that was the only drink all year.
there's several reasons for this: first of all, i just don't like the taste. i hate beer. wine can be pleasant, but i'm always suspicious whether it's really vegan. then, i can be cheerful without a drink. i don' see the point in going out just to get drunk like many people i know at uni do. i don't need this. i am happy as it is, i don't need a stimulant. then, i believe that it's pure poison, and i don't want to inflict this on my body. finally, my uncle is a dry alcoholic. i can remember the times he was really deeply in it, and this memory somehow keeps me from drinking. it is a warning what can happen when you loose control and try to deal with your problems in this way.
having said that, i don't mind other people having a drink. only when it seems to be a necessity one can't do without - then it's getting somewhat serious.

[vuycha]

i drink 5-6 litres of beer and wine thru year. glass of wine after the lunch sometimes and when in good company, beer in summer when i work hard and sweating. also 5-6 shots of light liquers thru year - sherry, amaro, pelin or similar. i can't stand brown liquers like whiskey or bourbon, i have like gag reaction on that. if i must i can drink shot of vodka or gin, but only if i must like toast in weddings and like that.

[herbwormwood]

But I'm curious...does anyone else here drink alcohol? Are you trying to stop? Why did you start? What have you done to help you stop? Do you care if you ever do stop?

I used to, I think I started when I was about 12 or so, it was always easy to get hold of and my friends did it, my family drank too. I am nearly 40 now and fairly teetotal, mainly because I have health problems and alcohol would complicate them (the health problems were not caused by drink btw), also I worked in a psychogeriatric hospital and cared for people with alcoholic dementia- a scary thing. I did'nt find it difficult to stop drinking, don't suppose I was ever addicted or I would have found it harder. It was much harder to stop smoking!
I do have a christmas cake my mum made for me and she put brandy in it, I have no problem eating that as it is such a small amount of alcohol.
I assume you are vegan or want to be vegan, did you know a lot of alcoholic drinks are not suitable for vegans? Maybe that could help you in your motivation. Get a list of what is vegan and what isn't. Hope you do ok!

[Lyns]

I used to drink quite a lot when I first left home for uni. Now I only occasionally have a gin+tonic or cocktail if I'm at a friends house. I don't like wine or beer, just don't like the taste. I'm not actively trying to give up, but I won't miss it if I never drink again.

[tabitha]

Yes I do drink. The only reason I would like to stop is that its very fattening. I would like to limit drinking to Friday and Saturdays, but when Ive had a stressful and busy week then my weekend starts a bit early....Trouble is being a gym instructor you have to practice what you preach a bit, so I couldnt go to work with a big beer belly

[harpy]

I have a glass of wine most nights, but if I found I couldn't keep to one, or had trouble on the days I didn't have it, then I'd try and give it up.

[caribbeanvegan]

i too have a bit of an addictive personality. i was a giant pot head in high school and slowed down a bit in college (anyone who says that pot isn't addictive should meet my soon to be ex-husband and his idiot friends).

beer has always been my love! i used to drink, literally everyday, except if i had a hangover. it was a form of self medication because i also
suffer(ed) from clinical depression and massive anxiety. in the last six months i have cut back dramatically, for me. i drink 3 or 4 days a week and it is something i consciously have to do. i feel so much more in control. i actually choose my drinking days. my friends don't help so much when they call and want to go to the bar. i have learned to say no- they are all aware of my non-drinking plans.

i am never going to stop drinking beer. i now have the power over it. i used to be such a lush that i went to AA for five days in a row. i felt like a lightweight! i live in a somewhat impoverished area and the hardcore AA people were not only drunks but former druggies. the only people that weren't had to get a sheet signed at the end of each meeting which lead me to believe that they had DUI's. all that talk about a higher power kinda irritated me, so i left. i now manage as best i can. i am off antidepressants (they leave you dead inside) and have never felt better. i am enjoying a beer right now. it was one of my best friends birthday and she wanted to go to a fondue restaurant. i got a crappy $7 salad while everyone filled up on food. i filled up on beer.

i was just in the caymans and i feel so bad about the hurricane damage, such a beautiful place. when we were in a bus, the driver had a cayman radio talk show on and the people there seemed highly religious. do the locals drink??

HA! the locals here are all either athletes or alcoholics! And Ganji is pretty popular here to, but no one will admit to it. Alcoholism skyrockets after Ivan. Once they started getting the food and liquor shipped to the island again there was nothing else to do but drink and try to figure out how to survive with no water or electricity for nearly 3 months.

People here are pretty religious, but there are also a lot of hypocrites too.

[gertvegan]

For those that do drink alcohol, there is a whole thread about 'Vegan Alcohol' here.

[archaeopteryx]

Four nights a week. Sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more than the UK recommended unit allowance (which I don't trust anyway). I like the effect and the taste (red wine mostly) but would probably drink it for either alone. I often think of quitting.

[Troutina]

I haven't drunk since Jan 1st, was thinking of giving up drinking for a while- my partner doesn't drink- and after spending new years with my head down the toilet after drinking half a bottle of Jack Daniels in an hour, I realised enough is enough! It turns me into a drunken pratt and I always get hangovers.

[Pilaf]

Never have, never will. sXe baby *flashes hand signal*

[jackxattack]

I like a drink at the weekends, as I find going to pubs etc with friends to be a good social activity. These days I rarely drink more than a few pints and can't remember the last time I was sick from alcohol. I did drink quite a bit in my late teens probably due to peer pressure more than anything.

One thing I can't abide however is smoking!!

Same here (though I only started drinking (after being straight edge for almost 5 years) about a month ago. Really don't get smoking (tobacco that is).

[Jane M]

I don't drink very often at all. Just now and then and it can really hit me hard. Like half a glass of wine and I have a really bad case of the uncontrollable giggles.

[Kiran]

I don't drink. Never tasted alcohol. My religion prohibits me.

[Cherry]

I confess. I just had a glass of Kahlua milkshake (soya obviously) Tastes like Baileys.

[tabitha]

I do drink, but am trying to cut down to just weekends....its just that the weekends tend to want to start on Wednesdays!

[veggiesosage]

I have to confess that I do really like drinking. I like a good social drink with friends, even the ones where other people around you start thinking you're a bunch of idiots (especially if they're actually listening to your conversation).

I also like a quiet Sunday afternoon beer in the sun and for that matter, a quiet couple of bottles at home on my own after work. (Weston's vintage cider currently).

I do overdo it on occasion, but my style of overdoing it is occasionally saying the wrong thing or very occasionally tripping over when I wouldn't have done if sober. I don't get nasty or violent or anything.

The down side for me is that I'm not so young as I used to be so the hangovers are worse and they last longer. So there are days when I would have done something useful but didn't cos sitting on the sofa quietly seemed a much better idea at the time.

Alcohol is incredibly addictive though, so you quickly find yourself in the situation where you are 'managing' your drinking just like any other addiction. You just don't realise that you're doing it because drinking is socially acceptable. It does amaze me that the UK is so relaxed about alcohol, when it has the capacity to cause a lot of damage in some people, whereas other drugs are so closely regulated.

I do like a couple of other drugs, but the legal consequences scare me to death. Yet I'm absolutely convinced that fundamentally those other drugs are no more harmful than alcohol. Note that I didn't say harmless, not by a long way.

[Gliondrach]

I don't drink anything stronger than tea. Even when I reach 18 I won't drink. As the High Druid of the British Isles, I must always be sober and in control of myself.

Drinking is a daft idea. It leads you astray, empties your pockets, makes you wake up with vomit down your shirt, and it can get you into all sorts of trouble.

Beware. Be sober. Be wise.

[Tigerlily]

I really like unfremented wine! (Grape juice )

[grail]

I love a glass of wine (1) with my supper. It's a great way to end the day. I've never been drunk in my life, don't understand it or think it's wise, but there's something about a good wine and a good meal that is so comforting.

[mophoto]

this thread makes me feel so unveganly

[tabitha]

Yes me too, but I thought Gliondrachs advice was absolutely brilliant - very wise and sensible for one so young. - I think you should be my life coach

[speedylemons]

I used to drink.. a lot. Mainly the last couple of years of highschool.. then i grew out of it i guess.. got it out of my system... Now i just don't find any fun in it.. but all my friends still do. It gets really annoying when all they want to do on the weekends is get wasted. It makes me feel like I'm the one who is weird or wrong or something.. but whatever. I grew out of finding fun in drowning myself in liquor and disgusting beer and waking up with consequences to face but not being able to remember what i had done..

It's just kind of depressing to feel like you have nothing in common with people because you don't like one thing they take part in. ehhhh. sulk sulk sulk.

[Blueshark]

I am Blueshark and am not a drink fan . ...thank goodness.

I used to drink a hell of a lot - was under the impression that it was the thing to do to have fun. I was sadly misguided, and had a weak resolve.

Now, I drink far less and far less frequently.

Actually had 2 beers tonight (8% Belgian Duvels) and feel quite tired and strange. I prefer to be sharp and alert from a carrot juice.

[mrknifey87]

I like getting drunk, but then again I'm a young'un too. (on relative terms!) I respect people who don't drink but then again I don't really care about the negative health effects either. Addiction is bad but if the drinking is not habitual then it isn't of a large concern either. A lot of people don't like the effect it has on their minds. I for one do.

[tabitha]

At least you're honest.I too like a drink, but Im trying to cut down cos I know its bad for me and it also puts weight on.

[snaffler]

Yep I am a vegan not a tee-total althought I am very strict and like to check all stuff out as much as possible, I want one vice, I am the gym 3 times a week and my round walking trip to work for the week ads up to 35 miles so a few beers are allowed I say.

Few faves are
Westons Cider (entrie range vegan)
Black Eagle Beer
Batemans VS approved sold in ASDA
Becks
Vegan Wine from local heath food shop
or Kumala do a couple of vegan wines
Holstein Pils
Budweiser if out and stuck (shame about who owns them though)
Hoegarden

[feral]

Let me see... I live in Ireland .... do I drink ... erm... yup

[aloevera]

hmmm i only drink in the summer, i train for marathons all winter, and then post marathon i take the summer off and drink my little heart out. Its fun, of course if other drugs were legal then i would do those instead. Drinking is a horrid unhealthy killer of a habit,its up there with smoking for sure, BUT, what can you do its also fun, and enjoyable, i love lounging in the park in the sun and into a balmy summers night, or sitting round a fire in the garden.
ANd cold beer, got to admit its so refreshing and delicious.

[piggy]

Let me see... I live in Ireland .... do I drink ... erm... yup

i'm usually a social drinker, but i also like a nice liqueur in winter, or after a big meal

[chrismith]

i drank just about every day for 15 years, but i don't drink anymore.

[Bunny]

My family are Irish (I am half Irish) and I was brought up drinking. My nan, when I was 11, handed me a port and brandy. My Mum gasped and said "she can't have that - it's far too strong".. my nan (honest to God this is true) poured a measure of Baileys in it to "water it down". My nan did not believe Baileys was alcohol. This is just to give you an idea of the background involved here !

I like alcohol, but I rarely drink. Being slightly insane as it is when I'm sober, I don't need alcohol to relax/loosen up etc. I hate to lose control and so I rarely get drunk. My family find this harder to deal with than veganism!

I think it is a personal thing, nothing really to do with how vegan you are or anything.

[chrismith]

i'm scottish/irish/russian/polish/native american; alcohol had been a part of life for as long as i can remember. when i was teething, my grandparents sugested (and my parents did it) putting whiskey on my little gums. growing up, more whiskey for toothaches. hell i used to FAKE a toothache!!

[tabitha]

Things were different then ChrismithI like drinking when Im doing it, I just feel bad afterwards (mentally bad).

[xwitchymagicx]

the last time I drank on Tuesday I got really depressed the next day. Drink bad the day after. lol

[tabitha]

You are right young Witchy drink is bad the day after. If only we could remember the next time that we drank, not to drink because it is baad the day after, then we wouldnt drink.....would we.