Do you drink?

[Vodka7]

I don't drink. I had the occasional taste of beer or wine from my dad or grandpa when I was a kid, but never found the taste of alcohol appealing. When I turn 21 I'll probably try a few drinks, just to see if age changes one's perception in any way.

I had that attitude until I got to college.  My first night there (at 17) my roommate's older cousins showed up with jello shots, vodka, whiskey, tequila, you name it (all of the eight dollar plastic bottle variety.)  I got completely blasted, and spent a lot of the next year and a half doing so until I met a girl who didn't appreciate alcohol the way I did and changed my ways.

I still drink now, and when I drink, I drink a lot, but I don't go out with anywhere near the frequency I did in those days.  And every month or so we'll have some people over, buy a case or two of something good, and play Xbox until we pass out on the couches.  Nothing wrong with it as long as no one's getting behind the wheel of a car.

[cosine]

I don't intend to try those drinks all at once though. I don't ever plan on drinking to the point of getting wasted.

[280plus]

Just remember, kids, if you're ever so drunk you're pukin', you have alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning can kill you. Usually by you choking on your own vomit. Have a nice day! 

[Wasz]

I drink.  Normally not very much, a beer or 2 with dinner.  If we go out I normally drive so I might have one beer with my food and thats it.  Every i dunno 3-6 months Ill go out with friends and drink too much.  Not usually to the point of being sick, just to the point of being loud and dumb.  We laugh and tell storied the end.

My brother wants to become a brewmaster and because of him I have learned a lot about good beers (including his home brews)  Ive also taken to learning about good scotch, very good vodka, and only the best of burbons(my favorite)

[Declaration Day]

  And every month or so we'll have some people over, buy a case or two of something good,

Sorry, but nothing good comes in cases. 

As teenagers, my friends and I used to party 6-7 nights a week.  We'd drink until we could no longer walk to the fridge to get another beer.  Being underage and broke, we couldn't be picky about what we drank.  We'd pay a homeless guy to go into a store and buy us stuff that I don't think even he would drink! I drove drunk too- hundreds of times, which I am not proud of- and thankfully never caused a car accident.  Whether it's a good thing that I never got caught is debatable; it sure saved me a lot of court costs and legal fees! Those were some stupid, crazy days.

So stupid and crazy, in fact, that I quit drinking at 21.

I'm 29 and recently started again, but not nearly to the capacity as when I was younger.

I'm a beer snob, and while I don't mind getting a little relaxing buzz, I drink for taste.  I'll have 2-3 beers in the evening, always at home.  I've never been one to hang out in bars, and I'm not about to start.

[Chris]

Occassionally, I'll have a drink.  A beer on a hot day, or with certain foods for dinner.  Wine very rarely, and usually only if someone else is serving it with a meal.  I grew up in the cold war Army, and learned to drink my vodka straight.  Still do, on occassion, if it's good vodka.

[Manedwolf]

Just remember, kids, if you're ever so drunk you're pukin', you have alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning can kill you. Usually by you choking on your own vomit. Have a nice day! 

Or your stomach just went WTF NO at the wrong mix of things. Like drinking tequila after beer. 

All the beers and most liquors get along at the party unless tequila shows up last and causes trouble, then party's over, everyone gets thrown back out the entrance door. 

[280plus]

Yes, you should always drink your tequila first THEN chase it down with the beer. 

[Vodka7]

Sorry, but nothing good comes in cases. 

I live in PA now, where the law states you can't buy anything less than a case except at a bar, and bars only sell crappy beers (except for the bars at microbreweries.)  The upside of that is you can find Yards, Flying Dog, Arrogant Bastard, Chimay, and all kinds of other excellent beers in cases.  Stuff that doesn't come in cases the beer distributors sell in pallets of four six packs.  So yeah, I can get good beer in cases

[Declaration Day]

Vodka7, there sure are some strange laws governing alcohol, aren't there? 

If you go on the Sam Adams website (my favorite beer) and browse through their varieties, there are a few that cannot be legally sold in certain states.  My best guess is that some states have 150 year old laws limiting beer alcohol content.

Anyway, here in Michigan, you can't find good beer in anything larger than a twelve pack.  Many of them come in only six packs, and much of the best stuff is sold as single bottles only.

[crt360]

I have plenty of great drinking memories from my school days (and one or two bad ones, usually involving large quantities of tequila).  I did enough when I was young to satisfy me.  I still like beer and try to drink a few when I get a chance, occasionally on a Friday or Saturday after work, but that's about it.  I might have a glass of wine at a party or dinner if it's appropriate (you know, the kind that's too fancy to serve beer), but I have no desire to drink it at home.  I haven't had any hard stuff in about fifteen years.

I guess when you're of the high school/college age, getting drunk sounds like fun (and most of the time it was), but as you get older and away from the social environment that was ripe for the activity, it loses it's appeal.

Good beer is still good. 

[glockfan.45]

Many of my high school friends were of German Lutheran ancestry.  Man, those guys could drink.

Genetic huh? That explains alot I think to myself as I reflect on my German, Irish, Scottish, Native American ancestry  .

[Cosmoline]

I drink, but I haven't been drunk for a long time.  I usually get a few local craft brews and sometimes a box o' wine.  If I have the scratch I'll pick up a bottle of higher priced liquor a few times a year. I like to try different combinations.  Good beer (NOT mass produced pilsner!) and table wine are the only alcoholic substances I'd rank as absolutely essential as a food.  But I do think you're missing out if you've never high end wine or the best hard liquor. 

I got drunk during law school a fair amount as a way of getting rid of stress.  I once drank an entire bottle of Bombay Sapphire and smelled like gin for a week!  I don't think I could manage that now.  Anytime I even start to get a buzz my aged body just wants to sleep.  One or two beers is usually enough to knock me out.

[Cosmoline]

Nope, not interested.
Every time I see someone drinking, even small amounts, I see things I don't want to go through.

That's strange.  What is it you see?  I've had the experience of drinking wine that runs more than my paycheck per bottle, and with filet mignon and some shitake mushrooms it was one of the greatest moments of my mouth's life (esp. since I wasn't paying!).  And I really like the local brews.  They're not always good, but they're always interesting.  To shun a beverage because it has some quantity of alcohol in it has never made any sense to me.  It seems a bizarre relic of puritanical zeal.

[RevDisk]

That's strange.  What is it you see?  I've had the experience of drinking wine that runs more than my paycheck per bottle, and with filet mignon and some shitake mushrooms it was one of the greatest moments of my mouth's life (esp. since I wasn't paying!).  And I really like the local brews.  They're not always good, but they're always interesting.  To shun a beverage because it has some quantity of alcohol in it has never made any sense to me.  It seems a bizarre relic of puritanical zeal.

Some folks can't stand the taste of alcohol.  Had an ex like that.  Any trace amount, even in cooking, made her nearly physically ill.

And yes, excellent wine is hideously expensive for a reason.  I had a glass of wine that was nearly a hundred years old that probably cost four or five digits.  The vineyard that created the wine was swiped out during the FIRST world war.  Cigars, fine whiskey and fine wines are a more expensive habit than some controlled substances.

[Trisha]

Yes!  Ther are some wonderful merlots and zinfandels out there that cost less than $20 a bottle - and we both love Irish coffee made with Jameson's 12 year when there's no option but to declare a bunny slipper commute day.

Beyond that?

A beer with a good Italian meatball sub, or pastrami - but that's about it.

If we have a drink over lunch or dinner at a restaurant, it's ONE.

EMS is pretty effective in curbing any impulse to drink and drive.

[Jamisjockey]

Yes!  Ther are some wonderful merlots and zinfandels out there that cost less than $20 a bottle - and we both love Irish coffee made with Jameson's 12 year when there's no option but to declare a bunny slipper commute day.

Beyond that?

A beer with a good Italian meatball sub, or pastrami - but that's about it.

If we have a drink over lunch or dinner at a restaurant, it's ONE.

EMS is pretty effective in curbing any impulse to drink and drive.

There is a white zin with a footprint on the label....can't remember the name but its good stuff.
I'm not much of a wine drinker.  Can't get the hang of it.  There are some wineries here in VA, I might try a few one day.

[SteveS]

A fair amount in college...mostly centered around some kind of drinking game (beer pong, quarter bounce, the century club, etc.).

Not very much now and not to intoxication.  I enjoy an occasional beer, especially microbrews, exotics, and home brews.  The cheaper stuff is ok, but if it is my turn to bring something, it will not be a domestic macro.

[Art Eatman]

I don't drink any more than I used to.  Don't drink any less, either.

A doctor told me if I didn't quit drinking, I'd go deaf.  I told him that I liked what I was drinking a lot better than what I was hearing.

I don't drink anything stronger than pop, but that ol' sumbitch'll drink danged near anything.

Ya know the difference between a drunk and an alcoholic?  Us drunks don't have to go to all those meetings.

Halfway serious:  I was around enough alkies in my younger years that while I didn't really worry about my own drinking, I kept an eye out for any pattern.  IOW, did it get to be a "Have to have a drink" or "Well, okay, why not?"  For me it was the latter.

Patternless.  Sip along day to day, dry spell, little party, sip, sip, big party, dry spell.  I like drinking but it's no big deal.

The main thing, I guess, is that I'm uninterested in drinking when I'm alone.  Oh, maybe a sundown beer if I've been working, but that's about it.  A rare after-supper brandy, on occasion.

I don't much like to be around people except when I'm in a good mood, so I guess that at worst I'm a happy drunk.   "Drunk", though, is a really, really rare thing.  Been a long, long time.

Probably oughta do something about that...

Art

 

[wmenorr67]

I drink once in awhile.  Of course being in Iraq that isn't happening for awhile.  I like to homebrew and microbrews when it comes to beer.  When it comes to liquor it depends on the mood and surroundings.

[grampster]

I drink beer now and then.  Usually Labatt's or Miller Hi Life when I do.  I like to sip on Red Breast Irish whiskey.  That is my favorite.  I also enjoy a good single barrel bourbon from time to time.  Single malt scotch whiskey such as Glenlivet or Glenfidich is a fine distraction.  I also like vsop cognac or a fine vsop brandy. 

In fact, a nice semi sweet wine enhanced with a dollop of brandy is pretty good too.

I guess what I'm saying is when I drink, I like to drink good stuff. Anything worth doing, is worth doing well.  I drink a couple times a week, usually on Wednesday nights and on Fridays when we usually go out to dinner with our crew.  Usually get a bit tipsy on both those nights. 

[mtnbkr]

There are some wineries here in VA, I might try a few one day.

Some?  There are a lot of wineries in Va.

Twice a year (spring and late summer), the wineries all gang up and do a big wine festival near The Plains, off of I66.  Last time I went, it was $25 to get in, but  you got unlimited tasting privileges.  Lots of good food, music, fun stuff, and wine.

Chris

[Matthew Carberry]

Many of my high school friends were of German Lutheran ancestry.  Man, those guys could drink.

Genetic huh? That explains alot I think to myself as I reflect on my German, Irish, Scottish, Native American ancestry  .

There's a fine genetic line between "like to drink" and "can handle one's liquor".  Everyone knows the Irish like to drink, no one says they handle it particularly well. 

[glockfan.45]

There's a fine genetic line between "like to drink" and "can handle one's liquor".  Everyone knows the Irish like to drink, no one says they handle it particularly well.  

 I guess thats where the German in me shines. We rent a cabin down in the Ozarks at the end of every summer with some friends and spend a week out on Northfork lake getting pulled around behind a boat. My friends were all amazed by my abililty to consume a whole 24 can case of beer between lunch and dinner and still ski better than them.  

[Manedwolf]

I drink once in awhile.  Of course being in Iraq that isn't happening for awhile.  I like to homebrew and microbrews when it comes to beer.  When it comes to liquor it depends on the mood and surroundings.

Nobody's hidden a still anywhere?