What part of "I don't drink alcohol" do you not understand?

[Bloodsoul]

Haven't had this situation happen to me yet, although I have had several people wonder why I don't smoke (or at the least ask me for a light; a former boss said I look like the kind of guy who'd smoke).

[Jester]

I've only ever had one person give me a hard time about not drinking.

The bartender kept asking me why I didn't want actual booze and I kept telling him I just didn't. He told me he'd have me doing shots by the end of the night.

As a bartender, I feel the need to comment.

While he was out of line asking you why you didn't want actual booze, his telling you that he'd have you doing shots by the end of the night was not really out of line, as his very job is to sell alcohol, and he was merely throwing out a challenge, as it were, or being funny. He would have been out of line with that remark if you had told him, "I don't drink," but based on what you posted, you never actually said that, merely demurring that you didn't want to.

I hope that makes sense. I'm distracted by the project in the kitchen and the beer in my belly.

I am a great lover of the grape and the barley. I like to drink. I like to be drunk. I am well known as a someone who likes to do some drinking.

I knew there was a reason I liked you!

Oh, and full blown alcoholic is not acceptable either...

Even to a self-professed drunk like myself, an alcoholic is not acceptable. I call myself a drunk because I enjoy drinking and getting drunk, but this is a decision I make, not one that I have allowed to get beyond me. I can and often do refrain from drinking; I do not have to drink, as an alcoholic does, and I find alcoholics rather unpleasant company, to be perfectly honest.

...a former boss said I look like the kind of guy who'd smoke.

I have gotten that a lot in my life, but especially so when I had long hair. I looked like a stoner: long hair, concert shirts, ripped jeans--and of course I hung out with the stoners/headbangers, so people naturally assumed I smoked.

I have never had a single puff from a cigarette in my 39.5 years.

And yet, even with my shorter hair now, people still occasionally ask me for a smoke. Surprisingly often, I get this from coworkers, even though none of them have ever seen me smoke....."Really? I could have sworn you smoked!" And when I say I get this from coworkers, I'm talking about people that have worked with me for many months!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

See, Jester, you get it. There is a big difference between an alchoholic and being simply a drunk. I am not the former, but I am certainly, under the right circumstances, the latter.

[Broomjockey]

I am certainly, under the right circumstances, the latter.

And mayhaps under the table, too?

[Seshat]

Okay. Now I'm asking out of curiousity.

What is the pleasure in being drunk? And how drunk is pleasureable?

Just enough to feel somehow different? (How does it feel, anyway?)

Enough to be one of those laughing, slightly idiotic but apparently mostly-in-control sorts?

Is it still fun when you're leering, intimidating and rowdy? (Some people seem to love that.)

How about when you're reeling down the street, vomit on your shirt, making lewd suggestions to passing women and asking passing men 'waddyustarinat?'

I assume the last one is not fun, to the people on this board. I suspect the second last probably doesn't feel intimidating from the inside, but it certainly scares me.

[Jester]

What is the pleasure in being drunk? And how drunk is pleasureable?

It's fun. It's fun to get that feeling going in your head, to feel slightly out of control, and to have your inhibitions lowered somewhat. Now, I drink socially, and I treat it as a social thing. Sure, I'll have some drinks at home on my own, but that is because I like the taste and feel of alcohol. But drinking and getting drunk with other people is entertaining, and it's just amusing to be in that kind of party mentality with others.

Perhaps I am not explaining this all that well, but then, it might be like trying to explain the pleasures of bicycling to someone who finds bikes to be uncomfortable inefficient modes of transportation.

Just enough to feel somehow different? (How does it feel, anyway?)

Hard to explain and make it sound good. And I come from a sales and advertising family and background. It is just something you either like or don't. I like it. Others don't. Just like anything else, it varies from person to person.

Enough to be one of those laughing, slightly idiotic but apparently mostly-in-control sorts?

I could say yes here, but that pretty much describes me when I'm sober, too!

Is it still fun when you're leering, intimidating and rowdy? (Some people seem to love that.)

I am often rowdy, drunk or not. I don't usually leer, or at least not obviously so. Intimidating? Only to the guys who date my teenage nieces, or to guys I feel are in some way endangering or who could endanger or hurt my female friends. Generally speaking though, no.

How about when you're reeling down the street, vomit on your shirt, making lewd suggestions to passing women and asking passing men 'waddyustarinat?'

Definitely not me. While I have certainly gotten out of control, and I'll freely admit that, I don't puke from alcohol (in the last 19 years, I have puked from alcohol a total of 3 times, and once was my 21st birthday), I don't usually make lewd suggestions to women when I am hammered that I would not already make when sober, and I am not the type to start fights.

I'm more the guy who is notorious for "dozing off" (i.e., passing out) while standing in the corner of the bar holding his beer. And not, I might point out, dropping said beer.

Every now and again I like to grab takeout at a fancy restaurant, a bottle of wine and then go home, throw on some sweats and munch in front of the TV with a glass of wine. I want someone who could do that with me. The people I make friends with have nothing to do with this particular thing and therefore I don't care whether they drink or not.

I saw this earlier, and meant to comment on it, and forgot....so here goes.

Why could you not share this with someone who didn't drink? I mean, if you met someone that loved to curl up in front of the tv in sweats and munch on the same kind of food, but would prefer to do it with, say, juice or milk or soda to wine, and they didn't care if you preferred the vino....would that still be a roadblock to you having a relationship with them?

I'm simply curious.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I have never vomited from alchohol. That would be a huge deterent to me if I ever did. It takes very little for me to get tipsy...not enough to cause me to get sick. It does not take enough for me to get full on drunk to make me vomit.

Closest I ever came was the morning after one of our parties after I'd drunk a bunch of mescal and much later drank hard cider. I didnt get sick but my stomach was so queasy I actually wanted to throw up. I didn't though, I just had to tough it out until I felt better.

I like the feeling of being giddy'relaxed, and euphoric, and that is how it feels to me. I am not an obnoxious drunk, my friends would not tolerate me drinking if I was. I do not leer or make others uncomfortable (well, except for the guy who I smashed in the face with my boobs, but that guy had it coming.).

It really just helps me relax and be able to loosten up. It also helps me focus a bit if I am, say, writing or doing something that I need to be able to concentrate on.

I tend to be fairly in control of what comes out of my mouth. I've never blacked out or did things that got me into trouble later.

[Jester]

I have never vomited from alchohol.

I have, but as stated earlier, only three times in the last forever. So rare is it that I can tell you specifically each time.

June 8, 1991. My 21st birthday. 'Nuff said.

October 23rd, 2005. Hurricane Wilma. The change in pressure coupled with the really cheap margaritas I was drinking did not do a body good.

February 1, 2009. Super Bowl party. My idiot friend Photo Dude was hellbent on taking as much advantage of the open bar as possible, so kept ordering shot after shot after shot. Unfortunately for me, he kept ordering them for me, too. The problem with this picture is that PD is much larger than me, and while I can drink with the big boys, this was a bit too much. And at one point in the evening, while I was in the bathroom, as I was washing my hands, I realized something wasn't right, and I leaned over to the trash can and hurled. And then went back to the bar and kept drinking...but not shots. I put PD on notice after that that this year, other than our traditional shot at kickoff, he orders shots for himself only...I'll do them when I feel like it.

As I said, a rare occurrence.

I've never blacked out or did things that got me into trouble later.

At this time I would like to invoke my Fifth Amendment right to not comment on that on the basis that it will almost certainly incriminate me.....

[Seshat]

Hm. Okay, thank you both for answering. I do appreciate it. I just need to think about it before giving a more complete response.

[draggar]

... and of course it's New Year's eve and we're going to her friend's house and guess what?

She bought more Sidra "Well, you need to drink something"

WTF???

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Hm. Okay, thank you both for answering. I do appreciate it. I just need to think about it before giving a more complete response.

Actually, "No, thank you." is an totally complete and polite and adequate response, and is accepted by polite people the world over.

[ralerin]

I'm 21, only had an 8th of a glass of a mojito on my birthday, wine at mass, really watered down champagne. I found out 3 things with me and alcohol.

1. I would make a very angry/moody leaning towards angry drunk. =/ I got very, very, very, very quiet when I had that mojito, and that's the first sign that I will go on a rampage later on. Yell, scream, break crap, fall down into a puddle of tears weeping about my dead dog at the base of a lightpole, that sort of thing.

2. I hate the taste of alcohol. Tequila is nasty, rum is nasty, all wine except for a tiny bit of a good, dry white wine, beer, whatever. I hate it, it sucks. BLEH!

3. I get headaches from alcohol really fast. Not at all fun.

Edit to add: SM at Aid of Rite made an offhand comment to Manager S2 that "Oh she's not a drinker...yet". Like, I'm not a drinker now but will be. If I'm not interested in drinking now, I doubt I will be later on.

[Jester]

...rum is nasty...beer... sucks.

More rum and beer for me! BONUS!

[Damien]

I do not drink at all - I do get hassled alot by co workers and by people who 'buy' me a beer without asking if I wanted one - they get very persistent and one even tried to pin me down to force me to drink it (no longer a friend and he came off very much second best).

There is no reason why I don't drink other than choosing not to.

[pitmonkey]

Being a CC cannot drink while out and have to stay out of bars.