Why is drinking alcohol so popular?

Not a new phenomenon!
Drinking alcohol either socially or at home has been around since whoever it was turned grapes /barley/hops into alcohol!
Yes there are some people that can't seem to think they have had a good time without drinking so much that they can't actually remember anything about the night before!
I also don't drink alcohol - last time I was anywhere near drunk was on my 21st birthday and then , being escorted home by 2 friends, it was them that fell over and not me!
I just don't like the feeling of being out of control and can't see the point of not being able to remember if you had a good time or not!
If people want to drink wine or anything stronger, that is up to them. I'm quite happy with my soft drink and watch them make a fool of themselves !!

Love wine with dinner but trying to break the habit. I was bought up to think wine went with food and living in Greece for up to half of the year it is very difficult not to have a couple of glasses with a meal.
But here I am again in Crete with good intentions of three days a week off alcohol!! Hasn’t worked yet but trying hard.
Buying a soda stream when I get back to the Uk to encourage more soft drink days!

We are not drinkers in this household . My dh less so than I . My last glass of something might have been Christmas or probably the Christmas before. Cheese on the other hand ...

A college lecturer, when I did A level Sociology in the 1980's, said that if alcohol was invented now it would probably be banned.

It is strange that alcohol which is a mind- altering drug is not only legal but also socially correct. There are historical reasons for this situation, no doubt.

It is not so strange that some people like the taste of alcoholic drinks and foods. I guess those birds and grazing animals that get drunk on windfall apples and pears do so, not because it "helps them to socialise", but because of the calorie value and the taste.

M0nica

Elderlyperson I have asked this question before, but without an answer, you are nearly as good as an anti-vaxxer at not answering questions you are asked, but here goes again: what are your ideas on why drinking alcohol is so popular. In your many cogitations on the subject over so many years you must have formulated some sort of theory for this.

A second question.; Why don't any of the clear and concise answers you have had on this thread, that runs to nearly 5 pages not provide the answer you are looking for. What is it you want us to say that we are not?

Presumably the answer to both questions will be similar if not the same.

Put it up for discussion

The answer to your first question is that, as a result of reading this thread, that there are several factors.

One is reducing stress.

Another is feeling relaxed.

Another is conviviality.

Another is reducing a feeling of awkwardness in company.

I am thinking that another reason is blending in with the crowd.

The answer to the second question is that the premise of the question is wrong, because I now have a better idea of the reasons.

Thank you.

I wonder where we would have gone?

I do have a restricted diet, as I mentioned in another thread, but that is mostly not about being vegan.

www.gransnet.com/forums/food/1297428-Alternatives-to-traditional-cows-milk-views-and-suggestions-please

ElderlyPerson I'd offer to take you out, guarantee to find you an alcoholic drink you would find palatable and maybe after a few you'd realise the attraction. Unfortunately I think you're a bit obsessed with not putting anything you think harmful into your body, so there's no point. I don't understand why vegans make their lives so difficult and restrict their diet so much. I just accept they do.

Elderlyperson I have asked this question before, but without an answer, you are nearly as good as an anti-vaxxer at not answering questions you are asked, but here goes again: what are your ideas on why drinking alcohol is so popular. In your many cogitations on the subject over so many years you must have formulated some sort of theory for this.

A second question.; Why don't any of the clear and concise answers you have had on this thread, that runs to nearly 5 pages not provide the answer you are looking for. What is it you want us to say that we are not?

Presumably the answer to both questions will be similar if not the same.

Put it up for discussion

Elderlyperson
There’s more chance of me understanding applied maths than there is for you to understand why people drink.
Give up now. Your never going to get it.

Apologies!

If you want to start a thread about veganism that is open to you.
I simply believed this to be a discussion about alcohol.

Obviously I'm mistaken.

AmberSpyglass

I guess my issue is that it didn’t feel like the opening to a discussion, more a pontification. Maybe it’s a gender thing, if another male poster had a similar issue.

Oh dear, I didn't intend it as pontificating.

What changes need to be made so that it does not appear to be a pontification please?

M0nica

Rufus2 We are not hounding anyone, someone asked a question he has been given much the same answer many times but is choosing not to understand it.

The answer we have given is 'It is a matter of taste as with any other food' and because is associated with, and has been since the dawn of time, parties and socialising because it contains a substance that relaxes people's minds.

Coffee and tea have much the same effect but in a different way, which is why they too are also consumed when people get together and socialise.

I am not choosing not to understand it.

We are just chatting.

This thread might get into the Gransnet daily post tomorrow, then the posts might really start arriving!

I guess my issue is that it didn’t feel like the opening to a discussion, more a pontification. Maybe it’s a gender thing, if another male poster had a similar issue.

If you open a door in a discussion, it is open for all.

And that's not what happened to the other grandad at all.

Rufus2 We are not hounding anyone, someone asked a question he has been given much the same answer many times but is choosing not to understand it.

The answer we have given is 'It is a matter of taste as with any other food' and because is associated with, and has been since the dawn of time, parties and socialising because it contains a substance that relaxes people's minds.

Coffee and tea have much the same effect but in a different way, which is why they too are also consumed when people get together and socialise.

I am also not a drinker,i don't mind a baileys sometimes or even a lager and lime on a hot day, but can't stand wine tastes like vinegar to me,even so called good wine
I am pleased i don't like it.my ex was an alcoholic and 2 of my sons are too,it is terrible seeing the damage it can do,
I was at a party once when the man sat next to me started making comments that i was unusual and should enjoy myself ,nothing wrong with it he said,
He was a heavy drinker,he is dead now,through drink
I am still here
Nothing wrong with liking a drink, but know when to stop

Apols for the many typos in my post, too many to mention, a case of fingers faster than brain.

And no, I have not been drinking. Though I might raise a glass later this evening

kjmpde I'm very similar in age to you, though my experiences of alcohol as a child are verydifferent.

We were allowed in working men's clubs on a Saturday afternoon, with a glass of lemonate and a packet of crisps while our Dad's drank 'dirty beer'. My parents often had parties back at our flat after the pubs had closed where the alchohol flowed and we watched with great amusement the adults efforts and dancing.

My Dad drank from the age of 15 until he was given a red card for liver problems at 65. He stopped overnight and lived another 22 years. He didnt miss the alcohol, though he did miss the social 'crack' in the pubs and clubs that came with it.

I think there is a need here to go back to the original question.

ElderlyPerson said this:
I really don't understand why drinking alcohol is so popular and supplying it is such a major industry

So, the first question has been covered. Some of us like it. The use of mind-altering drugs is as old as the hills. Alcohol is in this country a legal one. So, if you want to, you can enjoy an alcoholic drink occasionally without risk of arrest.

The second question is equally simple - if people want something and will pay for it, someone will supply it. This is true whether it's a phone or a pineapple. If you market your product enough you make it appear more desirable and likely people will pay more.

That's it really I feel. I don't understand why you find this complex.

All of us make choices about what we eat and drink. We are fortunate in this country that we are able to make choices so we can decide according to what we like the taste/texture of and what we feel comfortable eating/drinking according to our religious and philosophical convictions.

I still feel the vegan thing was a red herring. I was only illustrating our right to choose our own diet, not throwing open the door to a new debate

When I was a child (now 63) children were not allowed in pubs, alcohol was rarely seen in the home - apart from Xmas. Now kids are taken into pubs and see most others drinking beer or spirits or win, alcohol takes up 2 or 3 aisles and therefore drunk at home. It is bizarre that some soft drinks are more expensive than alcohol. Stick with what you are happy with and have a nice soft drink

I am vegan as I hate animal cruelty if it can be avoided but I get why people eat meat- it’s what they are used to, they like it and they don’t really worry about the animals. I like a glass or two of white wine in the evening and understand that some people don’t like it and would prefer a cup of herbal tea, which I occasionally do. I don’t get what this thread is about though.

Cheers to that MawBe