# Do you drink?



## der_kluge (Aug 8, 2005)

On ENworld, I've noticed several people indicating that they don't drink. I wonder if this is unique amongst gamers?  I personally don't drink, and I know that there are several others on here who do not.  So, out of curiosity, here's a poll.


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## diaglo (Aug 8, 2005)

i homebrew. so yes, i do drink.


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## Aeolius (Aug 8, 2005)

I am part owner of an Anheuser-Busch distributorship. 'Nuf said.


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## BiggusGeekus (Aug 8, 2005)

Funny you should ask, I just cut way, way back starting about a week ago.


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## JimAde (Aug 8, 2005)

diaglo said:
			
		

> i homebrew. so yes, i do drink.



 I haven't done any brewing in a long while, but I've made a few batches of Irish stout (Guinness knock-off) that were quite drinkable.  Once the construction is done at my house I'm planning to whip up another batch. 

So what's your favorite recipe?


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## Queen_Dopplepopolis (Aug 8, 2005)

I drink every now and then... I really like girly drinks.  Especially ones that are frozen, pink, or topped with whipped cream (or - better yet - especially ones that are fromzen, pink, AND topped with whipped cream!)


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## diaglo (Aug 8, 2005)

JimAde said:
			
		

> So what's your favorite recipe?



i do okay with a red ale. and pretty good with a stout.

but i'm awful at lager.

i also have on occassion made blackberry brandy or elderberry wine.

and some corn liquor. and potato swill. stuff will make you go blind.


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## Laurel (Aug 8, 2005)

I drink at parties and often will have a glass of wine with dinner, but that's about it. 

Normally, I'm the sober one when my husband and I drink out since I hate beer, and paying $8 for a mojito just doesn't seem worth it.


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## diaglo (Aug 8, 2005)

Laurel said:
			
		

> I drink at parties and often will have a glass of wine with dinner, but that's about it.
> 
> Normally, I'm the sober one when my husband and I drink out since I hate beer, and paying $8 for a mojito just doesn't seem worth it.



i prefer a cuba libre.


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## Dakkareth (Aug 8, 2005)

I drink alcohol so rarely it's close to a 'No'. Part of it is reasoning - my brain is my greatest asset and I don't want to ruin it - but the larger part is simple: I just don't like the taste of most beverages. Cider is fine and so are some kinds of wine, but that's about it. And these are generally not the kind of thing you'd drink when at a pub with some friends.


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## Aust Diamondew (Aug 8, 2005)

I like drinking.  It's fun being drunk.  Now like all things you need to use moderation and it's a bad idea to drive while drunk, walking home is much more fun


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## cvrinn (Aug 8, 2005)

I drink socially as do all 7 of my group's players.  Some more, some less.  There is usually some form of drink at our sessions, but not much as most of us have to drive a ways after we are done.  Any drinking is usually done at the beginning of a 5+ hour session.

My preferred drinks are beer and mead.


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## Arnwyn (Aug 8, 2005)

I voted "very rarely, I just don't care for it much".

I _want_ to drink - a cold beer looks so damn good after a round of golf on a hot day - until I take a sip, and it tastes like .


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## VirgilCaine (Aug 8, 2005)

Drinking is not my thing. I could see drinking wine for the health benefits, since wine helps your heart and my family is big on heart attacks and such, but in general, drinking isn't attractive to me and neither are people who do.


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## Shemeska (Aug 8, 2005)

I'm a diabetic (type I) so simply with regards to that, it's somewhere between rarely and no. I do enjoy it, but it's honestly not worth dealing with the aftereffects on my blood sugar levels. I've probably consumed just over a bottle of wine in the past three years total, though once research progresses to the point that I'm no longer diabetic, I'd probably increase my consumption more at social and special occasions.


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## der_kluge (Aug 8, 2005)

I think Dakkareth and I share the same philosophy on drinking - I like to maintain control of my mental faculties.

I got drunk once. It was three-sheets to the wind, nearly unconscious drunk. I didn't fool around. I even threw up some black stuff - probably part of my lung. It was horrible. I did it once, I think just to say that I did it once. I'll never do it again.

For the most part, I hate the taste of beer, though I realize that not all beer is alike. I just don't have the patience or budget to try all the kinds of beer in the world, so for now, "I hate beer" will just have to do.

I do on occasion buy some wine coolers, and will drink those from time to time. But that's about the extent of it. If I'm at a place like a comedy club that has a drink minimum, I usually order a Tom Collins. It's like alchololic lemonade. At one time I had the stuff at home to make those myself, but that was a very rare thing to drink one.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Aug 8, 2005)

While I'm technically underage here in the States, I'm not in most other countries. I was polite and had some wine and such while in France, but its really just not my thing. I don't like the taste of beer, wine, or pretty much anything else with alcohol. Part of it is probably an aversion I've built into myself because my two parents screwed themselves up because of drinking(Dad is still recovering from really screwing his life and mine up when I was younger and Mother is, and has been, dieing for the last four years because her liver is essentially nothing).

And besides, I've got coffee, coke, etc...those are far too addictive as it is.


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## Wombat (Aug 8, 2005)

Aside from a couple of brief periods where I drank _quite_ a lot (such as when my fiancee left me), I tend to restrict the drinking I do to the weekends.  About once or twice a year I'll get pretty toasty, but for the most part I prefer to have one drink on a Friday and another on a Saturday.  Mellows matters out without getting out of hand.


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## Crothian (Aug 8, 2005)

I never have and I doubt I ever will.


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## The Grumpy Celt (Aug 8, 2005)

My father and I have made wine for several years. I rarely drink during a game.


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## Desdichado (Aug 8, 2005)

Never have, never will.  Doesn't interest me in the slightest.


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## Rel (Aug 8, 2005)

I really enjoy a beer or two once in a while.  I'm diabetic too and it isn't the best thing in the world for me but I've learned to control the blood sugar thing reasonably well and I don't drink very often so what the hell.

The ENWorlders I've met probably think I drink a lot because I most often see them at Game Days, and I almost always have a couple of beers at dinner before and after the Game Day.  It's gotten to the point that they know what beer I'm going to order at the After Dinner at Rock Ola Cafe. 

I'd say that on average, my wife and I probaby drink one six-pack between us in any given two week period, plus a bottle of wine once a month.


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## diaglo (Aug 8, 2005)

Rel said:
			
		

> I'm diabetic too.



moi aussi.

diaglo "A1c in 6 to 7 range" Ooi


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## Umbran (Aug 8, 2005)

I am quite capable of acting like a complete yahoo without the help of chemical inducement, thanks.  If I'm going to intentionally injure my brain, I want a little bit mor to show for it than a hangover


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## IronWolf (Aug 8, 2005)

I went with the social and at meal time option.  I am long past my days of partying, I left those back in college and the years just after college.  I do however enjoy the taste of a fine beer with my meal or in the evening.  So the fridge usually has at least some flavor of beer in it, but the binge days are long gone.


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## DungeonmasterCal (Aug 8, 2005)

I barely ever drink now; maybe a beer every 2 or 3 months.  But I like alchohol...all alchohol.  Of all the drinks I've ever tried, ouzo and grappa didn't suit me.  I used to be pretty hard core; drunk every day and twice on my days off.  I'm a happy drunk.  I can't be made to fight or even angry.  I do silly things that sometimes endanger my wellbeing, but damn they can be funny.

Having realized that, I stopped.  I did my bit in the war on sobriety, and I retired with honors.


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## sniffles (Aug 8, 2005)

arnwyn said:
			
		

> I voted "very rarely, I just don't care for it much".
> 
> I _want_ to drink - a cold beer looks so damn good after a round of golf on a hot day - until I take a sip, and it tastes like .




There, that's me, too. I keep tasting my man's microbrews, but never yet have I tasted one that made me want to drink a whole bottle. The smell of hops is nasty to me (same for coffee). I also have a very low tolerance for alcohol, and I find the sensation of being 'tipsy' very unpleasant. It's like having "medicine head", feeling like my brain is encased in a helium balloon that's floating about 20 feet from my body. Not at all enjoyable.


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## HellHound (Aug 8, 2005)

I have a lot of (non-gaming) friends who don't drink. So I don't think it's really a gamer thing.

That said, I do drink, but pretty rarely. When I drink, I do it with the purpose of getting drunk. Technically alcohol abuse, but I can't understand why I would drink with any other purpose. Drinking for me is something I do at most four times a year.


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## glass (Aug 8, 2005)

I voted for 'Socially in moderation', but I really need another category above that, but below 'almost every day'.

I usually only drink once or twice a week, but I have been known to drink as much as 12 or 15 pints in one session (although I try not to make a habit of it ).


glass.


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## carpedavid (Aug 8, 2005)

I dislike the feeling of being tipsy to the same extent that I enjoy the taste of beer, wine, and most booze. Therefore, I drink often, but never to the point of intoxication (one to two beers, shots, drinks, or glasses of wine every couple of days).


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## glass (Aug 8, 2005)

sniffles said:
			
		

> I also have a very low tolerance for alcohol, and I find the sensation of being 'tipsy' very unpleasant.



Of course your alcohol tolerance will be low if you don't drink. Mine was low when I was 15. It's rather higher now...

I'm not saying you should start drinking to boost your tolerance, it was just an observation  .


glass.


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## Thornir Alekeg (Aug 8, 2005)

Dakkareth said:
			
		

> I drink alcohol so rarely it's close to a 'No'. Part of it is reasoning - my brain is my greatest asset and I don't want to ruin it - but the larger part is simple: I just don't like the taste of most beverages. Cider is fine and so are some kinds of wine, but that's about it. And these are generally not the kind of thing you'd drink when at a pub with some friends.




That's similar to me as well.  I'll have wine a few times a year with dinner, or go out with friends and have a singel drink sometimes.  I don't see why cider is not something you drink at the pub with friends other than the fact that many places don't serve it.


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## Belen (Aug 8, 2005)

I have not had a drop since July 2000.  I detest the taste of alcohol.  My vice is Diet Dr. Pepper.


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## wingsandsword (Aug 8, 2005)

I drink rarely.  I have at most one or two drinks a month, and then only with a meal or with somebody else.  People say I'm a happy, funny drunk when I've had a margarita or a rum & coke or two, and if I've had a rough day it does help relax, but I don't like to lose control of my body or be reliant on an outside substance for an emotional state, so I sharply limit my alcohol intake.

Now, I wouldn't say that gamers don't drink though.  Admittedly, most of the gamers I know are college students (or college dropouts), and from a game I'm in on Wed. night we've got one player who comes straight from a bar every night, and one who has dropped out of the game because he's always at that same bar getting drunk (and everybody pretty much knows he's an alcoholic), so as cautious as I am around alcohol, I know people who imbibe with reckless abandon.


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## The_Universe (Aug 8, 2005)

I don't have a philosophical problem with drinking, but I've never been drunk (not even on the day I turned 21!) and I probably never will be. When I was growing up, neither of my parents drank (although they did usually share a single wine cooler on the New Years Eves I can remember from early childhood) so it's just not something I ever associated with "normal" social activity. 

Over time, this has put me at somewhat of a disadvantage, because nearly everyone else *does* associate socializing with drinking.

But as to my specific tastes, I'm not a fan of most beers, though there are a few I don't loathe (Yuengling, to wit). I don't care for most wines (though some of the sweeter white wines are ok) and so if I *am* going to drink, I usually go right to the hard stuff. 

If we're at a friend's party, I'll have a vodka and diet coke and then call it good. I don't want to be rude, but I don't really want to get trashed, either. I know my limits (I start to get tipsy at around 7 drinks) but I've rarely tested them.

EDIT: But my real vice is diet sunkist. I can drink an entire 12 pack on a good day.


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## Mista Collins (Aug 8, 2005)

der_kluge said:
			
		

> If I'm at a place like a comedy club that has a drink minimum, I usually order a Tom Collins. It's like alchololic lemonade.




Ahhh, Tom Collins. He is a good man, he is a family man.

I think what saved me from giving up drinking is that I never had a huge 21st B-day celebration. For all of you who remember that HUGE power outage the Midwest/Northeast portion of the States had, well that happened on my 21st B-day. No bars were open in my area, so I sat at home played Euchre (Michigan Rummy as some call it) and had a tall glass of coke (family doesn't stock alcohol).

Anyways, I drink socially. If i go out to eat at dinner I like to order a drink. I hate beer. I can tolerate most wine, and I love mixed drinks. The best drink I have ever had is from Bennigan's and it is called Jameson Irish Lemonade. I liked it so much I asked exactly how they make it, and they told me. I searched high and low to find one ingredient, but could not find anywhere that stocked it. So I went back to Bennigan's and bought a bottle of that from the store. Since then, Bennigan's will order an extra bottle of the ingredient and I usually buy it off of them (for the cost it costs them). If you drink, if you like mix drinks, and if there is a Bennigans near you, GO NOW and have it.


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## Desdichado (Aug 8, 2005)

BelenUmeria said:
			
		

> My vice is Diet Dr. Pepper.



Especially Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper.


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## fusangite (Aug 8, 2005)

I worked in politics for 13 years, at the end of which time I was basically an alcoholic. To my surprise, I have been steadily cutting back every year without joining a twelve-step program or anything. I now drink about three times a week, down from four about a year ago. I think between about 1998 and 2000, I was drunk almost constantly.

EDIT: I looked into some nutritional information a few years ago and determined that I could theoretically meet nearly all my nutritional and recreational needs with Guiness and sushi.


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## reveal (Aug 8, 2005)

I actually did more drinking, and getting drunk, *before* I turned 21 than after. It's not much fun when it's legal. 

When we buy beer, it's a luxury. Maybe once a month. I don't like all beers but I do enjoy the actual taste of beer and don't like to get drunk anymore. When I buy beer, I get the ones I enjoy (like Tsing Tao, Blue Moon, or Guiness). Wine is more to my liking. I love a good wine and am a huge fan of Reislings. I think a good wine can compliment a good meal greatly (and in some cases make a bad meal a lot better ). If I'm not driving, or I know I won't be driving for a while, I will usually have one or two glasses of wine when we eat out, depending on the restaurant of course.


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## Psion (Aug 8, 2005)

I drank while I was in the Navy. While I had some fun, I never got enough out of the experience to be worth the day after (which seemed to get worse as I got older), and I am generally of the opinion looking at the lives of some close to me that have suffered from alcohol abuse that I am better off without it.


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## Shemeska (Aug 8, 2005)

*Typed while drinking a double espresso*



			
				BelenUmeria said:
			
		

> I have not had a drop since July 2000.  I detest the taste of alcohol.  My vice is Diet Dr. Pepper.




While the diabetic angle keeps me from drinking much (A1C around 6.2), caffeine is my vice in a major way.

When I'm running a game I'll go through 4 liters of diet mountain dew code red over the course of the afternoon/evening. And then there's the amount of espresso I drink, which has built up a rather ... high... tolerance for my drug of choice that would make a mormon scream I'm sure. *chuckle*

I'm grumpy without my caffeine fix each day, but damn do I enjoy that fix.


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## MonkeyDragon (Aug 8, 2005)

I drink very rarely.  I've never been drunk and don't plan to be.  I find the notion of forcibly altering my body chemistry unsettling, and I don't need to be drunk to have a good time and be silly.  

However, I would probably drink a little more except for two things.  One, I don't like the taste of most alcohol.  It's just too strong for me, and I don't like sour or bitter tastes.  I hate even the smell of beer.  The other is drinking is terribly expensive.  I'm not going to spend 6 bucks on a cocktail (amaretto sour is the only thing I really love) when I could drink water for free then get a dessert.  So I'll get a drink when out to dinner with my family on a special occasion (and someone else's wallet) but I don't find it worth it to buy something to drink and possibly not like it anyway.


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## Nellisir (Aug 8, 2005)

I drink socially, or at mealtimes.  I like having a little buzz, but drink rarely enough that it doesn't take more than a glass of wine to do it.  After two drinks, my wife usually starts laughing at me -- she's allergic to alcohol, and therefore always the designated driver.

I'm pretty much straight wine now, occasionally cider or a beer.  I've found a few beers I like, but can't ever remember the brands.  :-/

Cheers
Nell.


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## loki44 (Aug 8, 2005)

I like to drink.  I'm American but I grew up around realtives from the "old country" (Lithuania) who had very different attitudes about drinking than most of my friends' families.  For the most part Europeans just seem to be much more relaxed about drinking, less uptight.  It's more natural so, while they might consume alcohol on a fairly regular basis it is done with a healthier attitude that leads to less aberrant behavior.


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## Valgard (Aug 8, 2005)

I'm a winemaker so drinking is something of a daily routine. Most of the friends I game with drink as well, we often have cocktail evenings and sessions when we play boardgames or poker. Strangely we never drink whilst roleplaying, though I have been known to have a quick drink before I DM, I find it makes me less self-conscious when playing NPC's.


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## Templetroll (Aug 8, 2005)

fusangite said:
			
		

> I worked in politics for 13 years, at the end of which time I was basically an alcoholic. To my surprise, I have been steadily cutting back every year without joining a twelve-step program or anything. I now drink about three times a week, down from four about a year ago. I think between about 1998 and 2000, I was drunk almost constantly.
> 
> EDIT: I looked into some nutritional information a few years ago and determined that I could theoretically meet nearly all my nutritional and recreational needs with Guiness and sushi.








			
				http://www.beerhistory.com/library/holdings/raley_timetable.shtml said:
			
		

> Before the Middle Ages *brew*ing was left to women to make since it *was considered a food * as well as celebration drink.




I dun know nuthin' about sushi.    

Our regular group will often have a Newcastle Brown Ale before the game.  I don't think anyone has had more than a second beer or a wine cooler while we played.

Now, way back when my first group would gather at my place and we gamed for the weekend we easily went through a case of Molson's Golden Ale or Moosehead.  Surprisingly, the stupidest thing we ever did in a game during that timeframe we were all sober, just mind-numbingly dumb.  Took us several months to get out of that <expletive deleted> maze!  Our _party _ actually survived the heat-death of the universe due to our deliberately continuing in a time trap corridor in the maze.  The DM explained that heat-death thing as everything went boom and then cold while magic kept our time trapped corridor going and because of us being _there _ our ring of djinn summoning kept that poor ol' djinni safe and _BORED_ for all those millennium..  ia...  uh, really long time.  The djinn was seriously ticked when we finally summoned him.


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## DungeonmasterCal (Aug 8, 2005)

Templetroll said:
			
		

> I dun know nuthin' about sushi.




I love me some sushi.



			
				Templetroll said:
			
		

> Our regular group will often have a Newcastle Brown Ale before the game.  I don't think anyone has had more than a second beer or a wine cooler while we played.




"That Newcastle Brown can sure knock ya down." Humble Pie--"30 Days in the Hole".  Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I was listening to that song as I read your post.


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## was (Aug 8, 2005)

On occasion.


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## JoeBlank (Aug 8, 2005)

I voted the "more than most" category, but the description is not quite me. I probably have a drink or two once or twice per week, but rarely drink to intoxication. I'd say I get a buzz on maybe once or twice per month.

Of course, this weekend was one of the exceptions, celebrated my dad's birthday and the entire family was together for the first time since Christmas. Beer and margaritas while we grilled out, wine with dinner and then scotch after and I was what I refer to as "knee-walking" drunk. 

Usually it is just a beer or glass of wine with dinner, maybe another after dinner or a glass of scotch.


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## Teflon Billy (Aug 8, 2005)

I drink socially. Probably about once a week.

Mostly I just drink whiskey over crushed ice, but in the past my drinks have been drinks of our (meaning my peer group's) own creation...

Vodka/Fresca: ("The Bitter Pill")

Vodka/Dr. Pepper ("The Dr. Zhivago")

Vodka/Sunny D/Grape juice ("The Swampy Jawbreaker")

Spiced Rum/Coke and Lime ("Modern Grog")

Rum/Vodka/Tang/Blue Curacao ("The Punch a Cop")

Vodka/Orange Juice/Blue Curcao ("The Emerald Screwdriver")

Coffee/Tia Maria/Kahlua/Spiced Rum ("The Stars")

...and Guinness


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## The_Universe (Aug 8, 2005)

Teflon Billy said:
			
		

> I drink socially. Probably about once a week.
> 
> Mostly I just drink whiskey over crushed ice, but in the past my drinks have been drinks of our (meaning my peer group's) own creation...
> 
> ...



 You guys invented guiness, eh? 

I credit you with fitting a whole loaf of bread into a glass, like that. That takes ingenuity.


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## Queen_Dopplepopolis (Aug 8, 2005)

Teflon Billy said:
			
		

> Vodka/Fresca: ("The Bitter Pill")




This is actually one of my absolute favorite drinks.  If you mix in a little strawberry daiquiri  mix, it's also quite tastey.  Additionally, equal parts Fresca and orange juice mixed with a shot or two of vodka is a nice, refreshing drink.

Fresca and rum is also quite delicious. 

... Really, I just like Fresca.


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## der_kluge (Aug 8, 2005)

Good to know that no one is drunk yet.    Maybe later tonight someone will answer that option.


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## Teflon Billy (Aug 8, 2005)

The_Universe said:
			
		

> You guys invented guiness, eh?
> 
> I credit you with fitting a whole loaf of bread into a glass, like that. That takes ingenuity.




Yeah, that was us


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## reveal (Aug 8, 2005)

Teflon Billy said:
			
		

> Yeah, that was us




BRILLIANT!


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## Morrus (Aug 8, 2005)

I get pretty drunk every Friday and Saturday night. Have done for the last 10 years, and doubt I'll be stopping any time soon - I enjoy it too much.  Lager or vodka usually (I tend to alternate them).

I never drink at home, though, for some reason.


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## Jdvn1 (Aug 8, 2005)

I'm somewhere between 'rarely' and 'socially'. I drink socially, but that's not too often. It's not that I don't care for it, it's that I don't care.


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## carpedavid (Aug 8, 2005)

Teflon Billy said:
			
		

> Rum/Vodka/Tang/Blue Curacao ("The Punch a Cop")




Just out of curiosity, what are the proportions for that?


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## haakon1 (Aug 8, 2005)

"Socially in moderation".  That's usually 2 beers at some party or another, 1-2 times a month.

I'll also take a shot of sherry or whiskey if I have a back.  Might be psychosomatic, but I think a shot is a bit of muscle relaxant/takes the edge off muscle pain.

I only get drunk in the UK, and I haven't been there since April.  It seems much more fun and social there in the US, because of the culture and public transportation.  Might also just be different friends with different pastimes.    

I am a bit of beer snob, though I have about a dozen or more I like for different reasons/occasions.


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## Brain (Aug 8, 2005)

I drink occasionally but not very often.  No hard and fast rules about it.


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## fusangite (Aug 8, 2005)

Hmmm... thinking of good gaming table drinks, 

1. Beer (all of Teflon Billy's campaigns)
2. Vodka and Coke (my friend Steve's Paranoia campaign)
3. Red Wine (my Monday night D&D game and my friend Casey's G1-3 revival)
4. Sangria (new drink of my Monday night game)
5. Rum and A&W Diet Root (my friend Alan's Mutants & Masterminds campaign)


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## Queen_Dopplepopolis (Aug 8, 2005)

fusangite said:
			
		

> 4. Sangria (new drink of my Monday night game)




I went out this weekend and really wanted a glass of Sangria... ordered it and it was **terrible**.  It was absolutely disgusting.

I love Sangria and whatever the name of the place I was eatting at ruined it.  *cries*

I think I'll try to make it myself this weekend.  Anyone have a good recipe?


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## reveal (Aug 8, 2005)

Queen_Dopplepopolis said:
			
		

> I went out this weekend and really wanted a glass of Sangria... ordered it and it was **terrible**.  It was absolutely disgusting.
> 
> I love Sangria and whatever the name of the place I was eatting at ruined it.  *cries*
> 
> I think I'll try to make it myself this weekend.  Anyone have a good recipe?




http://www.webtender.com/

That place has a lot of drinks and you can search for Sangria. Never had it myself. I also love the site because you can tell it what's "In My Bar" and it will give you a list of drinks you can make with those ingredients.


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## Richards (Aug 9, 2005)

I never have, and I never will.  I never saw the appeal in getting drunk, either.

Johnathan


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## Thotas (Aug 9, 2005)

I drink some.  Not much, usually with a meal, and seldom to past the point of a buzz -- which doesn't take long, I'm a lightweight.  

In the beer family, I like stouts (Guinness!) and porters (Black Butte!).  Pilsners are a sick joke.  I detest them, and IPAs as well.

Wines are good, reds and blushes preferred.  And japanese plum wine.  And ethiopian honey wine.  And champagne.  

I wish Oregon liquor stores could hook me up with some Vat 69 when it comes to scotch.  Other than that, my "hard liquour" is pretty much rum & coke, or whiskey sour.  Occasional Gaelic Sombrero (a nasty drink, but I like the aftertaste).  I had some mango liquer once that was great mixed with cranberry juice, but I don't know where to get that again.

I don't drink much, but I sure enjoy what little drinking I do!


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## Roadkill101 (Aug 9, 2005)

Anymore and I'm a light social drinker.
At 18 and in the Army, I was drunk off my arse every Friday and Saturday night (unless in "the field" which was only 6 to 8 weekend a year until Desert storm reared it's ugly head).  Being on the Advanced Team (or whatever we actually called it, I no longer recall) for any Alert missions and having to do a 5k run one morning for PT with a slight hangover, quickly disabsed me of the notion of drinking during week nights.  
If you're wondering, being on the Advance Team meant I had to leave with several other folks in full combat gear including the chemical gear, going out to some predetermined meeting point and testing the area for NBC agents (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) and reporting the local conditions back to the rest of the unit before they arrived.  The upside was I could tell officers to get the hell out of my way w/out worrying about getting in trouble, becausse we had to be rolling out the front gate within 30 minutes of the Alert being called (oh, yeah, none of them were for real, just training exercises).  The downside was they called the damn things around 2o a.m., and once on a weekend (where luckily, I was barely inebriated for the once).
In college I was frequently drunk and stoned on the weekends (and stoned throughtout most of the week).
Nowadays, I have a beer or two (and rarely also a shot of something) on game nights (every other weekend), but not always, either.  So thats roughly 2 to 4 beers a month on average.


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## Darkness (Aug 9, 2005)

> I drink socially, or at mealtime, but with moderation.
> I drink more than most, and enjoy a couple of drinks almost every day.



 I'm somewhere between these two options.


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## Morrus (Aug 9, 2005)

Richards said:
			
		

> I never have, and I never will.  I never saw the appeal in getting drunk, either.




It's simple - it feels good!

Unless you get _too_ drunk, of course.  Then it feels bad and whirly.  Haven't had the whirlies in a long time though.


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## Alzrius (Aug 9, 2005)

I drink very rarely. I suppose I'm not counting the thimble-worth of wine that my family drinks on Shabbot (which means Friday nights; I sometimes join in), but overall, it's a rare day that I drink alcohol (and when I do, never anything stronger than wine or some sort of fruit-flavored cooler).

For the most part, it's because alcohol causes me pain to drink. Unless I have quite a lot of food in my stomach, it doesn't even take a half-glass of wine to cause me some fairly intense stomach pain.


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## Morrus (Aug 9, 2005)

The poll is missing the option which would fit me, unfortunately, which is "I binge drink every weekend but don't tend to drink in between".  Unless a friend calls up and asks if I want to go out for a beer midweek, of course...


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## reveal (Aug 9, 2005)

Morrus said:
			
		

> The poll is missing the option which would fit me, unfortunately, which is "I binge drink every weekend but don't tend to drink in between".  Unless a friend calls up and asks if I want to go out for a beer midweek, of course...




Too bad this wasn't posted on a Friday or you could've chosen the last option.


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## Renton (Aug 9, 2005)

Usually only socially, probably 2-3 times a month.  I rarely drink to get drunk anymore; there are better means of intoxication, and they leave you with no hangover.    But I don't mind a glass of wine or a beer every now and then (preferably McEwan's or Murphy's Stout, maybe a Black and Tan).  Whiskey is probably the only hard liqor I'll drink; I've managed to give myself an aversion to most of the others.    And Bailey's is always good.


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## Renton (Aug 9, 2005)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> And besides, I've got coffee, coke, etc...those are far too addictive as it is.




A little nose candy eh?


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## Angel Tarragon (Aug 9, 2005)

Mostly socially, like at a Dinner with friends and/or family, but there are occassions when I drink by myself.


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## Harmon (Aug 9, 2005)

Can’t.  Both my parents are alcoholics, as was my Grandfather and Grandmother.  Its pretty near to being fact that alcoholism is genetic.  

My truth- I started drinking at five- little sips here and there, stolen from parents and friends of my parents.  By twelve my parents taught me to make Screw Drivers, by fifteen there weren’t many drinks I couldn’t make, and by seventeen I realized that my father’s drinking was a real serious problem and that I should quit before I became like him.

Mind you during the years between twelve and seventeen, if I wanted to drink I could.  By sixteen I could drink just about of my dad's drinking buddies under the table.

Finally in the end I quit- cold turkey.  A few months later Dad asked- “why did you quit drinking,” I was seventeen going on eighteen when we had this talk.

I looked him in the eyes and said as clearly as I could- “because I do not want to be like you,” turn and walked away.  

He has been clean and sober for near seventeen years now, because I said that to him.

BTW- your poll should reflect those that have stopped, or those that want to but can't.


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## kirinke (Aug 9, 2005)

Never did much care for the taste of most alchohol, except when used for cooking.

Now, gimmie a 12 pack of diet coke and 6 or more donuts and watch out baaybee. Or worse a big cuppa starbucks coffee and 6 or more donuts. 

To give you a clue.
My manager has expressly forbidden me from eating 3 or more donuts and starbucks coffee together. The entire department has limited me to 2 donuts and a coffee. Preferably less. 

On fridays we drink starbucks. I provide the whipped cream. 
Yummmmm.


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## devilbat (Aug 9, 2005)

Do I drink?  Hell yeah!  Socially, for the most part.  I do plan on drinking many over priced whatevers at the True Tavern at Gen Con, and I'm planning on tracking down Teflon Billy at said convention, to buy him that drink i've been offering.


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## Darkness (Aug 9, 2005)

Harmon said:
			
		

> I looked him in the eyes and said as clearly as I could- “because I do not want to be like you,” turn and walked away.



 This is similar to (but probably worse than) the reason why I can't drink coffee (much).
Which might have more to do with the coffee "addicts" I know than with coffee itself, but there you go.


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## Darth K'Trava (Aug 9, 2005)

I'm a social drinker. I don't drink often and usually not when I have to drive home afterwards. If so, then I only drink malt beverages or wine and fairly early in the evening as they make me sleepy. Most of my group may have a drink or two (beer or malt beverage) sometimes during a game but most times not. One guy abstains from drinking as it's against his moral code (think paladin!   ).


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## Romnipotent (Aug 9, 2005)

If I didn't have to leave the house today and it wasn't noon, I would have a beer with lunch. 
but it is noon and I do have to go out so cya

General practice here is to ignore most American name brand beers. They just taste like muddy water with some beer to flavour.

Then again Im partial to SuperShine 11% malt "wine" from Grand Ridge brewries


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## Aeolius (Aug 9, 2005)

Romnipotent said:
			
		

> General practice here is to ignore most American name brand beers....Then again Im partial to SuperShine 11% malt "wine" from Grand Ridge brewries




   I make my living selling Budweiser in North Carolina. Granted, years ago Anheuser-Busch forever altered my taste buds, when they began experimenting with specialty beers. Their first try, Elk Mountain Red, was their best, IMO. They also offered a Muenchener and a Pale Ale. A-B owns 25% of the Redhook brewery, so I can enjoy a cold Sunrye (current seasonal...Redhook's rye beers are superb) or a Redhook IPA. I like a hoppy, bitter beer, but not one with darker chocolate-tasting malt. I'm also fond of Kirin Ichiban, again brewed in the States by A-B.

   North Carolina is about to pass "pop the cap", rasing the alcohol limit in beer from 6% to 15%, similar to Virginia. That ought to be interesting.


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## Kanegrundar (Aug 9, 2005)

I drink, and I have the gut to prove it!

Alaskan Amber is the finest beer on the planet, IMO!!!  (I just wish I could get it here in MO rather than waiting for one of my friends in Washington state to bring me a case.  )

Kane


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## Kanegrundar (Aug 9, 2005)

reveal said:
			
		

> I actually did more drinking, and getting drunk, *before* I turned 21 than after. It's not much fun when it's legal.




Same here.  I started up in High School (shame on me) and through my first three years of college, but after I turned 21 I lost the desire.  I don't really know why, I guess the thrill was gone (what little thrill there was).  I still go to the bar with friends upon occasion, and there's usually beer in the fridge, but I don't have more than a bottle or two of beer or a glass or two of wine a week.  There are a couple times I have more than I should, but I'm smart about it (like I always have been) with no drinking and driving.  I cut back even more these days since my fiancee and I don't go out a lot, so it's down to 4th of July parties and whenever we go to a sports function (we tailgate at Royals, MU Tigers football, and Chiefs games...too expensive to buy beer in the stadium).

Beer is my drink of choice (Bud Select is a good, cheaper beer, and my current mass market fave), but I do drink Southern Comfort (either with cranbeery juice or straight), Jack, the occasional margarita, and wine.  (There's a winery about an hour from where I live that makes the best peach wine I've ever had.)

Kane


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## Masquerade (Aug 9, 2005)

I'm underage now, but my family has a history of alcoholism, and I've seen terrible things first-hand that would never have happened were it not for alcohol.

I do not intend to ever drink.


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## Campbell (Aug 9, 2005)

I get drunk socially about 2-3 times a month, and I also tend to have a beer or wine at a meal if it compliments the food I'm dining on. I just turned 21 today so I went to the bar with a friend and had a couple mudslides (as I'm a sucker for vodka-based drinks). In contrast to a lot of folks here I rather enjoy the slight loss of inhibitions that comes with being mildly sloshed. I feel like I'm a little too uptight when I'm completely sober, and a little social  lubrication  can go a long way. However, I haven't gotten trashed since my first semester at college.


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## Teflon Billy (Aug 9, 2005)

Campbell said:
			
		

> ...I just turned 21 today...




Seriously? I had you pegged as quite a bit older.

You are _big_ SOB


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## Aaron L (Aug 9, 2005)

Ive been drinking a lot more in the last few months than I ever had before (bad things have happened, but I still dont enjoy it all that much, it just helps things a bit sometimes)  Its just something do do in this god forsaken flea speck of a town I live in.  Given all that, I just HAD to come across this poll when I had in fact just gotten back from a bar and am drunk.  Go figure!


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## MonsterMash (Aug 9, 2005)

These days socially, but for a short period about 10 years back it was on a daily basis which is not too good.

Got to admit I'm happy enough to have a pint on my own sometimes, particularly at one of the pubs near work on the Thames, sit and read the paper while relaxing.


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## diaglo (Aug 9, 2005)

MonsterMash said:
			
		

> These days socially, but for a short period about 10 years back it was on a daily basis which is not too good.
> 
> Got to admit I'm happy enough to have a pint on my own sometimes, particularly at one of the pubs near work on the Thames, sit and read the paper while relaxing.



my wife and i did a bike tour of the Isle of Wight. rode from pub to pub.    

10-15 miles at a time. stop and have something at the pub for lunch and then ride on to the next stop for supper/tea/dinner. then stay at a b&b. wake up eat breakfast. ride to the next pub.

went all thru the new forest too.

best vacation we had over on your side of the pond.


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## Wyn A'rienh (Aug 9, 2005)

I drink occasionally.  I'm drinking a bit more now than I usually do, just because a nice cold beer is so yummy in the summertime.

Favorites include red ales, white russians, and red wines.


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## Alhazred (Aug 9, 2005)

I drink socially - chiefly beer, occasionally wine - but never while gaming.


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## sniffles (Aug 9, 2005)

glass said:
			
		

> Of course your alcohol tolerance will be low if you don't drink. Mine was low when I was 15. It's rather higher now...
> 
> I'm not saying you should start drinking to boost your tolerance, it was just an observation  .
> 
> ...




Not too long ago there was some news report about people who drink a certain amount having a reduction in certain types of cancer. Very depressing, as I don't drink and I've already had that type of cancer.


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## Campbell (Aug 9, 2005)

Teflon Billy said:
			
		

> Seriously? I had you pegged as quite a bit older.
> 
> You are _big_ SOB




I get that a lot. Last night, the bartender almost crapped her pants when I showed her my ID to get my free birthday vodka martini. To be fair, us Scots tend to be fairly tall and hairy which lends an older appearance during our later teens and twenties.


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## Old One (Aug 9, 2005)

*Hmmm...*

I was a party animal through my late teens (starting around 16) up through my late 20s.  Stupid stuff...like 14 beer funnels in 4 hours, "pulling the trigger" in order to keep drinking, etc.  Of course, "back in the day", the drinking age was 18...not 21 as it is today.  Being a party animal wasn't real smart, since I have a strong history of alcoholism on my father's side (grandfather, father, several uncles and numerous cousins on that side have struggled with alcohol and/or substance abuse issues).

The older I have gotten, the less I drink...so I chose "Drinks Socially".  I like a good glass of red wine (usually Merlot) with steak, a Guinness with Brats and an occassional Bacardi & Coke.  I have been known to knock back 3-4 beers in an extended social situation (basically 1/hr), but rarely (maybe 1x per year) get hammered (I define hammered as feeling hung-over the next day or suffering a serious decline in judgement while drinking).  I "think" about every drink I take...and put it down if I feel uncomfortable.

I probably average 1-2 drinks a week these days...

~ OO


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## Qlippoth (Aug 9, 2005)

I very much like beer. I prefer hoppy pale ales/India pale ales & probably go through 3-4 six-packs a week (plus the occasional pub crawl when the friends come a'calling).


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## billd91 (Aug 9, 2005)

I suppose I drink reasonably often but nearly always in moderation. An occasional beer with dinner, a beer while cooking over the grill, a beer or two while gaming... 
Heck, I just had a beer with lunch.

So why do I do it? I like beer. I'm not so much into other forms of alcohol other than a few mixed drinks or a small glass of Bailey's over ice. 

I don't get drunk often, maybe once a year on average. And I've only gone on benders a couple of times in the 15 years since I've turned legal.


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## JimAde (Aug 9, 2005)

Old One:  You've set off my cheese-head-ometer:

Used to have a drinking age of 18...check
Eats bratwurst...check
Knows what "hammered" means...check

Are you an expatriate Wisconsinite like me?


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## billd91 (Aug 9, 2005)

JimAde said:
			
		

> Old One:  You've set off my cheese-head-ometer:
> 
> Used to have a drinking age of 18...check
> Eats bratwurst...check
> ...




Y'know, I can remember when brats were hard to get in Maryland. My relatives out there would always carry back quantities of brats they'd pick up in Wisconsin whenever they visited. They just couldn't easily find them.

On a separate note: Post 1000. Hoody hoo! If only I had a beer here at work, I could celebrate.


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## Cthulhu's Librarian (Aug 9, 2005)

I'm sort of in a catch 22 when it comes to drinking. I enjoy beer, wine, and alcohol on a social level (and maybe get drunk 2-3 times a year), but I also suffer from migraine headaches, and one usually leads to the other (alcohol -> migraine), so I don't drink a lot. 

When I do, I have to either accept the fact that I'm going to end up sick because of a horrid headache, or I have to stick to the few things I know won't give me a headache-most white wines, Guinness, a few light colored beers, gin, and vodka. 

The biggest problem with that is that my favorites are red wines and dark beers.   So I usually stick to gin & tonic (which I really like) or Guinness.


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## Turjan (Aug 9, 2005)

I went with the "drink socially" option, although I have a glass of wine on my own with a meal once in a while, but on the other hand I drink pretty rarely nowadays. One reason is that it's no fun drinking alcohol when it's as hot as here; it just makes dizzy or sleepy. On the other hand, there are not many possibilities to sit in a nice beer garden under some trees on a warm summer afternoon here, either.

Nowadays, I drink mostly red wine with meals. From time to time, it's a Corona at some friends' places. I also like my Guinness once in a while. I'm not very fond of spirits, although I might have a Tequila Sunrise twice a decade .

My mother hardly drank anything (she always had to sneeze when she drank alcohol ), whereas my father drank beer pretty regularly, though never more than a bottle a day. We children didn't get much alcohol, except on special holidays (New Year) or some very special occasions. This didn't change much after I turned 16. I got pretty drunk 3 or 4 times during my college days, but the headaches afterwards prevented this from becoming a habit .


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## Darrin Drader (Aug 9, 2005)

I used to drink a lot on college, but the last big bender I went on was Gen Con 2003 (I was there for 5 nights and I don't think I went to bed sober once). Anyway, I might drink 2 or 3 hard lemonades once a month now, but not more than that. I'm just not that into it anymore and I hate waking up feeling like I'm about to die. I like wine, but I don't much like beer. Tequilla is the most evil substance on the face of the Earth and I will probably never touch it again.


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## Old One (Aug 9, 2005)

JimAde said:
			
		

> Old One:  You've set off my cheese-head-ometer:
> 
> Used to have a drinking age of 18...check
> Eats bratwurst...check
> ...




Nah...did my high school years in MD.  I have only been to WI a couple of times...and never for GENCON (boo).  I am hoping for more luck in Indy...maybe next year...

~ OO


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## ForceUser (Aug 10, 2005)

I like drinking, and I love well-crafted beer. I enjoy that first buzz from a cold one after a hard day at work. I enjoy the sublime feeling I get just chillin' with a brewski and some homies and some good music or conversation. I down about six to twelve beers a week. I don't drink when I DM, however. Beer and DMing don't mix.


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## Dougal DeKree (Aug 10, 2005)

In germany beer counts as food, not as alcoholic drink. It's legal at age 16 - which actually lessens the "coolness" of being drunk IME.



			
				ForceUser said:
			
		

> I don't drink when I DM, however. Beer and DMing don't mix.




I rarely DM without beer. DMing and being sober don't mix. Plus it makes it easier for the players - so i set up TPKs and thanx to my beers the players survive.   

The same goes for computer strategy games. Playing them when drunk is plain fun


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## Aus_Snow (Aug 10, 2005)

I *only* drink socially. That's not that uncommon a choice, methinks.

Never at mealtime, rarely with roleplaying.

That's me+drinking summed up, with the odd 'once in a blue moon' kinda thing to vary it.

Oh wait, frequency of drinking. Hm. Every week or so (on average), I guess.


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## diaglo (Aug 10, 2005)

Cthulhu's Librarian said:
			
		

> I'm sort of in a catch 22 when it comes to drinking. I enjoy beer, wine, and alcohol on a social level (and maybe get drunk 2-3 times a year), but I also suffer from migraine headaches, and one usually leads to the other (alcohol -> migraine), so I don't drink a lot.





are you Tom Jefferson reincarnated?

1000 bottles of wine later... and he still had a migraine...


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## Zappo (Aug 10, 2005)

I drink socially. Sometimes, a lot. But I don't drink at mealtimes, and I don't drink alone.


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## diaglo (Aug 10, 2005)

Zappo said:
			
		

> I drink socially. Sometimes, a lot. But I don't drink at mealtimes, and I don't drink alone.





[George T] The only one who will hang out with me,
is my dear Old Granddad
[/George T]


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## Psychic Warrior (Aug 10, 2005)

I used to drink (sometimes quite heavily) but I haven't touched the stuff in 3 years and  never will again.  Major life changes caused this (no not alcoholism) but even before them my drinking had tapered off to the occasional beer.


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## Cthulhu's Librarian (Aug 10, 2005)

diaglo said:
			
		

> are you Tom Jefferson reincarnated?
> 
> 1000 bottles of wine later... and he still had a migraine...




Well, I do live in Charlottesville...


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## Pale Violet Light (Aug 11, 2005)

I need an option in between "moderately" and "more than most". I drink responsibly during the week, and thouroughly irresponsibly during the weekends. Being drunk is fun. I drink less than I did when I was younger though: I certainly pay for my pleasures the next morning these days.


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## 9800 (Aug 11, 2005)

I was recently  taken off Valium and told beer was less addictive and better for my health, at a time when I thought the reverse.


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## reveal (Aug 11, 2005)

If you do drink, never ever play quarters with this guy:

http://scottrope.typepad.com/scott_rope/files/Coin_Master.wmv


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## Kanegrundar (Aug 12, 2005)

reveal said:
			
		

> If you do drink, never ever play quarters with this guy:
> 
> http://scottrope.typepad.com/scott_rope/files/Coin_Master.wmv



 I think my liver just died while thinking of playing quarters with that guy...

Wow.  Simply, wow.

Kane


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