Drinking alcohol (ethanol) is a socially acceptable drug in Western society, especially here in the good old USA. Yes, ethanol is a drug, highly addictive, highly toxic and taken in a large enough quantity to quickly it will cause death. People get pissed when you call it a drug.
Recent news story - fraternity hazing party - freshman pledge drinks 18 shots of alcohol and falls down stairwell, passes out - his drunk frat "brothers" put him to bed - next morning he is dead. Some brotherly love.
But I thought drinking alcohol was going to provide a "good" time? I know - he was stupid, he drank too much too quickly, became drunk and unable to walk, falls down stairs hits his head, passes out and dies - it was the "hitting his head" that killed him we are told. As unfortunate as this scenario is, it get's a bit of news worthy press and then is quickly forgotten. Our society is in love with alcohol and has "it only happens to someone else" syndrome.
Not once do we here a politician rant about our "alcohol" epidemic which kills way more people than todays modern "opioid" epidemic. We accept the deaths of alcohol as "one of them" as this doesn't happen to normal drinkers. You know the "normal" drinker.
One of the greatest things about being a non-drinker is the entertainment factor of being around "normal" drinkers. I recently attended a sporting event where normal drinkers were on exhibit. It's absolutely hilarious to see what goes on, some of the behavior is outright reality TV material, some of the behavior is scary.
But our society accepts this as part of the sports culture. Here's good news for you drinkers - they only charge $12 for a 24oz Miller Lite at this sporting event. And the local establishment only charged $7 for a pint of draft beer. Figuring light beer is 95-98% water, that is some expensive fuel.
Our society accepts these outrageous prices because - it wouldn't be American at a sporting event without alcohol disguised as beer in this case.
How did we get to this point as a society?
Monday, January 21, 2019
Saturday, January 19, 2019
we are led to believe that alcohol is the "elixir of life"
I remember my first drink - I stole a stubby bottle of Iron City beer from my visiting aunt's stash in our fridge. I called up a friend of mine that I smoked cigarettes with and we took the bottle into the woods and split it - it tasted foul. I was in the 5th grade. I didn't understand the allure of beer, it tasted terrible.
I remember the first time I felt the effects of drinking alcohol - I was in 8th grade and I split a bottle of Boones Farm Apple Hill wine with 2 class mates, it tasted funny, like nasty juice but at that point "peer" pressure had already started to sink in, we passed the bottle back and for an took swigs, I was in the middle. I felt my first buzz, the effects of the alcohol on my young brain. That started my drinking career. That summer I drank an entire bottle of cheap wine and puked my guts out, passed out and woke up the next morning not remembering anything and feeling very ill. Drinking was supposed to be fun? I had my first major hangover.
I was told I just needed to learn how to drink - that's all I needed to hear.
As youngsters we learn to observe - we see adults drinking beer, wine, liquor and they go from being reserved to laughing, loud and having a good time. It looks like they are having a "good" time. We walk by the neighborhood bars in the summer, the door is open and it is crowded with music and laughter. What's the attraction, we wonder.
Alcohol is all around us, it is the most heavily marketed product in the world. It used to be cigarettes, but society has put the stigma on that addiction and banned TV ads. More money is spent on alcohol advertisement than any other product. Dilly-dilly.
What are they selling? well they are not selling the highly toxic, highly addictive and terrible tasting fuel ingredient ethanol. No they are selling - fun, happiness, friendship, romance, man hood, relaxation, reward, status, courage and a good time. They are selling the product's, product's, product.
Taste's great - Less filling! Let me clue you in - observe the average Miller Lite drinker - they are usually overweight, out of shape middle aged men, or fat women. Sort of like the diet soft drink people - they believe in the "calorie" theory. Let me clue you in - reduce the alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage from 5% to 4.2% and the caloric factor in the same 12oz bottle drops, but it still tastes like old dishwater. Miller Brewing hit on a genius product and marketed the hell out of it during the mid 70's eat less calories exercise more weight loss era, this produced generations of Lite drinkers. I know one fan of Lite that can drink 18 Lite's in a day, but he can't run 25 yards.
Alcohol is marketed as the "elixir of life" - everything will be better with a little alcohol, the day, the event, the occasion. Hell when you're feeling bad - alcohol, when you're celebrating - alcohol, when you're bored - alcohol.
It's a trap - and it doesn't change. We are unconsciously brainwashed that alcohol is a drink that will make us happy and will enhance any occasion. Consciously we may have experienced some of the side effects of over indulgence in an "adult beverage'' but unconsciously we only remember the good times allure or the good times we had when drinking alcohol. That is what I call selective memory and unconscious brainwashing.
Thus we continue drinking the "elixir of life" chasing the good times. This elixir is highly addictive, it's the nature of the nasty tasting chemical ethanol. As we "acquire a taste" for it our bodies miraculously build up a tolerance to the drug protecting us from the lethal effects. The fan of Miller Lite that can drink 18 cans of beer, built up to that volume over time. Now that is the standard for him, anything less he doesn't feel "right" anything more and he starts acting "strange", the I only smoke when I drink syndrome.
I remember when I was completely satisfied drinking 3 beers when I was in high school, if I drank more than that I either got sick or started speaking a weird version of Korean or acting strange. By the end of high school I graduated to a 6 pack, and on rare occasion I would go big and drink Colt 45 Malt liquor, which had a higher ABV than Stroh's. I usually got drunk or could not finish the 6 pack, but I had a good time, until I did something stupid or puked.
In the beginning we relate alcohol to pleasure, fun, having a good time. It's also a social status - in my town drinking was a way of life. It was considered a reward for working hard all day.
I know a drinker that flat out states "drinking is my reward" for busting my ass all day at my job. His job consists of driving around and visiting jobsites and working on a computer. In my work career drinking was a staple at every networking event, the pre dinner cocktail hour, the lunch time drinks, the out of town trade shows that became nothing more than a reason to drink.
Drinking was the "elixir of life". It made the cowards have courage, the homely into beautiful people and the shy person into a comedian.
Ah the good old days - normal drinking. Drinking to be happy.
You are not one of them - you are a normal drinker enjoying the "elixir of life."
I remember the first time I felt the effects of drinking alcohol - I was in 8th grade and I split a bottle of Boones Farm Apple Hill wine with 2 class mates, it tasted funny, like nasty juice but at that point "peer" pressure had already started to sink in, we passed the bottle back and for an took swigs, I was in the middle. I felt my first buzz, the effects of the alcohol on my young brain. That started my drinking career. That summer I drank an entire bottle of cheap wine and puked my guts out, passed out and woke up the next morning not remembering anything and feeling very ill. Drinking was supposed to be fun? I had my first major hangover.
I was told I just needed to learn how to drink - that's all I needed to hear.
As youngsters we learn to observe - we see adults drinking beer, wine, liquor and they go from being reserved to laughing, loud and having a good time. It looks like they are having a "good" time. We walk by the neighborhood bars in the summer, the door is open and it is crowded with music and laughter. What's the attraction, we wonder.
Alcohol is all around us, it is the most heavily marketed product in the world. It used to be cigarettes, but society has put the stigma on that addiction and banned TV ads. More money is spent on alcohol advertisement than any other product. Dilly-dilly.
What are they selling? well they are not selling the highly toxic, highly addictive and terrible tasting fuel ingredient ethanol. No they are selling - fun, happiness, friendship, romance, man hood, relaxation, reward, status, courage and a good time. They are selling the product's, product's, product.
Taste's great - Less filling! Let me clue you in - observe the average Miller Lite drinker - they are usually overweight, out of shape middle aged men, or fat women. Sort of like the diet soft drink people - they believe in the "calorie" theory. Let me clue you in - reduce the alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage from 5% to 4.2% and the caloric factor in the same 12oz bottle drops, but it still tastes like old dishwater. Miller Brewing hit on a genius product and marketed the hell out of it during the mid 70's eat less calories exercise more weight loss era, this produced generations of Lite drinkers. I know one fan of Lite that can drink 18 Lite's in a day, but he can't run 25 yards.
Alcohol is marketed as the "elixir of life" - everything will be better with a little alcohol, the day, the event, the occasion. Hell when you're feeling bad - alcohol, when you're celebrating - alcohol, when you're bored - alcohol.
It's a trap - and it doesn't change. We are unconsciously brainwashed that alcohol is a drink that will make us happy and will enhance any occasion. Consciously we may have experienced some of the side effects of over indulgence in an "adult beverage'' but unconsciously we only remember the good times allure or the good times we had when drinking alcohol. That is what I call selective memory and unconscious brainwashing.
Thus we continue drinking the "elixir of life" chasing the good times. This elixir is highly addictive, it's the nature of the nasty tasting chemical ethanol. As we "acquire a taste" for it our bodies miraculously build up a tolerance to the drug protecting us from the lethal effects. The fan of Miller Lite that can drink 18 cans of beer, built up to that volume over time. Now that is the standard for him, anything less he doesn't feel "right" anything more and he starts acting "strange", the I only smoke when I drink syndrome.
I remember when I was completely satisfied drinking 3 beers when I was in high school, if I drank more than that I either got sick or started speaking a weird version of Korean or acting strange. By the end of high school I graduated to a 6 pack, and on rare occasion I would go big and drink Colt 45 Malt liquor, which had a higher ABV than Stroh's. I usually got drunk or could not finish the 6 pack, but I had a good time, until I did something stupid or puked.
In the beginning we relate alcohol to pleasure, fun, having a good time. It's also a social status - in my town drinking was a way of life. It was considered a reward for working hard all day.
I know a drinker that flat out states "drinking is my reward" for busting my ass all day at my job. His job consists of driving around and visiting jobsites and working on a computer. In my work career drinking was a staple at every networking event, the pre dinner cocktail hour, the lunch time drinks, the out of town trade shows that became nothing more than a reason to drink.
Drinking was the "elixir of life". It made the cowards have courage, the homely into beautiful people and the shy person into a comedian.
Ah the good old days - normal drinking. Drinking to be happy.
You are not one of them - you are a normal drinker enjoying the "elixir of life."
e·lix·ir
[əˈliksər]
NOUN
elixirs (plural noun)
- a magical or medicinal potion."an elixir guaranteed to induce love"
- a preparation supposedly able to change metals into gold, sought by alchemists.
- a preparation supposedly able to prolong life indefinitely."at one point during the festivities, the river is said to turn into the elixir of life"
Friday, January 18, 2019
very few people want to talk about Alcohol
Let's talk about Alcohol.
Ohhhh - a dirty subject. Yeah - beer, wine, hard liquor and the consumption of the beverage carrying the alcohol (ethanol).
Ethanol, also called alcohol, ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, and drinking alcohol, is a chemical compound, a simple alcohol with the chemical formula C 2 H 5 OH. Its formula can be also written as CH 3 − CH 2 − OH or C 2 H 5 − OH (an ethyl group linked to a hydroxyl group), and is often abbreviated as EtOH. Ethanol is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid with a slight characteristic odor.
Yeah - it's the same thing they add to the gasoline your put into your vehicle. Imagine that, you are actually drinking a fuel additive.
So why am I talking about this chemical - well I just quit drinking it. Stigma? nope.
Ethanol is a highly toxic, addictive substance. It is also deadly, drink too much of it in pure form and you will die, and it will not be a social and fun event.
We drink it as beer, wine and hard liquor and various other named cocktails. But regardless of the delivery name we are drinking ethanol. Without it you probably wouldn't drink the malt, grape or corn juice.
We are so brainwashed and delusional when it comes to ingesting this liquid that close to 85% of all adults drink alcohol laced beverages at some time. Hell - some actually believe the number one killing drug in Western society is "healthy" for you - drink two glasses of red wine it's good for your heart. So when you have a heart attack, the first thing they do is serve you a glass of Merlot?
Let me state fact - alcohol is addictive. Period end of story. You will build a tolerance to the drug like you will build a tolerance to any addictive drug (i.e. nicotine, cocaine, opioids etc.). What this means is over time you will need more of the drugs to achieve the same physical effect. The "buzz" you received from 2 alcohol laced drinks will now be achieved with 3 alcohol drinks. Addictive drugs and your body just work that way - it's your bodies defense mechanism against the toxic chemical and it's immediate effects.
My alcohol beverage of choice was beer - craft beer, although if needed I would pretty much drink any alcohol laced beverage (the "needed" will be explained later). I could pretty much consume 8-10 craft beers before I would just lay down and pass out - great fun, huh? Initially I would drink 2-3 very quickly (mini-binge drinking), then start "normal" drinking. Hahahaha - what is "normal drinking?" the pat answer is - it all depends. Normal drinking for me was 6-7 more beers over the drinking episode. Sick huh? Addicted - yes!
Quitting alcohol is believed to be "hard". And if you quit you may and probably will end up with the societal stigma of he's "one of them". You know, them - "the alcoholic." The modern day leper. Drink for a while then quit and people - your friends, family and acquaintances will look at you like you have a "disease" that could be contagious.
I love being a Non-Drinker.
Let's talk about Alcohol - the next series of blog posts will do just that and explain my current alcohol free journey.
Ohhhh - a dirty subject. Yeah - beer, wine, hard liquor and the consumption of the beverage carrying the alcohol (ethanol).
Ethanol, also called alcohol, ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, and drinking alcohol, is a chemical compound, a simple alcohol with the chemical formula C 2 H 5 OH. Its formula can be also written as CH 3 − CH 2 − OH or C 2 H 5 − OH (an ethyl group linked to a hydroxyl group), and is often abbreviated as EtOH. Ethanol is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid with a slight characteristic odor.
Yeah - it's the same thing they add to the gasoline your put into your vehicle. Imagine that, you are actually drinking a fuel additive.
So why am I talking about this chemical - well I just quit drinking it. Stigma? nope.
Ethanol is a highly toxic, addictive substance. It is also deadly, drink too much of it in pure form and you will die, and it will not be a social and fun event.
We drink it as beer, wine and hard liquor and various other named cocktails. But regardless of the delivery name we are drinking ethanol. Without it you probably wouldn't drink the malt, grape or corn juice.
We are so brainwashed and delusional when it comes to ingesting this liquid that close to 85% of all adults drink alcohol laced beverages at some time. Hell - some actually believe the number one killing drug in Western society is "healthy" for you - drink two glasses of red wine it's good for your heart. So when you have a heart attack, the first thing they do is serve you a glass of Merlot?
Let me state fact - alcohol is addictive. Period end of story. You will build a tolerance to the drug like you will build a tolerance to any addictive drug (i.e. nicotine, cocaine, opioids etc.). What this means is over time you will need more of the drugs to achieve the same physical effect. The "buzz" you received from 2 alcohol laced drinks will now be achieved with 3 alcohol drinks. Addictive drugs and your body just work that way - it's your bodies defense mechanism against the toxic chemical and it's immediate effects.
My alcohol beverage of choice was beer - craft beer, although if needed I would pretty much drink any alcohol laced beverage (the "needed" will be explained later). I could pretty much consume 8-10 craft beers before I would just lay down and pass out - great fun, huh? Initially I would drink 2-3 very quickly (mini-binge drinking), then start "normal" drinking. Hahahaha - what is "normal drinking?" the pat answer is - it all depends. Normal drinking for me was 6-7 more beers over the drinking episode. Sick huh? Addicted - yes!
Quitting alcohol is believed to be "hard". And if you quit you may and probably will end up with the societal stigma of he's "one of them". You know, them - "the alcoholic." The modern day leper. Drink for a while then quit and people - your friends, family and acquaintances will look at you like you have a "disease" that could be contagious.
I love being a Non-Drinker.
Let's talk about Alcohol - the next series of blog posts will do just that and explain my current alcohol free journey.
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