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Baraka_Guru · 11-30-2009, 05:48 AM

No, I don't drink alone.

I don't really drink much at all--maybe once a month or every two months. I'll sometimes go three or more months without a drink. When I do drink, it could be as much as one or a few. Never "too much." I've been too drunk before, and now I'm naturally inclined not to do that anymore. I pace myself these days.

I'm not against drinking alone, per se, but to me there is a distinct difference between having a drink or two on your own and being alone while you get drunk. But to me, drinking is a social thing--both alcohol and caffeine being "social binders/lubricants" and all that.

Having a drink or two is fine. A nicely brewed beer or a nicely balanced wine can be enjoyable, especially when paired up with certain food. I get that. Having a drink, maybe even a shot of some liquor you enjoy, to take the edge off your hectic day...I get that too. What would worry me is drinking just to get drunk while no one else is around. I hope to never find myself in that place.

My father nearly destroyed our family with his drinking, and my SO's family watched her grandfather drink himself to an early grave. So I guess it isn't so much whether you drink alone; it's whether you drink too much, and it largely depends on why you're drinking too I suppose.

11-30-2009, 05:48 AM	#47 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	No, I don't drink alone. I don't really drink much at all--maybe once a month or every two months. I'll sometimes go three or more months without a drink. When I do drink, it could be as much as one or a few. Never "too much." I've been too drunk before, and now I'm naturally inclined not to do that anymore. I pace myself these days. I'm not against drinking alone, per se, but to me there is a distinct difference between having a drink or two on your own and being alone while you get drunk. But to me, drinking is a social thing--both alcohol and caffeine being "social binders/lubricants" and all that. Having a drink or two is fine. A nicely brewed beer or a nicely balanced wine can be enjoyable, especially when paired up with certain food. I get that. Having a drink, maybe even a shot of some liquor you enjoy, to take the edge off your hectic day...I get that too. What would worry me is drinking just to get drunk while no one else is around. I hope to never find myself in that place. My father nearly destroyed our family with his drinking, and my SO's family watched her grandfather drink himself to an early grave. So I guess it isn't so much whether you drink alone; it's whether you drink too much, and it largely depends on why you're drinking too I suppose. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 11-30-2009 at 05:51 AM..