NoSoup

A bit of background:

Recently, I turned 21, which is the legal drinking age here. I have never really been an avid drinker, and probably drank heavily maybe 3-4 times a year, and even then wasn't really considered that drunk.

Anyway, on my 21st birthday I took an obsene amount of shots, probably more alchohol than I had in the past several years combined. I did get extraordinarily wasted, but still was aware of what I was doing and remembered it all the next day.

My question, based on my experience, is this:

When people use the excuse "I was drunk" - is that really an excuse?

Here is my thinking, I'm curious as to whether or not anyone else feels the same way. First of all, I don't believe it is an excuse simply based on the fact that if you are unable to take responsibility for your actions while drinking, you shouldn't be drinking at all. Secondly, although alchohol certainly lowers inhibitions, but you still know the consequences of your decisions. It ticks me off when people think that being drunk is the end all be all excuse for everything. I think that drinking allows one to do things that they would normally not have the guts to do... for better or worse.

On a side note, I realize that alchohol affects people differently. When I get drunk, I am usually pretty quiet and just revel in being drunk. However, when I do speak, I am quite certain that I am the most humorous guy on the planet. Others, unfortunately, are not quite as amused

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ShaniFaye

I know when Im drunk I start to lose my clothes......the only difference between then and being sober is it happens quicker lol

I can honestly say Ive never done anything drunk I wouldnt have done sober....well except that time I said yes to anal sex

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maleficent

What absolutely annoys me to no end, in this country, a person gets into a car, drunk, and goes to drive home (because they're a better driver when they are drunk), and gets into an accident and kills someone. What do they get charged with? Vehicular Manslaughter -- they were drunk and weren't in control of their actions...

It's no excuse... For anything... Unless someone poured the booze down their throat and then forced them to get into that car, they knew what they were doing. Drunkenness is just one more excuse in the wonderful world of "accept no responsibility". Always have something to blame.

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RAGEAngel9

It's a reason, not an excuse.
One explains the why you did without trying to get out of blame, the other tries to get out of blame.

And yes, I have used the "I was drunk" line.

RMMsGirl

I don't think ' I was drunk' is an acceptable answer. It's just a cop out.

KirStang

I've used the 'I was drunk' line many times too, mostly for saying that i don't remember someone's name though; faces become fuzzy and names become unfamiliar after you sober up.

However, for drunk driving, there is no excuse.

Gustoferson

I agree that it should never be a full fledged excuse, but i can't completely dismiss it either.

Like you said, alcohol affects everyone completely differently. Like you said you were aware of what was going on and could still make logical decisions, and for some people, or hell even for the same people on a different day. I take in a decent amount of alcohol and sometimes I can function fine, logically, and remember it. However on other days I can barely remember a period of several hours, and make blatantly illogical decisions. Thats why its important that when I drink a lot it is in a familiar environment where I can't do anything very bad, and of course never ever drive if I've had more than one beer that night. No matter how i feel, one beer is the hard limit i set for myself while sober so i know i'll fall back on it while drunk.

Ok I'm rambling, but I don't think its a end all excuse, but I do think it can have a significant effect on actions of people. And it definately hits everyone differently, just like any other drug, legal or illegal, of any kind.

No excuse for drunk driving though, because thats an easy blank and white decision you should make while sober and carry through while drunk.

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asaris

Yes, no excuse for drunk driving. But with the exception of that, and some other things which should be clear to everyone, I'm of the opinion that you shouldn't generally hold something against someone for something they did when drunk. If it happens consistently, you might want to talk to them about it when they're sober.

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"Die Deutschen meinen, daß die Kraft sich in Härte und Grausamkeit offenbaren müsse, sie unterwerfen sich dann gerne und mit Bewunderung:[...]. Daß es Kraft giebt in der Milde und Stille, das glauben sie nicht leicht."

"The Germans believe that power must reveal itself in hardness and cruelty and then submit themselves gladly and with admiration[...]. They do not believe readily that there is power in meekness and calm."

-- Friedrich Nietzsche

NoSoup

I will be the first to admit I am very very strict regarding drinking and driving. I kid you not, If I have a sip of a wine cooler I will not drive. Do I believe that it would affect me? Not really, but if you don't draw the line in a clear, concise manner that line can blur, especially if you have been drinking. Is it Anal? It certainly is, but If I had drank, even a little bit, and gotten into a car accident and severly injured/killed anyone, I would always question whether or not that would have happened had I not been drinking...

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NoSoup

I disagree completely with your viewpoint. But hey, that's what discussions are for, right? In my opinion, far to many people think that all actions performed when drunk absolve them from responsibilty for those actions. Let's take cheating for example. If my g/f cheating on me, drunk or sober, I would end it with her in a heartbeat. In my mind, although she may not have done so while sober, it still was her decision to a)drink b) put herself in that situation

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cartmen34

never an excuse. Vote Yes to Prohibition. //quickly runs away




btw.... sooooo true....... me thinks most drunks think this same thing.

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ratbastid

I'd say that "I was drunk" might work as an explanation, but not as an excuse. And the down-side of it is, it then gives you something else that you have to come up with an excuse for.

maleficent

Now, I know you are teasing.. however.. Prohibition isn't the answer... because if you tell someone that they can't have it, makes them want it all the more. Drinking isn't evil, however some people become quite evil when tehy drink.

Drinking responsibily is something that people need to learn, though some never do. People should know what their limits are, and stop themselves from going beyond that point.

Video tape people when they're drunk, and make them watch the video, no, they aren't the best singer, no they aren't the funniest, or most charming, or best looking, or really anything but biggest fool when they are drunk....

Ehh -- I've spent too much time around drunks -- I'm not amused by it...

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cartmen34

yup. teasing.

nice answer btw.

I've also spent WAY to much time around drunks. It's why I never drink more than one of anything alcoholic...ever.

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"The problem with quick and dirty, as some people have said, is that the dirty remains long after the quick has been forgotten" - Steve McConnell

Gustoferson

I agree pretty much completely with the "an explanation, not an excuse" description. Pretty much falls in with what I was rambling around trying to put in the words.

I don't believe the train of thought that people drunk just do what they wanted to do anyway sober, at least if we're looking at isolated incidents. I think drunkenness can completely change what you would or wouldn't have done. This doesn't mean people should be absolved of everything just because they are drunk, but it is an important fact when looking at any situation.

However, if there is a consistent problem of similar actions while drunk, then I think there's a clear indication of that 'wanting secretly to do it sober' or 'that being what you're really like' thing being likely.

If people drink, thats a part of their personality and you take that into consideration how they are sober and drunk when you look at hanging out with someone or being in a relationship or whatnot. Its all part of a whole.

And yeah, I enjoy the sauce at this particular point in my life.

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Coppertop

Definitely an explanation and not an excuse. Everyone must be responsible for their actions.

radioguy

not an excuse. the person knows they can't control themselves when drunk, therefore they know that they may do something stupid. it's a very poor excuse. just be responsible.

Suave

It's not a justification for actions, but it gives insight into the reason behind them. I've done things when I was drunk that I really had no control over (after drinking for a while though, I learned to gain some semblance of self-control when I'm plastered), but I still wouldn't say that completely excuses the activities. It just makes them more understandable, and hopefully more forgivable (this evidently does not relate to drunk driving, which should by now be so socially stigmatized I don't know why anyone does it anymore).

Cynthetiq

not an excuse....

I follow the axiom:

A drunken heart speaks a sober mind.

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NoSoup

I guess this sentiment is my point. Regardless of what happens, if you did it, you had control over it. If you one of those people that "lose control" and you have issues with that, you shouldn't be drinking - or at least not that much.

Re-reading my posts, it almost seems like I anti-alchohol, but in all honestly I usually go downtown every weekend or two and get wasted. I just do my best to do it responsibly...

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mbaha

Sure it is, go ahead and do it, you can always blame the booze that is what is there for

aerozeppelin

Actually, legally, as long as you voluntarily intoxicate yourself, you are legallyr esponsible for any and all actions. Vehicular manslaughter is what you get charged with for running someone over regardless of sobriety most of the time, unless you intentionally planned to run them over (then you could make a case for Murder 1st).

Back to topic, I think it depends. Going and doing something REALLY bad (ie: burning a house down, starting a fight, stealing things, etc.....) cannot be excused by being drunk. However, I think that being drunk is a fine excuse for more minor things (ie: saying something rude/mean/really stupid, being a minor nuisance, etc....).

EDIT: Irregardless -> regardless for suave's sake

boom29

I think that "being drunk" gives people, at the time of an action, a sense of justification/excuse for committing that action, but "being drunk" does not justify/excuse the action committed. Make sense? haha.

asaris

On a personal note, this is only partly a personal response. I drink plenty, and get drunk with reasonable frequency. But I rarely do anything while drunk that I regret even a little, and only once or twice have I done anything I really regretted.

The idea that you should hold someone responsible for whatever they do while drunk seems to suppose that being drunk shows you how a person really is. But this view depends on the dubious proposition that who a person really is is their subconscious, and their conscious is merely a facade. It seems more reasonable to suppose that a person is some combination of their conscious and subconscious lives. So, an example. If you tend to be a bit rude when you're drunk, but are the epitome of politeness when you're sober, which one is your true self?

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"Die Deutschen meinen, daß die Kraft sich in Härte und Grausamkeit offenbaren müsse, sie unterwerfen sich dann gerne und mit Bewunderung:[...]. Daß es Kraft giebt in der Milde und Stille, das glauben sie nicht leicht."

"The Germans believe that power must reveal itself in hardness and cruelty and then submit themselves gladly and with admiration[...]. They do not believe readily that there is power in meekness and calm."

-- Friedrich Nietzsche

saigon1965

Being drunk and doing something while you're drunk is nothing but an excuse. Basically, your inhibitions are easier to let out and so on.

NoSoup

Actually, perfect sense. I agree wholeheartedly with you.

I don't believe that someone is the "true self" when they are drunk. Alchohol is a drug, and unless you are forced to drink it, you are voluntarily taking it. Most people would hold someone who is coked out of their mind responsible for their actions, alchohol is no different, other than the fact that it is a legal mind altering substance...

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sailor

Agreed. Explanation, yes. Excuse? No. You drank it, your fault. But it can certainly explain some of the more... interesting things some of us have done

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Carno

I agree with NoSoup.

Being drunk is NEVER an excuse for irresponsible actions.

Suave

Well as I stated, I've learned to control myself, but I find that a lot of people, their first few times drinking, completely lack that sort of self-control. That, and one of the main reasons for drinking is to "loosen up" so to speak, or relinquish some of that control with which we lead our sober lives.

edit: aero: AHHH NOT IRREGARLDESS! *shoots himself*
Just "regardless" is more than sufficient for your purposes.

Lockjaw

If you have to say "Sorry, I was drunk." more than once it no longer becomes a valid excuse or even remotely understandable.

It amazes me how people will say some of the most horrible things then come back the next day trying to apologize because..."they were drunk." and then will do the exact same thing two weeks later. If you said it while drunk you probably were thinking it while sober and no I'm not going to forgive you for it.

mingusfingers

I've done stuff that I don't remember doing at all when I was drunk. Though I'm not sure that I would have done something completely stupid during that (those) times. And I wouldn't have been able to pass it off as 'I was wasted'

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Phantom Power

Being drunk is an excuse for doing stupid things. It's a good one. Lot's of people use it. It's like an automatic 'get-off-the-hook-free' card. Oh well, I was drunk. I couldn't help it.

To that I say bullhonkey. You may commit certain actions under the guise of drunkeness and thereby justify those actions, but the consequences of those actions are dealt with soberly.

thingstodo

I have to agree with pretty much everyone here. Drunk is drunk and you decided to get that way. I'm sure that's why courts don't allow it as a temp insanity defense.

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Flaymin'

Here in Finland:
Drunkenness is pretty much an excuse AND an explanation to do stupid things, but it's NOT that simple here, either.
You're ALWAYS yourself when you're drunk. Probably you're more close to your True Heart then. (depends on a person, but I'd still grossly overgeneralize)
"Honeybabe. I think I love you" is much easier to say for the first time, when you've had a few beers.

Fact: Alcohol diminishes one's inhibitions and fears.
Reality: People let go of their "everyday faces" and habits. Just look at your boss at x-mas party. (if he doesn't let loose there, he's a tightass!)
People show more of their relaxed persona and be more "true" to themselves and others.

I think the human mind NEEDS a way to sometimes "lose" oneself in order to stay clean.
I personally prefer to get loaded a few times a month (usually every saturday) to "boot my brain", rather than lay sprawled on the floor of my livingroom and "let the evil thoughts slip away".
Some people jog, smoke pot (DON'T!), drive fast, do kung fu, masturbate, wash dishes or whatever to "boot" and lose themselvews for a while, just to carry on next week at McJob.

Unfortunately too much people aren't true to themselves and don't/can't show their True face, so they change radically when they're drunk.
If you notice you change into "Mr./Ms. Hyde" after a few beers, take more time to get to know yourself.

My two cents.

Phantom Power

We must not forget, however, that oftentimes when females consume copious amounts of alcohol, they begin to make out with members of the same gender, and/or remove lots of clothing, which they might not do when sober. For that reason, drunkeness is okay in some respects.

MSD

If you can't control yourself while drinking, you shuld either drink responsibly or prepare to accept full responsibility for everything you do while intoxicated.

p0thead

what about black out drinkers? they get so drunk and they remember nothing about the day before? i have several friends that are like that... they act very beligerant and sometimes violent yet when i question them the next day, they dont recall any of that. personally, i have never gotten that drunk but has any of you ever gotten that drunk?

maleficent

I had a roommate in college who was like that... And she swore high and low that she didn't have a problem with alcohol. That she knew what she was doing. Sadly, she didn't know what she was doing when she had her stomach pumped in the emergency room for alcohol poisoning, or when she was found naked wandering around one of the men's dorms or a few other episodes... Can't help someone who doesn't beleive that they have a problem, but I stopped covering for her and bailing her out of her situations and she eventually flunked out of school.

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Carno

I've been that way before. One time I blacked out and woke up the next morning out in the woods and covered in mud. That particular time I think I was having a drinking contest with my buddies, when I was 16 or so. By the time I made it out of the woods I was only half covered in mud......with the other half being puke.

The only other time I haven't been able to remember what happened the night before was when I was at a party and I was nervous and I didn't know anyone. I didn't do anything really stupid, but I was "that guy" at the party. That was also when I was like 16.

Redjake

this is uncanny - I feel almost the exact same way. I just sort of sit there and bask in the glory of being wasted. The one time I got so fucking wasted that I was stopped by the people at the party (enough to have alcohol poisoning), I STILL knew what I was doing. I wouldn't do anything stupid like rape a girl or throw a bowling ball through a car windshield. I find myself asking the same question: Is being drunk really an excuse?


I've heard that I have a very high tolerance for alcohol, and I do, so maybe that has something to do with how I "felt." But I just don't see how it could alter you to the point where you would do something that bad.

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