Being Diabetic, I avoid alcohol and thus have never tasted sweet, sweet beer. However at least a couple of my friends are keeping breweries afloat in their own and I regularly have conversations with them along hte lines of:

Me: 'So, what did you do last night then?'

Brian: 'Oh, It was great, I had 18 pints, three vodkas, went nightclubing and woke up in a bin on the other side of town with no idea how I got there!'

Me: 'Hmmmmm, I had wondered where that smell was coming from......'

So what I want to know is, am I missing anything with my Tee-Total lifestyle?

yes

I had 18 pints

It comes in pints??!?!?

In Response to zamphir (#8650):

yes my precious

In Response to Dynedain (#8651):

yes my precious
Damn... learn something new every day!

Although, I don't think I'll be giving up my convenient, single serve, growler size anytime soon.

Depends how you look at it. Some people would swear that you're just not living if you don't drink. Not so. It's one of many modes of recreation. To the extent that some people use it as a tool ("liquid courage", etc.) it's probably done more harm than good.

I think we can break this down into three experiences you'd not have picked up if you've never had beer or drank significant amounts of alcohol.

1) The taste of beer. For many people (myself included), the entire "beer" category is an acquired taste... and even then, what one person says is great another will tell you is piss water. Most people I know, once they shop around a little, settle into one or more beers they like. Then again, there are surely thousands of good-tasting things out there that any given person won't ever try. Beer just happens to be one you've heard about.

2) Drunken-ness (in various stages). This ranges from a very pleasant experience to a terrible one, depending on degree, company, and any number of other factors. For most people, drinking doesn't do excessive harm. (That does, of course, come with a few "ifs", such as not driving drunk, not over-doing it all the time...)

So, for most people, I see it as one more experience that can be tried without expectation of catestrophic consequence (physical, legal, or otherwise). When someone can try something without fear of harm, I think it's generally worth trying once so as to make an informed decision. But again, there aren't a lot of experiences that are worth significant risks of serious harm. (Unfortunately, that contains a lot of subjective calls...)

Again, there are thousands of experiences out there. Nobody gets to all of them, and none of them are for everybody. I'm willing to accept that I may never experience pot because I consider the legal risk too great. Sure, I'm missing something a lot of people swear by, but I can live with that. I'm in no danger of running out of new and interesting experiences in the immediate future.

3) The hangover. The only good thing about a hangover is if it builds character. You're not missing anything here.

So, I know this guy who says he's never had a drink and never will. He's not diabetic, and I don't know of any particular reason he avoids it other than he's chosen to stay sober. I tend to think he ought to try it and then decide, but I don't press the issue with him, as it's his call.

I know some people who don't drink due to religious beliefs. I respect that. I may not agree with their reason, but at least they have a reason and their decision doesn't hurt anyone.

Nothing but respect, though, for someone who hears about it all the time, apparently is curious about it, doesn't harbor any moral or ethical objection to it, but still steers clear for real health reasons.

I'll drink a shot for you tonight :)

In Response to mea37 (#8654):

What's a "hangover"?

In Response to mea37 (#8654):

I'm willing to accept that I may never experience pot because I consider the legal risk too great.

You could travel to Canada, Amsterdam, or Alaska. Then, you'd get the thrill of traveling and get to try a new experience. Or move to California, hurt your back, and get a prescription.

In Response to mea37 (#8654):

I'll drink a shot for you tonight :)

Thank you and enjoy ;)

In Response to zamphir (#8655):

What's a "hangover"?

Well, according to my friend Brian, It's when your head feels like it got demons partying in it and your mouth feels like its got sewer rats partying in it!

In Response to GigGleR (#8675):

The worst 'hangover' I've ever had has been being really really lethargic all day... usually culminating in some sort of 8-16 hour videogame binge with breaks only for eating and eliminating. The canonical pounding headache and feeling terrible et al really's never visited me... although wine can give me a headache and a stomachache an hour or two after I've started imbibing.

In Response to zamphir (#8655):

I still don't believe hangovers exist. Every morning, I wake up, have a drink of water, eat a little breakfast, and I'm good to go. Doesn't matter if I drank the night before or if I didn't.

Well I read this in my monthly RealBeer Digest [realbeer.com]:

DRINKERS EARN MORE THAN TEETOTALERS

A new study in England has discovered that those who enjoy an occasional alcoholic drink make more money than teetotalers. The research at Stirling University found that drinkers earn an average of almost £2,000 a year than those who don't drink. The study, based on regular surveys of 17,000 people who were born in Britain in 1958, suggests that socializing with workmates leads to promotions and pay raises. "The survey shows you don't want to be a teetotaller if you want to get on in your job. People who drink moderately seem to earn more," said Professor David Bell, the study's author.

But you'll have to come up with your own conclusions.

In Response to Rich (#8719):

Its interesting, but its easy to spin your point of view with statistics. I wonder if they could make a Reality TV show for convincing people of weird things with bizarro statistics.

"You know, people who tip cows over are 20% more likely to develop a nervous tick."

In Response to Grimicus (#8723):

Actually, only about 28% of cow ticks can be called "nervous".

These are usually the ticks that attach themselves nearest the feet and anus.

All the rest of the cow ticks take their Zoloft regularly.

In Response to Rich (#8719):

DRINKERS EARN MORE THAN TEETOTALERS

Hmph, that doesn't surprise me. I earn about £4000 a year, Brian earns about £25,000 a year.

Sigh, the strange thing is that he is the one that regularly has to borrow money off of me!

So perhaps the motto of the story should be:
"Drink! Earn lots of money! Always be Broke!"

;)

I too am a teetotaller, and recognize that I miss out on certain social activities - tonight, for instance. I'm looking at the Goats forums while my friends are at a bar by Riverside Park because their production of "As You Like It" has been rained out - we're all wet and miserable, but since I don't drink, there is no cure in alcohol. I would just be wet, miserable, and bored.

Everybody, though, is respectful of my lifestyle choice, so I don't feel I am really missing out on anything. Social drinking or not, I find bars very ill conducive to socializing - too little light and too much noise. Of course the chances of me finding a woman drunk enough to find me attractive are considerably lower. But on the other hoof, the chances of such a woman puking on me are also substantially reduced.

-Chris "so there's that" Combs

In Response to zamphir (#8650):

It also comes in pitchers, but they're a bitch to get the salt on the edge for the margaritas

Now it is one thing to never have had a drink, another entirely to never have enjoyed recreational mind-alteration. I'm not talking about the high from a six-pack of coke and a bag of oreos. And "I got some wicked Codine when I had my wisdom teeth taken out" is not cutting it.

So, I say (and nobody listens to me for obvious reasons), that you can get by without a drink, but if you have never had the joy of licking the joy of the world, (which could be a good alcohol binge or an experience when you thought you actually were licking the world), then I am scared of you. Either because you are too trusting of other people's fears or that you have no comprehension of what you do not comprehend.

I would say no. I detest the taste of alcohol and will taste a teaspoon of vodka in a quart of orange juice and spit it out in disgust. It's usually more fun to watch/make fun of the drunk people, as I bet you know. And you can make fun of them for things they don't even know they did, and will never know if you're making it up or not.

I tried to get drunk once, choked down 4-5 shots of peppermint schnapps, vodka, and goldschlager. Didn't get much, I must have an ironically high tolerance. What little bit of effect I did get didn't impress me.

From what I can tell, being drunk can't hold a candle to acid. When it comes to hallucinogens, yes, you ARE missing something.

In Response to porcupine8 (#9484):

I had a friend once, he took some acid
  Now he thinks he's a fire engine.

In Response to zamphir (#9487):

You had a friend?

I call bullshit.

In Response to Dynedain (#9490):

I call bullshit.

Sorry.

Alka Seltzer already invented that word.

In Response to zamphir (#9495):

Bullshit may go "plop plop" but it doesn't go "fizz fizz".

In Response to Dynedain (#9500):

it doesn't go "fizz fizz".

Oh, what a relief that is.

In Response to Dynedain (#9500):

Mine does. But it could be that I flush my waste with acid. As a result, it sees flaming skulls.