• ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online
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    1 day ago

    I’ve been working on fully cutting out alcohol from my diet. I tried for years but I think I am finally succeeding. Haven’t had a drink in almost two months.

  • Avicenna@programming.dev
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    2 days ago

    They also found that drinking raises the risk of:

    …sexually transmitted infections

    This statement really made we wonder if they thought about actual causality at all.

  • orioler25@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    I don’t know how someone who grew up around people who drinked could have any other perception of alcohol than as poison. I don’t know a single person who drinks regularly who doesn’t have health conditions directly linked to it.

  • Nautalax@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    My dad worked on a project that could have made him and his colleague probably very rich (at least, it was successfully done to great wealth by someone else many years later) but his colleague had problems with alcohol, drunk called the investors and whatever he said made them pull out such that they had to cancel the project.

    His drinking got worse from there for him and he spent years in and out of prison. When I was about to go to college and my dad was meeting him after he got back out he took me aside and strictly warned me not to go crazy drinking in college. I truthfully told him that I don’t drink at all and I guess that was inconceivable to him because he started going, “You WILL drink. EVERYBODY drinks. Don’t lie and…” so on so forth.

    It never seemed appealing to me what with seeing people ruin their lives and act foolish, the odor, all the money people spend on it etc. I’m sure the taste is fine if you push through and try it a bunch but from seeing the effects I never wanted to. Meanwhile visiting other people’s houses as a kid my friends would be doing stuff like asking his mom if he could sniff her wineglass at dinner. 💀

    • Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works
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      1 day ago

      You know this already but yeah you are absolutely the rational one here. I drank a lot back in the day because i had a terrible home life as a child and exhibited a few other self destructive behaviors, but in the last ten years or so ill drink one beer or glass of champagne at a wedding or super bowl watch party, but 100% just to be polite and avoid people chiding me to drink. Yes, people will actually get upset and tell me to drink sometimes, work people wcyd. Idk it’s like ethyl alcohol is exactly the stuff we used to sanitize surfaces at work because it kills everything and also dissolves the chemicals we work with. It’s just madness to drink that stuff!!

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      I truthfully told him that I don’t drink at all and I guess that was inconceivable to him because he started going, “You WILL drink. EVERYBODY drinks. Don’t lie and…” so on so forth.

      There’s a lot of social pressure to drink, particularly for folks over 40. My first year at my current company, it was very normal for the department head to take everyone down to the bar and buy them shots. We definitely had folks that declined. But those weren’t the ones he got close with. Consequently, they weren’t the ones who got fast tracked for promotions and raises and such.

      Not saying it’s a strict 1:1 correlation, because we definitely have a few teatoddlers in the upper wings of management. But it’s the exception more than the rule.

      There’s also a lot of status in drinking - particularly expensive wines and liquors - such that having a nice bottle on hand when friends are over is considered normal. So I can see why it’s frustrating to your dad, talking to someone who isn’t in that lifestyle and culture, when he hears “Oh, I just don’t do that”. Particularly, when he’s trying to hammer home how easy it is to go from “I don’t drink” to “I drank too much”.

      It never seemed appealing to me what with seeing people ruin their lives and act foolish, the odor, all the money people spend on it etc.

      It’s a popular social lubricant for a reason. A glass of wine or beer is great at reducing social anxiety. I’ve got friends who insist on a drink at big events. It’s that or pop a xanax.

      I also know a few girls who go from dead fish to horny af after a few glasses. So, when they want to hook up, they will take a few shots first to get in the mood. And “odor” can be a plus (for me, anyway) when it’s a petty scotch or rich cherry.

      There’s also an artistry to the craft of fermentation, such that it’s as much a hobby as a habit. I know a guy who brews his own beer and loves to bring different casks to events to show off what he’s made. And another who works in the industry. He loves to pull out bottles he picked up overseas and show off different styles, flavors, and techniques of manufacture.

      Then there’s just a general quality of pairing. My wife keeps a small wine collection, knows what pairs well, and regularly opens a bottle for cooking or to match with a particular meal.

      So… YMMV. But there’s definitely a big gray area between never drinking at all and being an alcoholic.

      • Nautalax@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        To be clear the guy with the drinking problem who was talking to me wasn’t my dad, he was a colleague and friend of my dad. My dad did drink from time to time but he wasn’t an alcoholic by any means and in recent years my dad gave up drinking entirely anyway whereas the other guy has unfortunately passed away some years back.

        I don’t care if other people drink for some reason or other (at least as long as it’s not impacting me… wasn’t fun when a drunk roommate was waving my computer around in the air unsteadily), whatever floats their boat, I just don’t personally.

      • Zephyr@sh.itjust.works
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        1 day ago

        Alcohol is a drug that causes harm, more harm than most illegal substances. Alcohol is ranked between heroin and cocaine. Link

        Although this UK study has it ranked above heroine and cocaine Link

        Of course it being legal and available is a contributing factor, but there’s just better substances we could choose to make the chosen legal recreational drug for society.

        • TheGreatRapsBeat@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Like Canada. We just need to outlaw the alcohol. But, alcohol consumption is down considerably since legalization of cannabis, and even more so with younger of age generations.

          • Zephyr@sh.itjust.works
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            1 day ago

            Yeah legalizing less harmful drugs will definitely help. Unfortunately a lot of the world is still fully under the influence of 1960’s propaganda.

          • Zephyr@sh.itjust.works
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            1 day ago

            A drug is any chemical substance that alters the way your mind or body functions. This broad definition includes everyday items like caffeine and prescription medications, as well as over-the-counter remedies and illegal substances. Alcohol is a drug.

  • Malyca@lemmy.zip
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    2 days ago

    While all of this is true and concerning, now is not the time to raw dog reality.

    • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      Doing weed is also bad for me. It got me quite severe health effects that I’m dealing with right now.

      I’m not regretting it for a second and the second my issues are under control I’ll use weed again (in much lower doses) because living in the raw reality right now just makes you depressed and suicidal. I’m m neither, and I’ll contribute that happily to pot, it made life nice again for a few years

    • bitjunkie@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Right? What’s to stop one from interpreting these results as “alcohol will get you off of this dogshit timeline sooner”?

        • AlexLost@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Most drugs were scheduled to incriminate the lower income groups (i.e. mostly not white folks) They tried to ban alcohol once too. It didn’t go very well. Marijuana is less addictive and far less destructive, plus anyone can grow it, it’s like a fucking weed. Also, hops and Mary Jane are from the same family of plants.

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Eh, I quit a few years ago. When you have to have conversations with yourself about it, it’s time. So cold turkey I went, luckily NBD for me. The only time I miss it is after a really trying, long day; or I’m just craving flavors that aren’t sugary drinks like soda. I don’t like sweet drinks very much. Alcohol lends an intensity to flavors that’s impossible to replicate.

    Looking back at it I’m really glad I quit.

    Anyway, hopefully added years/stopped shaving years off my life. We’ll see.

      • batmaniam@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        I destroy those since going sober. I think it’s that carbonation itself has a flavor, and in cheap beer that carbonation was actually the majority of the feel/flavor. Occasionally I’ll feel silly buying so much, but then I remember how much I used to spend on booze without batting an eye and grab another 12 pack for $2.85.

        • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          We also picked up a carbonation setup so we can make our own sodas and mineral water. Just to reduce plastic waste, I don’t think it’s cheaper than what you’re buying, though.

      • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        That’s good, and just fizzy mineral water too. Luckily the NA market for more interesting adult drinks is growing, so things like fake Moscow mules, Hop Tea, or other mocktails that have interesting flavors are starting to become more widely available and have zero alcohol. Not the same as the real thing, but generally pretty good and better than soda or other sugary stuff.

    • xylol@leminal.space
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      2 days ago

      kombucha is really good for that, it may contain small amounts of alcohol but its really difficult to get it as potent before it turns more like vinegar. but the carbonation and even variations with hops are out there and are great.

      I used to do edibles every once in a while when they became legal here and found that alcohol was terrible when high because Id just get dizzy so i started drinking kombucha and it was amazing

      • iocase@lemmy.zip
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        2 days ago

        Depends. Alcohol dissolves things that normally are only fat soluble so you can get an entirely different flavour from common foods (wine and beer tastings/pairings for example)

        For fermented beverages the yeast and malt make a pretty unique flavour. Same with hops in a good pale ale or IPA. There’s also the body and mouth feel that’s hard to replicate without making alcohol. Residual sugars after fermentation are also kind of unique to alcohol since you always have normal sugars mixed in with other foods.

        • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          This is right. Alcohol is almost a flavor multiplier and also holds flavors that might be more volatile and disappear. That’s why if you were to completely remove the alcohol from a drink like gin or something it would taste wildly different and probably very flat even though the rest of the beverage is the same.

    • NoSpotOfGround@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      I hate that alcohol, such an obvious health detriment, is so ingrained in culture that people don’t even question it… Your link makes it worse!

      • DagwoodIII@piefed.social
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        3 days ago

        Like the link points out, we were drinking before we had written language.

        It’s a matter of dealing with life on life’s terms. The reality is that people like drinking. Sometimes people drink too much, and a few unlucky folks can’t drink anything without risking death.

        I ocne read a story about a Vietnam era war correspondent. He was a pacifist before going to cover combat and seeing combat up close made him hate war even more.

        At one point a publisher asks him to contribute an article that ‘deglamorizes war.’

        He wrote back that deglamorizing war would be as easy as deglamorizing sex.

      • socsa@piefed.social
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        2 days ago

        I hate that existence, such an obvious health detriment, is so ingrained in culture that people don’t even question it…

    • c64z86@piefed.world
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      3 days ago

      With one important difference: Wine was often diluted back then and beer was not as strong as it is today, so it was much less dangerous on the whole, and it was so weak that even children drank it instead of the terrible water of the time. Though they also drank water when it was good.

      • zout@fedia.io
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        3 days ago

        Less strong, but since they drank beer instead of water overall consumption was higher. Lots of people should still drink less though.

        • c64z86@piefed.world
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          3 days ago

          Yeah! It was seen as an everyday good feeling healthy thing back then and not just something to get wasted on, though that happened a lot too. I’d take the ancient mindset of moderation over today’s alcohol addicted society anyday.

          • a4ng3l@lemmy.world
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            3 days ago

            Not sure it was so much about good feeling. From what I read it was more about booze being less likely to grant you a plague debuff than water back in the days.

            • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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              2 days ago

              It’s almost certainly both. It’s not like alcohol is the only drug humans have used. Most do not have that justification, yet they’re still used.

    • stickly@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      So you’re telling me without alcohol I could have spent my life picking berries before I died of a toothache at 25? And instead I’m reading excel sheets and will die a prolonged death after years of chemo at 85?

      Damn alcohol really is the cause of all my problems…

      • Mearcfara@lemmy.ml
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        2 days ago

        The “dying at 25” thing is the result of a common misrepresentation of data. Infant mortality rates were significantly higher in the past, so the average gets thrown off. But, if you remove those data points (to reflect post-infancy mortality), you’d be living roughly the same amount of time.

      • DagwoodIII@piefed.social
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        3 days ago

        Popular misconception.

        There were a lot of people who never made it out of childhood, which skews the average down.

        But if you made it to adulthood, you had a pretty good chance of making it to 65 or so.