How have your views on alcohol changed over the years?
I can only speak to my generation. When I was a kid, there were films like "Animal House" where kids ingested all kinds of drinks and got crazy. When Cinemax signed on in 1981 or so, the R-rated sex comedies were everywhere(Skinemax lol). Lots of drinking there, too. It all looked like a ton of fun.
Throughout high school and college, I got a more realistic picture. Being drunk could be fun, sure, but sometimes it brought out the inner asshole in people. The fun people were there, but so were the violent, angry ones(alcohol is a depressant??).
High school was part of the awakening...(OMG, what did I say to that chick last night? And did I really make out with her friend? OOPS.) Did Kathy really get taken away in an ambulance with alcohol poisoning? Did Chris really get a DWI a week after he got his license? We didn't see that on Max.
Neither did I see my relatives pass before their time due to their reliance on booze. :(
Friends, too. I had one who was a heavy drinker and died trying to stop drinking cold turkey--his body reacted badly and checked out.
My conclusion is that society sold us a bridge and we nearly jumped off. Now don't get me wrong, I still enjoy a 7 and 7 or rum and coke every so often. But that's it. As a working musician, I play in bars, clubs, and wineries and I've learned to not be a fan of people who can't control their liquor--loud, boisterous, impulsive, no concept of personal space.
I also feel terribly for people who have problems with drinking; however, I like to avoid those individuals.
Again, I'm no saint and I've more than had a drink; I've also drank to the point of sickness. A glass of wine, something to take the edge off, perfectly fine in my book. More than that? I've seen jobs, careers, marriages, lives all go away. And some people get a nasty edge on their personality with just a few drinks.
So, drinking went from being this cool thing that adults did to this poison that turns sensible people into complete jerkwads.
What are your views on drinking?
Throughout high school and college, I got a more realistic picture. Being drunk could be fun, sure, but sometimes it brought out the inner asshole in people. The fun people were there, but so were the violent, angry ones(alcohol is a depressant??).
High school was part of the awakening...(OMG, what did I say to that chick last night? And did I really make out with her friend? OOPS.) Did Kathy really get taken away in an ambulance with alcohol poisoning? Did Chris really get a DWI a week after he got his license? We didn't see that on Max.
Neither did I see my relatives pass before their time due to their reliance on booze. :(
Friends, too. I had one who was a heavy drinker and died trying to stop drinking cold turkey--his body reacted badly and checked out.
My conclusion is that society sold us a bridge and we nearly jumped off. Now don't get me wrong, I still enjoy a 7 and 7 or rum and coke every so often. But that's it. As a working musician, I play in bars, clubs, and wineries and I've learned to not be a fan of people who can't control their liquor--loud, boisterous, impulsive, no concept of personal space.
I also feel terribly for people who have problems with drinking; however, I like to avoid those individuals.
Again, I'm no saint and I've more than had a drink; I've also drank to the point of sickness. A glass of wine, something to take the edge off, perfectly fine in my book. More than that? I've seen jobs, careers, marriages, lives all go away. And some people get a nasty edge on their personality with just a few drinks.
So, drinking went from being this cool thing that adults did to this poison that turns sensible people into complete jerkwads.
What are your views on drinking?
