Ask Lemmy

Everyone high roading you here is probably on anti-anxiety meds lol

I know everyone in here’s saying no but I do. If I’m going to a social occasion I might have a drink beforehand; not much, just enough to feel it. I’m not the most comfortable in social situations and a beer can just take the edge off. I don’t get drunk or anything and I’d only do it if there’s going to be alcohol there anyway.

I also drink sometimes to help me sleep. I have ADHD and I struggle to switch my brain off. Sometimes I hit like 2am and if I think I need it I have a bottle of whisky downstairs that I’ll go and have a drink off. Again, just enough to feel it. I have pills and medicine that help me sleep, and they work also, but they leave me feeling groggy the next day. With a little whisky I don’t even feel it the next day and it seems to work just as well. I don’t do it too often, maybe once every 3 or 4 weeks.

Hey man, I downvoted but i wanted to tell you why. My family has multiple alcoholics. I’m not judging you at all, but i a wanted to encourage you to find other coping mechanism. Alcohol is very dangerous, especially when used that way. Be safe, bro.

No, but I don't drink strategically. If you need to have a hard conversation or do something difficult, you should probably have your whole brain in use.

Yes, millions of people for thousands of years have done something like this. It's called liquid courage for a reason. I used to give myself exact small doses of alcohol to loosen up my introversion before social situations. If your job depends on it, it's basically a performance enhancer.

Not promoting alcoholism here, despite what I'm sure lots of comments will say. Personally, I barely drink at all anymore because it's gotten really hard on my body. Just giving a different viewpoint. There's so much addict pearl-clutching in here. Plenty of people can and do use drugs and alcohol responsibly. If you "don't need" them, great. If responsible doses help you live better, great.

Sure, but I was also an alcoholic. Very high functioning, but still at the end 100% dependant on it.

The slope is so treacherously flat, you don't feel yourself slipping. I still have no idea how I ended up where I did, or for that matter how I ended up actually managing to quit.

I'm sure some people can use liquid courage without it turning into depending on it to do the hard things, then more and more things turning hard and needing a boost to do it, or can wash away work with a drink at the end of the week, without having to wash it away at the end of every day, and then having a quick rinse-and-reset at lunch, and so on... But it's impossible to know which one you are until it's too late.

I mean, you could call it strategic, or you could call it relying on substances as a crutch to manage your emotions.

I'm not saying that's always bad, necessarily. There is the school of thought that it's just a tool, like in your edit. But, it's important to remember it can become a habit.

Lots of people warning you about alcoholism. Idk. I drink coffee strategically every day, and that's a drug. But also yes, I sometimes drink alcohol strategically. If I know I'm going to hang out with my sister who I love but disagree with on many many things, i have a drink or two. I try to dull my brain just enough that I am too slow to get offended at every single thing (or just don't care to, maybe?) in the end, we have a great time, I don't get all debate-ey with her, and instead just appreciate the good things about her. We don't see each other that often so I genuinely don't see any danger from this coping mechanism.

This is how you become an alcoholic.

Yes, I strategically drink every day

Anxiety is necessary sometimes. It’s fine to be anxious and it’s ok to be uncomfortable. You are having trouble managing your anxiety seek a therapist. Alcohol will trick you into thinking it’s a solution. Be careful, this is very similar to how my alcoholism and my fathers started.

Using alcohol as a method to resolve personal problems can be a very dark path. Please be careful.

That’s a sign of unmanaged dependency.

Yes, my strategy is I don't drink and in turn I don't get hangovers

PSA to the youngs who see Box of Wine and think QUANTITY.

Box of wine actually stays best longest because the tapped bag doesn't take in O2 and start to sour. So box wine is usually pretty par for paced domestic drinking and cooking.

I'm sure someone has smashed the box, but they also serve people who are more likely to leave the last glass in the bottle too long.

Bought Box does not mean Drank Box.

Short answer... no. Long answer... Noooooooooooooooooooo

Oh absolutely. I don't drink much outside parties (less and less nowadays) but I like having a stiff drink sometimes before doing something laborious or something requiring a bit of creativity. Nothing like a glass of whisky while messing around with the homelab servers.

I would never do this, because alcohilism runs in my family, and I'd be afraid to become dependend. That said, I know not everyone has the same risk to become an alcoholic, so if it helps and you can manage, do what you have to, life is hard enough as it is sometimes.

I like to have a drink but hard NO to doing it before anything important. I strongly prefer to feel clear headed for those moments.

Not anymore after reading up on how bad alcohol is for us.

Not exactly like that but I don't drink very often but decide to before like state of the unions now.

These days i rarely drink but a glass of wine with some pasta now and again goes down a treat

My baseline circadian rhythm doesn't let me get sleepy until the sun starts coming up. In a bygone era, I would've been the guy tending the fire and watching over the camp until the early birds got up. In the modern era, night shift jobs are generally terrible. I strategically drink to fall asleep at a somewhat reasonable hour, so I can participate in modern society.

I do, but the other way as I'm getting old and can't down them like I used to. Met up with a mate to watch the F1 in the pub garden on a sunny Sunday, just had a couple of halves as I still wanted to try a number of new drops

Though I completely understand using alcohol to loosen up a bit, for numerous social situations. Definitely used it more that way in my younger days, to varying degrees of success

Hmmm, may drink strategically to dodge rules like no self brought alcohol on the festival, or a way to feel the effect good enough before needing to run to the bus.

But to deal with drama? No that I'm taking fully in so I can learn from it if something similar happens again