Why on earth do people like drinking alchohol?

Hi. I was wondering, and please don't take offense at this...but why on earth do people like drinking alchohol? And I don't mean sipping wine on special occasions/ to keep healthy. I mean just plain old drnking, whether it's wine, beer, rum, etc. (for...

example, binge drinking). I have a major problem in that I can't stand being near drunk people at all...and the scary part is, even the smartest, mst rational person I know can act like a total retard when drunk...and don't even get me started about fans at sports events ( althoughbthanks to some drunks, I know how it geels to spill beer on youself...the shirt I was wearing got so thurughly drenched that I had to buy a new shirt at the arena gift shop and toss the original...all thanks to the drunk sitting behind me) I just don't get what's so appealing about something that turns normally nice, smart, rational people into immature, idiotic bufoons. And as you can probabpy tell, I'm not planning on drinking, not just b/c of my bad experiences, but also b/c of the things it does to one's body...(don't even get me started on that...)

okay, why do people start drinking
well the first reason would usually be because its considered a cool thing to do
and everyone else is doing it, especially at parties which can put pressure on people who arnt drinking
then theres people who are presured into it by there friends who tell them to drink
and usually its just because people love loosing there inhibitions
they feel better about the way they look, they can talk and open up to people more, they can do things theyd normally be too afraid to do
but with anything that feels good for a short period of time
there are far more risks involved with it
drinking causes and contributes to many diseases, cancers and even infertility
it lowers your life expectancy, costs you money, leads to regrets (most people do things they wish they hadnt, have sex, and have unprotected sex with random people) and drinking is one of the main reasons of young people dying in car crashes
it also makes a lot of people more violent
but people focus more on the lost inhibitions and temporary good feelings than all the horrible side effects

Well, it certainly isn't a stupid question. If we had a clear and easy answer, that would make things a lot easier for the health people, the public-information people, etc - so many lives are destroyed (physically, emotionally, or both) by alcohol abuse.

There may be some people who are pre-disposed to alchol problems. Certain ethnic groups, among them many of the Tibeto-Mongolian group, including the various Inuits, tend to have very low tolerance, and get 'hooked' easily.

BUT the main problem is that people, wherever they are, tend to turn to alcohol when the going gets rough, when they feel unsure of themselves, when they want to get what promises to be a 'quick boost'.

It's a big social problem in many countries.

On the other hand, here in Cyprus, alcohol is cheap and readily available. And yet the only drunk people I've seen in my almost-three years here have been foreign tourists.

 
The reason most people drink to excess is because of their need to hide from their perceived problems or inadaquacies. They are afraid of facing their problems and the realities of their lives so they escape.

You will be much better off socially, and health wise, if you mostly avoid alcohol. I'm 68 and have never been a drinker, although an occasional cold beer is nice on a hot summer's day.

 
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that is a lot ot BS,, im not saying I drink a lot but drinking is just amazingly fun, it makes regular nice party into a hott party,,, the only people not having fun are the sober ones, everybody else is always having a blast! makes you do things that you wouldnt have done while sober, thats the great thing about it, sure some you regret and others you wish you could do all over again, thats the thrill of it. bottom line itz just a way of having fun;

because its fun being drunk and it sometimes tastes good lol

@ funtheguy:

Hmmm...Can I ask you something? How are MY bad experiences a lot of BS?! Jerk... And also, WTF is your definition of fun?? I've seen people get into fights when drunk...GROWN MEN getting into fights over the SAME types of things that 6- year olds fight over...and most of the time when people aren't doing that, they're getting high, smoking ( are those 2 different things? For smoking, I meant tobacco, btw), grinding, full- on having sex (that last one I've only heard about), and/ or standing around cussing...Just what part of this is supposed to be fun?? I'm sorry you seem to think certain experiences I've had are BS...but hey, that's just some of the s***t I've had to see/ go through because of alchohol. End of story.

back @silent storm
maybe I Fu%*%d up on your experience part but,, ,..,,.,. seriouly? fighting drunk people is the funiest sh*% to watch.! because they end up not even getting hurt, or atleast all the fights I've seen lmao. getting high and smokin, F#Ck IT, if people enjoy it why not do it.
right? when you at a party, be ready to party

Yeah...except I don't party. I'll just tell you b/c this is starting to annoy me...my friend went to a party, got drunk and who know what else, and got into this HUGE- a$$ fight. The neighboors called the cops and s**t like that. Also, the when I was talking about SEEing fights...well,,, that's about the 5th time I've seen someone thrown against a wall, etc. For no reason. Except tge person who threw him was drunk and stoned (w/e it's called)...I'm a Martial Artist, so maybe it's just my discipline talking, but alchohol and drugs really f**k people up. Besides, if the fighters WEREN'T drunk, it'd be much more entertaining to watch. I don't think it's funny. Would you, when you had to drag someone you knew out of a fight like that, after they got f**ked up by some a-hole from school? I don't think so. I don't wanna fave anything to do with drugs. Too many people I know are messed up because they do drugs/ had horrible experiences b/c of others doing drugs around them. (btw, drinking is no different from drugs!)

...and what I mean by I don't party , is that I don't bother with them. My idea of fun is more traditional: sports, boardgames, video games, and art. I also like handling my nunchaku, but that's a little less normal, I'll admit. I'm usually the patient guy who becomes the chouffeur every time my friends go to a party...I just don't want anyone to get hurt. (Another anti- drinking anecdote: when I met my girlfriend, she was about to be raped at a party her big bro brought her to. I beat down the attacjer, and left with her. I found out from her he was drunk AND high. She now is afraid of booze and such unless she's with me.One of those rare, almost classic ways to meet. Now I'm a knight in shining armor to her.)

...OMG, I SOO don't wanna remember that...oh, and Akira- san? It's DRUNKARDS I'm afraid of, lol...Thanks for saving me, tho! ~^_^~

Love ya,
Mimi- chan