What are your thoughts on alcohol?

[Kobranek]

I'm nine months into my sobriety today guys and it comes with a heavy heart with the passing of my brother who I never got a chance to meet due to his alcoholism.

He died from an accident from being drunk. I feel like I'm part of the reason for his despair since he was not at peace with my existence. He never wanted to meet me since he felt I was part of the reason the family split up.

This is the kind of stuff that makes therapists heads spin. I've really leaned on cannabis throughout this time growing high potency strains and finding the most efficient means of consuming my medicine. I haven't partaken in almost a year and am having a hard time letting go. I'm at the verge of just saying fuck it and hit the gvg already preloaded and see what hyperspace had in store for me. Love you guys, take care of the ones you love

 

[Starman]

If policy were sensible, alcohol would be a more strictly controlled substance than psychedelics (which imo should be decriminalized, but hey).

Alcohol is physiologically toxic, it is a literal neurotoxic. It also has maybe one of the worst addiction potentials, including the worst (or close to) withdrawal symptoms. You don't really get any long-term benefits from use. It has been normalized way too much and society needs to roll it back.

 

[Jamie01]

It’s frustrating watching people tumble downhill with alcohol addiction. My mother in law won’t stop and it’s a huge issue for everyone around her who deals with the aftermath. I guess after 30 plus years of drinking daily it’s pretty risky to just stop. It’s easy to see how it’s ruined a lot of her life. Even with multiple heath problems people will continue to drink…lie to the doctors about it, and then lie to everyone else about what the doctor says. My grandfather did the same thing and just couldn’t stop even when they stuck a pacemaker in him. I have had a number of friends who became total drunks and compared to the ones who had other drug issues the alcoholics seem to end up worse .

It’s an absolute horrendous drug, once abused.

 

[TheGreenPhantom]

Many years ago in my 20s, I read somewhere (maybe it was Jim DeKorne's Psychedelic Shamanism) that in Aztec(?) society, it was forbidden for young men to drink alcohol. Only old men, who'd undergone ritual psychedelic initiation, were allowed to imbibe. I thought to myself, "Ugh! I'll never drink. Alcohol is disgusting."

Well, now that I'm older, all I can say is "I'll drink a beer to that."

When I was young, I'd witness sloppy drunks; I'd find myself in noisy bars with friends where you'd have to yell to be heard and conversation was barely possible; and I'd be in a situation where I had to be cognizant enough to manage taking two subway trains, a bus, and a 1.5km walk to get home. Naturally, I didn't like alcohol. It would also put me to sleep, and had zero effects on my psyche.

As I got older and could tipple on my own terms, I discovered the joys of beer (and a blunt) on the beach. Warm weather and sweating seemed to balance the sedative effects so that I could actually enjoy being drunk – and not just feel sedated.

Now that I'm older still, a good Friday night means hitting the bar for good conversation with friends, good IPAs, whiskey or cocktails. I love good alcohol; I enjoy the taste and its effects. I find it to be pretty self-limiting – but I say that about everything – and never desire to drink to the point of being hammer-drunk. A mellow buzz is all I'm after.

My condolences to those whose families or lives have been disrupted because of alcohol.

 

[northape]

Many years ago in my 20s, I read somewhere (maybe it was Jim DeKorne's Psychedelic Shamanism) that in Aztec(?) society, it was forbidden for young men to drink alcohol. Only old men, who'd undergone ritual psychedelic initiation, were allowed to imbibe. I thought to myself, "Ugh! I'll never drink. Alcohol is disgusting."

Well, now that I'm older, all I can say is "I'll drink a beer to that."

When I was young, I'd witness sloppy drunks; I'd find myself in noisy bars with friends where you'd have to yell to be heard and conversation was barely possible; and I'd be in a situation where I had to be cognizant enough to manage taking two subway trains, a bus, and a 1.5km walk to get home. Naturally, I didn't like alcohol. It would also put me to sleep, and had zero effects on my psyche.

As I got older and could tipple on my own terms, I discovered the joys of beer (and a blunt) on the beach. Warm weather and sweating seemed to balance the sedative effects so that I could actually enjoy being drunk – and not just feel sedated.

Now that I'm older still, a good Friday night means hitting the bar for good conversation with friends, good IPAs, whiskey or cocktails. I love good alcohol; I enjoy the taste and its effects. I find it to be pretty self-limiting – but I say that about everything – and never desire to drink to the point of being hammer-drunk. A mellow buzz is all I'm after.

My condolences to those whose families or lives have been disrupted because of alcohol.

Like anything in life, it's about people, not a substance. Yes, our alcohol laws and consumption are far from optimal, but I can say the same thing about society in general.
Nothing is good or bad; we make it so. Our choice matters; that's the law of the place. Lots of people eat themselves to death or use any other method to relieve their pain.
We're just so removed from a normal human environment that our psyche is sick and tries to rebalance itself in any possible way. Sadly, very few learn good tools to cope and create a reasonable, livable environment for themselves. Don't judge the substance, don't judge the people, don't judge, period. Instead, be kind and help where it's possible.

The struggle is real, and no one is an island. May all be well!
Cheers to that

 

[Pumpy]

I truly believe There's Something About Alcohol =D that's so fundamentally dangerous, something to do with glucose metabolism and also the consequences of fucking your gaba and glutamate systems so drastically so easily. The liver is important too but is a more resilient organ.
Also historically alcoholic beverages existed on a spectrum that started with drinks that had far less alcohol content than anything we would be able to compare them to. I can see how that would be extremely helpful for learning how that substance works
That said not to toot my own horn but I have successfully (?) remained very drunk for very long stretches of time so.
This did not work out well for me
I'd like to say more but about this subject but i think that's enough for now<edit 5 mins later --> or it's already been said in this thread>

 

[ommani]

As with cannabis, I started drinking at age 12 - taking a hard turn from being a high-functioning kid to juvenile delinquency (skateboarding was also involved). Binge drinking as a teenager and into my early twenties was problematic in all sorts of ways, culminating in what could be described as a nervous breakdown at age 21. That experience reduced my level of alcohol consumption significantly, which was for the best.

However, by my mid twenties, I developed a different sort of habit with alcohol, drinking 1-2 beers a night, most days of the week, which persisted, off and on, till my late thirties. In recent years, I finally managed to release this habit through tracking how much I drink. For a few years, it was in the range of 30-60 drinks/year, so around 1 drink every week or two. This year has been even better, with 9 drinks since January, and 0 in the past two months.

I feel so much better, having reduced my level of alcohol consumption to this bare minimum, and appreciate the freedom of having a beer, from time to time, without it being an issue. One of the friends I grew up drinking with is now over two years sober, which is incredible, as he took it to another level that would have surely wrecked me, if I were to do the same. Overall, I enjoy a good beer, on occasion, but am weary of alcohol, particularly in relation to the cognitive and mental health detriments it can entail, not to mention its physical toll on the body.

 

[The Kraken]

You never hear me ask "why's the rum gone."

 

[Thierr7]

I'm really worried about my 40 years old daughter , i'm back from a few days out in the country with her kids and she drinks way too much ... I've myself been heavily addicted to alcohol in the past but out of it for years even though i can enjoy a few wine glasses every now and then but i'm not counting the days i'm sober anymore . I don't know what to do for her , she can't stand when i talk about it ... She is heavily addicted for years and i feel her very lost and sad ! i'm very worried ...

 

[rkba]

It's sort of weird. But ever since I started thinking that we create our own reality and had two psihuasca diy sessions one year apart. I have stopped drinking large amounts of alcohol.

My guess is that I have incorporated the create-your-own-reality idea into my being, and alcohol --being the escape-pod from reality-- became kind of pointless. Since you can't escape what you yourself have created.

Not sure if that's truly why, but I'll take it.

I've had 2 social beers, in 2 separate events, in the last 5 months. And it feels like when I quit my habitual smoking of tobacco, permanent.

Typically I would have gotten tipsy, if not downright drunk, at these types of events.

And the solo drinking of tequila has vanished.

The urge is simply not present. Kind of weird.

 

[newusername1]

I'm really worried about my 40 years old daughter , i'm back from a few days out in the country with her kids and she drinks way too much ... I've myself been heavily addicted to alcohol in the past but out of it for years even though i can enjoy a few wine glasses every now and then but i'm not counting the days i'm sober anymore . I don't know what to do for her , she can't stand when i talk about it ... She is heavily addicted for years and i feel her very lost and sad ! i'm very worried ...

Unfortunately i am all too familiar with alcoholism running in the family.

I don't think there are many people out there who're addicted to a substance and truly happy with that situation. Apart from maybe some rockstars or self obsessed tech billionaires, most people will experience at least some fallout effects in their lives from substance abuse. Some people can remain more functional than others, but there's always a price in terms of relationships, physical and mental health, money, etc.

And people who're addicted are definately aware of those problems. No drug is powerfull enough to make real problems go away forever.

The problem is that when you say it out loud you're basically confronting them with the fact that they're not in controll of their own lives. It feels like you're pulling the rug from underneath them, even though in reality that rug and the floor underneath that rug where already missing for a long time and you're just the one pointing it out.

I think the best thing you can do is probably to make sure she knows you love her in spite of the pain she causes you. It is very likely that she is aware of your pain, so pretending you're totally fine with the situation would probably not be very convincing anyway.

 

[fink]

My last post in this thread said 3 months alcohol free, now I'm over two years. I am using tobacco again though. A bit too much weed also. Of the three, I'm most glad not to be using alcohol.

Ommani, you just described my youth perfectly. High functioning to glorious drop out delinquency (skateboarding was absolutely involved)

 

[ommani]

My last post in this thread said 3 months alcohol free, now I'm over two years. I am using tobacco again though. A bit too much weed also. Of the three, I'm most glad not to be using alcohol.

Ommani, you just described my youth perfectly. High functioning to glorious drop out delinquency (skateboarding was absolutely involved)

That’s great to hear about the two years. Alcohol can be so insidious and stepping away from it can be a total game changer.

Haha I think that might be an archetypal pathway, of sorts, that some people go through. For me, it was like cruising in a straight line before hitting a banana peel and totally spinning out.

At this point, I’m kind of like a hybrid version of the high functioning kid I once was and the misfit that I became. It could be worse, and the saying, “no mud, no lotus,” seems to apply.

Also, cool to hear that you were into skating, as well. I wish that I had stuck with it, and wasn’t so rusty, at this point. Even though I don’t skate anymore, I still watch skate videos, and expect that it will always have a special place in my heart.

 

[fink]

I got a new deck in my mid 30s, went to the local park. Skated for 20 mins, tried to ollie off a flat ramp and slammed into the concrete. Decided this was not the revival I was looking for! Sticking to something safe, like skydiving

 

[ommani]

I got a new deck in my mid 30s, went to the local park. Skated for 20 mins, tried to ollie off a flat ramp and slammed into the concrete. Decided this was not the revival I was looking for! Sticking to something safe, like skydiving

Skydiving is gnarly, but I suspect it may have less of the "use it or lose it quality" that skating entails. It's funny you say that, as I also got a new board in my mid 30's with the intention of getting back into it. I ended up going to a skatepark, for the first time in years (somewhat amped up on a combination of coca leaf and a cactus microdose), had fun and landed a near perfect heelflip. I've gone a few times since then, but it's just not the same, so I've pretty much let it go. I did get back into snowboarding recently, which is more like riding a bike for me, compared to skating. Suffice it to say, back when I used to skate, I was better at skating in various states of intoxication than I am skating totally sober now, but that's ok. It had its place in my life, and at this point, I have other interests and things to explore.

 

[fink]

That one slam hurt so bad, to think I used to throw myself down stair sets hundreds of times a day with no injuries. A broken arm is going to cause a lot more trouble for me now, that is for sure. Snow slams are definitely kinder on the body.

Skydiving is the ultimate non contact sport! Unless you do contact something through extreme negligence, but good news is likely no need to suffer a recovery period.

 

[Jamie01]

I was cruising around a few weeks ago after skating a mini ramp at the park, and figured I’d just super relaxed nose slide the hubba before I go..but I went into crooks and then slip back kinda nose-manual down it for a moment slip out and flip over onto the concrete. It’s terrifying. Lol. I couldn’t bend down for days

 

[The Kraken]

I have a board for tricks (that I can never land) and a board for cruising. After injuring my vastus medialus last summer trying to hop on a slack line, I'm nervous about touching the boards. I've been thinking of parting ways with the trick board and keeping the cruiser for when I'm feeling like getting jiggy wit it.

 

[ommani]

I have a board for tricks (that I can never land) and a board for cruising. After injuring my vastus medialus last summer trying to hop on a slack line, I'm nervous about touching the boards. I've been thinking of parting ways with the trick board and keeping the cruiser for when I'm feeling like getting jiggy wit it.

The Kraken rides again!

I was cruising around a few weeks ago after skating a mini ramp at the park, and figured I’d just super relaxed nose slide the hubba before I go..but I went into crooks and then slip back kinda nose-manual down it for a moment slip out and flip over onto the concrete. It’s terrifying. Lol. I couldn’t bend down for days

That sounds sketchy! I can sort of picture what that might have looked like.

Btw this is the second thread on this forum that I've derailed into a conversation about skateboarding haha

It's funny how obsessed I still am, even though I don't skate anymore, and haven't really skated, consistently, in over 20 years.

I'm not sure what it's called, in medical terms, but my left elbow is permanently damaged from falling on it so many times, such that it's permanently kinda swollen. My left knee also has a permanent bump next to it for the same reason.

A conversation about skateboarding is actually quite fitting in a thread about alcohol, given the longtime connection between skating and partying. I love watching documentary videos about professional skaters who got caught up in substance abuse and made it through to the other side.

Sadly, there are also those who didn't make it - Harold Hunter is one such skater who comes to mind...

 

[CataractSurgeon]

I am wondering two things:

- How do you feel about recreational alcohol use?
- What do you know about ceremonial alcohol use in any spiritual practice?

My take is that I have been really liking alcohol lately. Two drinks is great for dancing. It's a sure way to feel happy and have fun in a good environment. Some of my best memories include alcohol. Mushrooms and alcohol was always a great time with my friends. I would say that I am a fan, when used with self-control and in the right setting.

I would like to know more about alcohol in ceremonial settings. I know plants like Bobinsana, Ajo Sacha, Ayahuma are soaked in brandy in the Amazon. I've done that before and found it really powerful. I was having a shot of brandy a day during those times. Does anyone know how alcohol is used in ayahuasca ceremonies? I assume it is also used socially by shamans? I hear rum is used as an offering in Voodoo. I would like to more and more details.

Want to know if I can use it in my spiritual practices. I am practicing witchcraft lately. I'm always looking for ways to add more elements of intention into my practice.

Thanks for sharing any thoughts you might have.

One of my friends died of liver failure in her early 50’s - her husband barely escaped same fate and now lives with fatty liver borderline failure - you can be addicted to opiates for years and physically be fine - how’s that for contrast? After doing an Ibogaine flood - alcohol, opiates, and stimulants are disgusting to me. Even sex has lost its “must have” status which is intersting and relieves one too. Psychedelics remain very interesting though….