Do you ever crave being drunk?

[mobilehaathi]

No, normal human behavior.

These days I hesitate to respond to most anything on this forum because there is little tolerance for nuanced thought. Additionally I feel that any time spent actually explaining such nuanced thought is met with either bafflement or derision, so eventually I expect to quietly exit this forum naturally by attrition. In the mean time, I find myself regressing to the mean, in that I fail to explain the nuanced thoughts that drove me to write a particular sentence. This is awful form, but then again I don't do this in my professional life.

To (briefly) expand on my previous post, I think the mere fact of the OP and its phrasing is of concern and constitutes in itself a problem. I'm not particularly fond of the remarkably puritanical nature of US attitudes towards alcohol, but from an empirical standpoint the OP concerns me and implies a problem with alcohol.

Without getting too philosophical, I think that humans self-medicate as a means to escape the profound uneasiness that self-awareness brings, and I don't have a problem with this per se. I do it myself with some regularity. But to echo something that has already been said,

if you're obsessing so much about getting drunk that's generally not a good sign.

This is my only observation, and I apologize for not being more explicit in my original post.

 

[Huntn]

And then, I remind myself, that uniquely in the western world (though not, alas, in parts of the Muslim universe), the US actually had the ignoble privilege of having enacted and enforced a ban against the production, sale and consumption of alcohol. Not, by a long way, the most enlightened or impressive piece of legislation to wind its merry way through the Houses of Congress, I would respectfully submit. Prohibition did more damage than good to the US, but it has also left a lingering legacy of - almost Puritanical - disapproval when and where the subject matter of alcohol is discussed.

I think you have misread the flavor of most responses. Although I don't think you are commenting on my post specifically, I'd say as with any drug, there is casual usage without negative impact, and then there chronic addictive usage, with a hugely negative impact.

Based on my association with the English culture, I'd say alcohol consumption is deeply ingrained. The time we landed in Indonesia at a Brit base, to be met by Brits to be escorted to the local O Club to be drunk under the table is just part of my evidence. In the U.S. Navy, drinking used to be rampant, but in my last years before separation, the Navy realized this negative impact and took steps to curb it, not outlaw it but keep it under control, to encourage responsible drinking. I wonder if statistically how the U.S. and the U.K. compare when it comes to alcoholism?

Ultimately "Craving to be Drunk" should be viewed with concern because it leads to a negative impact on one's life (my opinion).

 

[sdilley14]

This is the stance I was trying to take.

I am well aware of alcoholism and it being a major problem, I've seen it first hand many times ruin friends and family members of me, and I know it starts off slow.

What I meant was, being drunk, especially while you are young and your only real obligations are to do well in school (which I did this year, made the industrial design program, 35 seats open, 200 applied!), just heightens a lot of fun with friends at times.

When I say drunk, I don't mean blackout, puking, pissing yourself drunk. I mean more than buzzed, but not to where you make an ass out of yourself.

I guess using "crave" was a bad word.

I know what you mean. (For me) 3-4 drinks is buzzed, 12+ is approaching blackout (depends if we're talking beer, mixed drinks, or if we have shots worked in)...sitting in that 6-8-10 range and coasting is a nice feeling that I long for when the weekend hits.