From the pages of the Zero Tolerance post comes:
Pascal:
These people are SO right! I don't like beer at all, and it's available everywhere. It should be banned by the Government because I find it tastes bitter and revolting. They should also ban eggplants, brocoli, cauliflower, liver, Schweppes, and political TV campaign clips.
(Note: the ban part is tongue-in-cheek, inspired by the original post. Disregard.)
I replied:
Thank you! Somebody else who doesn't like beer! I thought I was alone.
Joe said:
I'm not that crazy about it either. I generally do not drink alcohol of any kind, only because I don't like the taste and not for any religious reasons.
There may be a lot more of us than we thought.
Let's investigate.
I'm the same, I simple don't care for the taste of any alcoholic beverages (unless they have so much sugar in them that my sugar-junkie nature takes over). This goes for wine, beer, hard likker, the lot.
Any other readers who feel the same way?
I generally don't drink. I don't like losing control and there's very little that I actually like the taste of. Sometimes, among friends in a safe place when I know I'm not going anywhere, I'll drink - but that's it.
ReplyDeleteI suspect it has more to do with the type of people that this blog attracts.
Now those I like.
ReplyDeleteNothing against controlled consumption of a bottle of beer or glas of wine together with a meal or so, or in the summer when it's hot and one is dried out.
ReplyDeleteDisliking here of alcohol comsumption of any kind (and smoking) just because it's cool.
Today I was at our local airport and I was wondering: why do so many people smoke at an airport? Nerveous? Afraid? Bored?
I suspect most addictive behavior (and we all have it) is connected to anxiety. I think there's a *lot* more suppressed anxiety in us all than we realize.
ReplyDeleteNope, I for one enjoy the taste of good wine, good beer and good whisky.
ReplyDeleteOf course, as is the case with anything that can be desired, there is a strong contextual component to that liking. The taste comes with a collection of memories and mindsets, either personal or cultural. For example, whisky activates my steampunk switch and that in turn is one of the reasons why I like it. Guiness is by any measure a repulsive mix of soot and soup, but I still drink one occasionaly for similar reasons.
I also have the same kind of reaction to herb tea, so I guess I'm not completely depraved yet ;-)
I drink, but on a recent work trip they tried about 5 flavours of wine before they let me give up and have a Newcastle Brown with my roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding. (Yes I was in Vegas)
ReplyDeleteI tend to go for more of a bitter or 80' rather than a larger or IPA.
I like some stouts, but am now finding Guiness too smokey at times. Not being a big larger fan of say Becks or Heinekan I was surprised to find I like Corona. I avoid the American "Makin' love in row boat" beers.
I must say the two I like cider, like K, 1080, or Strongbow, or lemonade like Hooch (the UK cider based is better than the American Mikes).
I didn't care for alcola. I think a hard iron brew would work though.
As for likkers, Baileys (original or caramel), Southern Comfort, peach schnapps, a good smooth tequila, or a nice warm saki.
I did find some elderberry and damson wine that I like, trouble is that was in the UK, and I can't find it here :-(
I drink about 1 1/2 beers a week on average.
"I avoid the American "Makin' love in row boat" beers."
ReplyDeleteWhat does this mean?
-Brian H.
-Brian H. asks:
ReplyDelete"I avoid the American
"Makin' love in row boat" beers."
What does this mean?
It's the closest thing there is to water.
Jeff R. (in Sydney)
Sadder, Budweiser.
I've never had alcohol personally. The experiences of my dad and several other people I've known have turned me off the stuff. I've heard alcoholism is inherited, and sure as hell don't want to go down that road.
ReplyDeleteJes,
ReplyDeleteI'd started drinking before I saw problems, I guess being a Brit it isn't always easy to spot alcoholism from social norm, but with maturity and wisdom I saw it. Yup, my father seems to be alcoholic, but not admitting it, but it can be a problem. My in-laws are both "recovered" alcoholics and have been dry for decades, I see however my SIL and niece both have problems. I don't know how my wife missed it, but she is capable of drinking sensibly, as am I.
We do worry for our kids. I'm of the mind that a modest use in front of the kids will remove the mystique, and lead by example.
I have a friend who becomes a fun affable drunk, but he admits that whiskey is bad for him, he gets aggressive with it, so he keeps clear.
Drunks can be a pain to talk to, of the classic modes there are
fun - can handle
affable - pleasant to be around
maudlin - gosh, I thought we were out to have a good time
belligerent - there's no talking to them.
lovin' - how anoying.
violent - this is fun how?
soporific - that's me.
My ex-boss goes through affable, to belligerent to maudlin to affable. Man those were long lunch times.
However, I find now that if I drink too early in the day I get almost hung over before the end of the day, and if I drink mid to late afternoon, then I'm all relaxed in myself, but get cranky real easily with the kids. Hence the moderation on a Friday night or special occasion policy at home.
There are some great flavoured drinks for all palettes, but the alcohol doesn't work for everyone.
I think your steer clear policy is a good one. I applaud it.
Alex
For my part, I enjoy wine. It is an acquired taste, for sure, but once you now what you like, it is really enjoyable. And the right wine can turn an ordinary meal into a great experience...
ReplyDeleteIn general, I would say I don't like beer. But I do recall one evening in Liège (southern Belgium) when I was introduced to genuine Abbey brews by a Belgian friend. Now, that was beer as God intended it to be, and I liked everything my friend had me tasting. The bar had some 2,500 different brands of beer, btw.
As far as liquor goes, I fancy single malt Scotch, Rémy Martin (cognac) and Amaretto, and that's pretty much it for me. I don't think I have liquor more than twice a year, definitely not something I would miss.
If you don't like the taste of beer, you just haven't found a nice beer yet. I used to be the same, until I spent a day in a pub with a selection beer-menu some 40 pages long. Now there are a few beers I do like. Unfortunately, they happen to be the more expensive ones. I'm a beer snob!
ReplyDeleteI think I've tried a pretty good range from a bunch of different countries, including the overrated kraut beers. I have not had any American beers, and certainly not any of their "lite" beers! So, anyway, I did not just taste a couple bad ones and swear off the stuff.
ReplyDeleteRe. losing control, it's never happened to me. Not even that time when I drank way too much wine for my own standards (an overly merry family lunch, and social pressure). Perhaps I'm just too cerebral to "lose it"?
ReplyDeleteTypically, a small drink is well enough for me... essentially because then I have an official excuse to joke freely! :-)
I also can go for a year without having a single drop, that's how "dependant" I am. But I've been consuming, lately. Because of a recipe promising to help when you've got a sore throat, which has happened quite a lot this year (courtesy of your friendly neighborhood global warming and its uncustomary germs). The formula is quite simple: honey in whisky. No water, no ice (I think).
Well, results of the experiments, I don't know if it helps to heal, but you certainly feel better afterwards! Woo-hoo! ;-)
Okay, more seriously now. This is perhaps the first time I've appreciated drinking scotch, precisely because the sweet taste of the honey makes me like it. But alcohol, by itself, totally fails to please my taste buds.
There's also something else: everybody knows how terrible "alcoholism" is, when it's synonymous of substance abuse. It's as nefarious as heroin, no kidding! But it would seem that moderate occasional alcohol consumption in adults (18+) in not only harmless, also beneficial to health.
So, if you're reasonable, and honest with yourself, please indulge, you're welcome. "All things in moderation" is a general principle I'm very fond of, both professionally and philosophically.
For instance, I love to laugh, but there comes a moment when one has to stop and breathe, right?
Eo truthified...
"I suspect most addictive behavior (and we all have it) is connected to anxiety."
And yet, even today many people deliberately obliviate the fact that addiction CREATES anxiety.
I recall when I was a kid (early teens?), my big brother and my mother asked me to taste a drink. I did. I could see on their faces that they were testing something. So I told them there was no alcohol in it.
ReplyDeleteI could see that they both were very surprised that I could tell. Perhaps most people can't tell?
Pascal said:
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'm just too cerebral to "lose it"?
bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
t would seem that moderate occasional alcohol consumption in adults (18+) in not only harmless, also beneficial to health.
I've heard that but not having the glass of red wine or whatever doesn't seem to have negatively affected my health.
It's as nefarious as heroin, no kidding!
Unless you're drinking moonshine alcohol at least has the advantage of being of good quality. Unless you can get your hands on pharmaceutical grade heroin, I'd say it's still a little worse...
Eolake said:
I could see that they both were very surprised that I could tell. Perhaps most people can't tell?
It's always been obvious to me when something's got alcohol in it, but then some people might have more of a taste for that kind of thing.
Jes,
ReplyDeleteI concur with the Square-Headed man. You're wisely cautious there. A genetic component does exist.
Not in my direct family, but still, I stay careful and self-critical out of principle. For instance, I've seriously decreased my daily chocolate consumption. I hear that you can get an equivalent amount of pleasure by simply having sex. ;-)
Alex "now new and improved avatar" examplified...
"I'm of the mind that a modest use in front of the kids will remove the mystique"
Worked in MY childhood...
Of course, ain't no better educational example than the sorry sight of a drunk. In a way, these human wrecks perform a public service and should be rewarded for it. (Hey, imagine if you could get PAID for being a pathetic drunken hobo! ;-)
BTW, does a modest use of tobacco similarly remove the mosquitoes?
bzzzzz... ==X:–
"he admits that whiskey is bad for him, he gets aggressive with it"
Basically, alcohol lifts inhibitions. Which are in good part social, but also educational.
Me, the EXCUSE of having a glass in front of me (last time, a week ago, I got very merry even before touching it) is quite sufficient for my pleasure. But an adult needs to ponder responsibly, whether lifting his inhibitions (and to what extent) is wise. Some people are very nice and civilized only because they managed to silence their inner demons, and they'd better NEVER drink alcohol. This stuff doesn't reveal your true self, it reveals a givent part of your self, and in some people there's no telling WHICH one.
"You wouldn't like me when I'm angry..." - Dr Robert Bruce Banner, radio-active physicist.
Sometimes I wonder whether I stay myself after a drink because I'm used to being my true self? If your only inhibitions come from fundamental belief, and not from arbitrary social conventions, maybe there's none to be lifted. (Hic!) Aye, I'll drink to that, I will.
I've seen live example of pathologic alcoholics. In a nutshell, I find their example very dissuasive.
As I said, maybe I'm too cerebral. The main effect alcohol genuinely has on me, is that if I'm tired, from sickness or lack of sleep, my balance gets seriously compromised. Raw dizziness. Only half fun to feel, really. But, and I think maybe that's odd for a very occasional drinker, the effect of a drink comes quite fast, and goes just as fast. Probably genetic: some people have some specific liver enzymes that are more active, anaesthesiologists know it very well because it can be the source of surprises during an operation. Looks like I'm a fast metabolizer for ethanol, in spite of not having the functional stimulation that occurs in regular drinkers. [It's called hepatic induction, disturbs the action and dosage of many medications.]
I still don't know from personal experience what a hangover is like. And I ain't curious! :-)
[shhhh! please, could we keep it down to a whisper here?]
My rather limited experience of wine leads me to fully approve with Bert: it's an acquired taste.
Snobbish Anonymous sobbed...
"Now there are a few beers I do like. Unfortunately, they happen to be the more expensive ones."
Gee, I wonder why? Something to do with quality, you think? :-)
I believe the solution to your problem is simple: drink less quantity, but more quality. That's what I do with my own "poison" (that's chocolate, for those who haven't been listening).
Eo theorized...
"I told them there was no alcohol in it.
I could see that they both were very surprised that I could tell. Perhaps most people can't tell?"
Never heard of that. I'd find it surprising. Besides, taste or no taste, alcohol is felt PHYSICALLY, just like the cold sensation of menthol.
(Chemically, on the other hand, menthol is labeled an alcohol. :-) But I dissigress...
Joe Dick roared...
"bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
I'm glad SOMEBODY got it. :-)
[Heeqk! Whoa, quit rocking the canoe, will ya?]
"not having the glass of red wine or whatever doesn't seem to have negatively affected my health."
Well, it clearly seems to have affected your brain.
And I should know! *<8oP~~
"Unless you can get your hands on pharmaceutical grade heroin, I'd say it's still a little worse..."
Touché.
Have you heard of Methadone?
I wazsh meaninng, of course, that as an addiction of the hard type, it's equivalent in power. I think. (Mgngnf... wish I could gnremember fer schuuure...)
"some people might have more of a taste for that kind of thing"
Well, having a gustative sensitivity for it and having a liking are not the same. For instance, I can instantly recognise liver, but... um... whu? Were we talkkin' about sclerosis? I'm the Presidunt of jhe Yoonyted Schtaytesh, I don't have any skull-rosis. No clouded mind, either. Ah'm sober as a judge.
"Please take due note that the defendant is pleading guilty to the charges of public inebriation."
ReplyDelete"I'm of the mind that a modest use in front of the kids will remove the mystique"
ReplyDeleteDo you recommend that for sex too?
Sex deserves a mystique. I was going to say misuse of alcohol can mess up your life and possible kill several other people, as if that was somehow different from sex.
ReplyDeleteI think, in our society, the less known about parental sex the better. However, I have never skipped a nudie scene in any movies, but have skipped violence. At 6 and 10 the kids aren't really bothered, the eldest has mentioned classmates "reactions" and comments about nudity.
When your DVD collection has most Peter Greenaway films in it, your kids will get exposed to non sexual nudity soon enough.
Well, it clearly seems to have affected your brain.
ReplyDeleteAnd I should know! *<8oP~~
Dems fightin' woids! ;-)
I wazsh meaninng, of course, that as an addiction of the hard type, it's equivalent in power.
You can usually count on me to get your meaning, Doc! ;-)
"Of course, ain't no better educational example than the sorry sight of a drunk."
ReplyDeleteYep, that's what did it for me. I saw so much of it in my early childhood and just can't imagine ever wanting to be in that state. It's a situation comparable to being raised in a zoo.
"Of course, ain't no better educational example than the sorry sight of a drunk. In a way, these human wrecks perform a public service and should be rewarded for it. (Hey, imagine if you could get PAID for being a pathetic drunken hobo! ;-)"
ReplyDeleteThere was such a position in Ancient Greece, you know...
As far as the taste of alcohol goes, it reminds me of an occasion where I was treated to genuine homemade Russian vodka (sat at the Russian's table at a Xmas party). I learned two or three things that evening, before passing out:
- vodka in itself has no taste; various spices are added for flavor
- natural, unflavored vodka drinks as easily as water, yet hammers you like nothing else (the Russians tried to warn me...)
- good stuff leaves no hangover or any other form of remorse-inducing effect, as long as you don't dehydrate. I woke up fresh as a rose, and in a much better mood, too! :-)
That time was the only time I really drank too much in the past 30 years or so, yet it is a very good memory. Except for those two hours for which I blacked out (and during which everyone was starved and complaining about the slow service, apparently), I remember having a great evening.
Like water, really?
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the difference is between the "good stuff" and the bad. After all, if alcohol makes you pass out, it must be poisonous.
I've never been much of a beer fan, but my boyfriend introduced me to Belgian Lambics. They have a fruit flavor added and to me, they taste like a fruity, slightly sour soda pop that leaves a nice warm, fuzzy feeling. No bitter beer taste at all. They are made with "wild yeast" and are more sour, like a sourdough starter for bread. I used to drink Vodka in college, because it was virtually flavorless (I don't like the taste of other hard alcohols) and I never got a hangover from it. Wine gives me migraines within an hour of consumption, even though there are some that I really like (a nice red port wine, yum!). I've not been much of a drinker since college though. A few drinks here and there over the last 19 years or so. I find I don't really want to or need to. Besides, I am not one that is big on mixing alcohol and my medications. A lot of people I know will do that, even though the labels says not to, but not me. If I need meds, it is for a reason and I don't need to add alcohol to the mix!
ReplyDelete"Like water, really? "
ReplyDeleteWell, anyone could tell it's not water. But nothing like the old cliché of "fire water", anyway.
As for the passing out part, I'll leave it to Pascal to discuss the details of the mechanism, but it was more like an irresistible, in the literal meaning, urge to go to sleep. Which I did, right there, leaning on the table (I know, I have poor table manners). Now, was it simply that I was exhausted and suddenly lacked the will to fight it, or was it something else, I do not know.
"Wine gives me migraines within an hour of consumption"
Alcohol consumption causes rapid dehydration, that much I know. I can easily avoid any migraines (to which I can be prone) simply by drinking enough water.
Forgot to add that I don't really know what "good stuff" is or is not, after all. All I meant is that, in my case anyway, it is more the excessive sugar and flavor components of most liquor that will make me regret drinking those. In light of that, "good stuff" would be unaltered alcohol, I guess...
ReplyDeleteAh, correckshun. Condi tells me it's not sclearrosis, but Sir Rosis of tha liver.
ReplyDeleteFool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame, um, ah, I... you won't fool me again!
Thank you. Now watch that drive. This is how I see playing in the Gulf. (whoosh! whoosh! whoosh-whoosh-whooshity-whoosh! "Dang ball, stop movin', the two of ya!")
Massive trademark post warning: you might want to sit comfortably with a drink and a bowl of nuts before beginning to read.
ReplyDelete(I mean, apart from all the nuts composing our jolly bunch, nats!)
Eolake dared...
"Do you recommend that for sex too?"
You know, this fangdangled idea of yours might actually be a very healthy suggestion.
It can always happen that a child see by accident his parents having sex. If he knows what it means, and his parents are matter-of-fact about it, I'm ready to bet there won't be any meaningful trauma. I've got a modern book on sexuality aimed at little kids (for when the little one starts asking, which should be soon), and it explains "everything", with images leaving little room for doubt in spite of their cute style. In our (relatively) taboo-free 3rd millenium, it's the sensible AND healthy thing to do.
Now, don't nobody claim that I advised for a "practical demonstration" to complete a child's education! I won't go that far. The book also explains the very important concept of intimacy, see? Si.
Parent Alex opinionated...
"I think, in our society, the less known about parental sex the better."
Well, I grew up in the, let's say "conservative", lebanese society of the Seventies. But my sensible parents satiated all my intellectual and practical curiosity about the matters of sex when I was 5. And I feel it helped give me an immensely healthier and more relaxed attitude toward sex than my more typical schoolmates, and even University comrades in Med School!
As I said, the principle of intimacy means that parents aren't meant to give their children a live demonstration to make the course more complete. But "knowing" what goes on, on an intellectual level, does not hurt a correctly raised child, on the contrary. I might add, if a child happens to hear odd sounds coming from the bedroom of the parents, (s)he will then know to simply leave them to their intimacy. At least in my case.
None of us would exist if Mom and Dad hadn't "loved each other very very much". So no "eyew!", please. It's normal, it's God's design and Nature's working, it's part of the Universe, grow up and just deal with it.
"I was going to say misuse of alcohol can mess up your life and possible kill several other people, as if that was somehow different from sex."
Now THAT sums up the issue perfectly. :-)
What WOULD harm a child, is his parents sleeping around, or the drinking equivalent, getting drunk. Normal is normal, abuse destroys respect.
French television doesn't even put an age advisory any more if a film on national/public TV has non-sexual nudity in it. This includes a couple getting out of bed together, and clearly having slept naked together. Even includes the occasional tasteful sex scene with a reasonable level of non-explicitness, but undoubtedly naked actors.
What IS causing concerned debate in France today, is the fact that minors are getting very easy access to hardcore porn. And the concern is not even about the explicit sex! Nope, it's about the gravely deformed image of sex that most porn conveys, potentially messing up the conceptions that young teens may get regarding sex. Such as, "when she says no she means yes", "women are all secretly nymphomaniac she-dogs in heat", "swapping, slapping, dirty talking, group sex, non-consensual or ambiguous, are quite normal"... You get the general idea. Another major concern is that porn made today still slacks off regarding systematic condom use, and youngsters getting used to THAT is very bad. Aids is getting a second wind these days...
As one good friend of mine (very experienced) said to me: "Young people, teenagers, they WILL have sex; unless adults lock them up they'll take their own decisions, and our responsible job is to keep them safe by educating them the best we can. If you take a stict forbidding attitude, they may even disregard what you say just to spite you." We all know he's right. Even when risking death in the most conservatine muslim countries, many people just risk it all because the need to "just live" is too powerful to relinquish.
We're drifting from alcohol to sex, but I believe the difference is still minimal. The main difference, is that alcohol consumption is free from the huge taboo that is still the frequent stigma of sex, like some big fat scarlet letter. Lovers having tender sex is a televisual no-no, but a drunk making a mockery of himself remains okay. I doubt a very touching film like The Blue Lagoon could be made for the first time amidst today's political correctness. ):-P
Need I open the worm can of violence? On this blog, I guess not. Just a testimony then.
Local TV here will have no qualms about showing real people getting shot "live" (pun intended) and gunned down in Gaza, blood puddles in Baghdad, or itty-bitty bloody body bits scattered and splattered after a car bombing in Beirut. ["itty-bitty bloody body bits scattered and splattered": say it 5 times fast with a mouthful of mashed potatoes] I have some circa-18 cousins who are being tempted by armed activism right now. I'd rather they were busy humping like rabbits, all things considered.
And I'd really, really, really prefer if regional societies (I'm probably being too restrictive!) would glorify sex instead of warmonging. If a "pious muslim's" holy duty was to have children and raise them, but NOT in the goal of having a maximum number of potential kamikazes.
Ah, enough ranting already. I'm off to get wasted (with booze), that'll cheer me up. Alternatively, I might browse my Domai free pics collection, or play a Disney video game with the adorable little ones. They're really well-brought: if you ask them what relatively violent Tom & Jerry are doing, they'll tell you "they're being very naughty". Fun to watch, but not to be imitated.
And when the older one sees a Domai wallpaper on my monitor, what he absolutely needs to know, is who the lady is, what's she called, and why she's on the beach. Innocent kid confronted with innocent nudity. :-)
Joe Dick calculated...
"You can usually count on me to get your meaning, Doc! ;-)"
I know. But I have to think of everybody, not just the smartest ones. :-)
I may never get interested in political campaigning, but I know the importance of stating some things clearly.
"I'm having trouble with this new hearing aid," said a man to his audiologist.
"Really? Can you describe the symptoms?"
"Sure. Homer is fat and yellow, Marge has blue hair..."
=( 8°( | ) d'oh!
(((((8°\ hrrrrm!
Awright Joe, if you're done with my meaning, I'd like to have it back now, please. Thank you.
Jes "me Jane"d...
"It's a situation comparable to being raised in a zoo."
I wouldn't know, Mrs Tarzan. I was only raised in wartime Lebanon.
Come to think of it, a zoo or a tribe of jungle apes might've sounded nice by comparison... Oogah-oogah! Eek-eek-eek?
Bert reminisced...
"(Hey, imagine if you could get PAID for being a pathetic drunken hobo! ;-)"
There was such a position in Ancient Greece, you know...
No kidding? Wow! I knew they were very advanced for their time, but this one still manages to amaze me.
"Next week on The Symptoms: Homer and Barneyos compete for the much coveted position of town drunk, while a teen Bart tells his would-be pederastic Army officer 'Eat my peplum, man!' and Lisa invents Democracy amidst the general disinterest. But roman patrician Montgomerius Burnutus plots an invasion plan of Spartingfield, with the help of a very special batch of Gaul Cervisia."
Eolake obviousified...
"After all, if alcohol makes you pass out, it must be poisonous."
Well, my Pharmacology course said that beink drunk on alcohol in no different from a state of mild intoxication. Medically and technically, IT IS the mere effect of a toxic substance. Higher doses of which may cause coma and death.
Hangover is the painful early stage of recovering from an intoxication state.
A few interesting details to note: drinking alcohol depletes the B-group vitamins, which cause many of the neurologic probems in chronic use like memory loss or delirium tremens. And glucose is an antidote to ethanol. Interestingly, ethanol itself is an antidote for METHANOL, the stuff in moonshine and other adulterated beverages that causes you to go blind. So "good alcohol" is a treatment against "bad alcohol". But better perform it under strict medical monitoring. I once saw a priest treated for accidental methanol poisoning. Let's just say, I've had gloomier patients. For a week, the service was very merry. :-)
So, sorry to contradict here, Bert, but sweetened alcohols contain fructose or saccharose, which are promptly converted into glucose by the body. Therefore, they shouldn't typically make a drink "bad". Unlike the distillation process, which absolutely MUST remove the "initial spirit", which will contain the dangerous methanol component.
Another useful bit of info: "digestive" alcohols do not help your stomach digest at all. If anything, they can have the opposite result. Remember, drinking too much causes the stomach to vomit. QED.
As for that rule of "never mix alcohols", it's got no MEDICAL justification: degrees of ethanol are degrees of ethanol. But what "mixing" -having several different kinds- does, is trick you into feeling that you've not had as much already, because of the variety. Efficient enough as it is...
There's no biological reason for vodka to not give hangovers. There too, I think it's a psychological factor: if you're a reasonable drinker, and since it's a strong alcohol (some even say it's bozze on steroids ;-), you soon feel that you've had enough. While beer can be very sneaky, because you just don't feel like you're receiving a lot from this diluted stuff.
Of course, poor quality drinks can dramatically increase the incidence of hangovers.
All this should tell us to always be careful, alcohol is not a harmless toy. Nor is it "chock-full of vitamins", like the locals here claim about our arak baladi. (Approx. 125 degrees of alcohol, official Guinness record.)
Guinness, pun very well intended. (Hic!)
Epona sensibled...
"If I need meds, it is for a reason and I don't need to add alcohol to the mix!"
Why, oh why, is such sense so rare on this planet?
Alcohol with meds isn't ALWAYS playing with fire, but there's not always a bullet in position when you play russian roulette, either.
Even if I'm not taking any special medication (f'rinstance, there's precious little you can take to cure a common cold), being sick is one of those "tired" conditions I mentioned. The smallest drink can fill me with overflowing remorse, and I don't even have the strength left to mop up behind me. (Hey, I DID say that remorse was overflowing! Somebody might slip in the puddles. Slippery stuff, remorse...)
Bert said...
"Like water, really? "
Well, anyone could tell it's not water.
D'OH!
"As for the passing out part, I'll leave it to Pascal to discuss the details of the mechanism, but it was more like an irresistible, in the literal meaning, urge to go to sleep."
Yes indeedy. Booze acts as an inhibitor of central neuron metabolism. Remember when I said it "lifts inhibitions"? Well, it does so by primarily shutting down our higher behavior-inhibiting circuits, which as you may imagine are some of the most sophisticated, complex, and therefore sensitive ones we have. It doesn't take much thinking power to get into a brawl or bother ladies...
At higher dosages, this effect gradually becomes more global, inducing sleepiness, stupor, and in further stages coma and possible death from respiratory arrest. (And accessorily, choking on your own puke just to be sure you don't survive.)
This is the likely mechanism of my "revelator of tiredness". When you're getting close to your threshold, a minute amount of alcohol can lower your energy and suddenly reveal a massive exhaustion. An engine doesn't half-stall.
In a way, even though it involves very small quantities in this here example, it's always a powerful sign that you should stop immediately. Especially if you have a Grand Prix to run in the morning.
"Alcohol consumption causes rapid dehydration, that much I know."
Yup. By sheer osmotic efect, and a few other possible mechanisms.
Dehydration can be more than enough to give you a doozy of a headache.
Pascal:
ReplyDeleteAwright Joe, if you're done with my meaning, I'd like to have it back now, please. Thank you.
Sorry, it's mine now.
Boo-hoo! You're so mean!
ReplyDeleteAnd now I'm left meaningless.
Must the end always justify the means?...
You should stop wasting this stuff on us, man. Albert Uderzo would eat this stuff up! ;-)
ReplyDeleteFear not, Joe. This is not waste. Worst case scenario, it's training.
ReplyDeleteThe day there are relevant news, you can be sure you'll read about them on my blog.
It's a damn shame french author San-Antonio, a.k.a. Frédéric Dard, wasn't translated in other languages. His police novels were just an excuse for having fun with words and greatly amusing his readers.
A frenchie who writes like Pascal? Yikes!
ReplyDeleteIf anybody asks for me, I'll be safely put in my anti-nuclear shelter. On Mars.
"It's a damn shame french author San-Antonio, a.k.a. Frédéric Dard, wasn't translated in other languages."
ReplyDeleteAnd how would you ever be able to do that? C'mon, San-A in English? Would be the perfect excuse for a revival of censorship in the USA, if not the start of a war...
If it was possible to translate his work, that is. San-A is more French than the Académie Française itself!
Bert,
ReplyDeleteIt is NOT DEHYDRATION that gives me migraines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so sick of people telling me that!!!!!!
I am on daily medication to help prevent nearly constant migraines without it. I get migraines from wine, pork (unless organic), chicken (unless organic) turkey, some aged cheeses, too much caffeine, stress (obviously), synthetic or herbal hormones (any alteration of my hormones or even my blood sugar), lack of sleep, very vigorous exercise (a lot of bouncing/jumping, or jogging), flashing lights (for a period of time, like driving down a tree-lined road in the sun), extreme heat (even while drinking 1 qt. of water per 1/2 hour or hour), large weather pressure changes (thunderstorms, etc.), and maybe more that I just haven't ID'd yet. I've been dealing with this for most of my 40 yrs. Yes, I meditate to help with the stress, so don't bring that up too. Right now, on the Depakote, I am down to 3-5 days of migraines a month. All the better to leave Alcohol alone!
Well, don't think I'm not appreciative, Doc! ;-)
ReplyDeleteBtw, that marathon post is I think a new personal best for you! Well done!
Mars, eh? Not safe enough, if NASA sends astronauts there. One of them might even be French, now with Sarkozy's US-friendliness and all. :-)
ReplyDeleteI recommend Venus or Neptune. Neptune is very quiet this time of the year. Plus, Neptunian years are 60.190 Earth days long. (Quite a vacation, huh?)
Good point, Bert. San-A is gaulois in every meaning. :-)
(For those who aren't familiar with it, France was formerly Gaul, from the latin word meaning rooster. "Gaulois" also means racy. You could translate the pun as "a cocky Frenchman in every way".)
Asterix is also supremely french, but easier to translate because it's more... PG. In spite of many nods being more aimed Per Gallici, for the French. Similarly to Harry Potter being funnier for the british-educated, like that lampooning of the anglo-saxon monetary and measuring system. (I forget: is a sickle worth 17 knuts, 29 frigates, or 3.1416 zibbies multiplied by the age of Captain Eo's Tempur bed?)
Epona's right: dehydration itself isn't directly linked to migraines. They are caused by a transient vascular spasm of the brain's meningeal vessels, which in some people are overly sensitive to many various stimuli, like the PARTIAL list she gives. (Fortunately, very few people are concerned by the full list.)
Still, to my knowledge, sex is NOT one of them, they just ruin one's mood for "frolicking". :-)
If I had to choose between a life without alcohol or without sex, there would be little hesitation, I tell you.
Dehydration can cause headaches, but migraine is to headaches what a Rolls Royce is to cars. What Domai is to nude photo sites. What Tony Parker is to basketball players. What R.A.F. is to the common troll. What my lists are to the common enumeration.
This post is really breaking records, isn't it Joe? :-)
Hardly as massive as the old one on euthanasia, but I've been training at being more concise when I share a lot of information.
And if we disregard the fact that some of them were signed at the end, we have THREE (count them: three) different anonymous comments that were perfectly polite. Reminds me of the good old days, before one fateful B&W photo post ignited the cyber-equivalent of the third iraqi war...
Gee, howbuzzat? I'm talking like a friggin' veteran! :-D
A veteran who wants to repay you for buying him a beer by entertaining you with his stories.
"GPS? Phooey! In my days, we didn't even have a round planet, it was still flat as a pizza. Even the full moon was smaller before the days of inflation. We had to walk 300 miles in the Sahara blizzard barefoot to go to school... on our hands. And schoolmasters were tougher than Arizona sheriff Joe Dick, I mean Joe Arpaio ruling this whatchamacallit Abu-Grain fancy middle-eastern resort. For breakfast, we had to wrestle she-wolves to steal their milk and nab their cubs, or we wouldn't be getting any calcium or protein. If we wanted candy, we had to go and milk the bees ourselves for honey. The million, billion and trillion didn't have as many zeroes, because many were fighting for the Japs and it took them years after that to get amnisty and a Green Card. There were no toothbrushes or toothpicks, we had to chew thistles and gargle with broken glass at bedtime. In these days, son, men were men. And so were women, by George! But we still clenched our teeth and mated with them, just so you little ungrateful whippersnappers could be born and disrespect the life out of us. The only green fuels were put in the engines of horses, and ho-boy! did the exhaust stink from back in the carriage! If you wanted to take your date for a ride, she needed to cover the stench by putting a handkerchief on her nose after dipping it in skunk oil. If she could AFFORD skunk oil. The mosquitoes were as big as dinosaurs and meaner than a tax inspector's mother-in-law. We were so poor, the whole family had to share one shirt, while we slaved 29 hours a day in the silver mines to pay for having the other shirt patched. That's right, silver: even the filthy rich didn't have gold mines then. Africans were so poor, they all starved to death before they were born! Every other year, whe had to feed by eating the locusts after they devoured all our harvests of brocoli, eggplants and rutabaga. Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah...
Hey! I hope you've all been taking notes, because I won't repeat all that. (Well, no more than 10 thousand times, anyway.)"
Don't knock the currency.
ReplyDeletePre-decimal was a bit screwy, but manageable, after all we were being asked to remember weights and measures too, you know, 20 fl oz = 1pt, 2 pts = 1qt, 4 qt = gallon. etc
24 grains = 1 pennyweight, ...
16oz = 1lb, 14lb = 1st, I lose track on cwt and t, but there you go.
Inches measure down to 32nds, then 12" = 1', 3' = 1yd, 22yds=1chain, chains = furlong...
It was the post decimalization that was weird. I mean, having a coin called a "sixpence" being worth 2.5p, and five pence pieces were oft labeled one shilling, and 10 pence pieces were labeled two shillings, they even had pictures of two kings before the queen. We have kept the guinea (1.05GBP), and we still have ponies (25GBP), monkeys (500GBP).
It's all good fun.
Don't worry, I would NEVER knock the currency.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard enough to count as it is, without spreading the piles of coins all over the bank vault's floor!
But it should all clear up with the Euro.
Of course, to be perfectly coherent, UK should adopt the Euro on a simple date, like 01/01/2500 :-)
Pascal, what have you been drinking?
ReplyDeleteI want some of the same. Waiter!