Why do we drink?
I can't really add much to what has already been said, but drinking is like making a deal with a loan shark. For a temporary respite from whatever is troubling you, the price you pay when the bill comes due is not worth it. Several people have already mentioned the misery of the physical symptoms, the shakes, the chills, the nausea, vomiting and dry heaving and the insomnia, etc.
Furthermore, life hasn't stopped just because you temporarily checked out, so whatever was the problem that made drinking seem like a good idea will still be there and there's a good chance it's increased in magnitude. Drinking made me pick fights with people, has landed me in the pokey twice, made me unable to live up to family and professional obligations and makes me a douchebag in general.
And if you do it long enough and often enough as I did, "sleeping it off" doesn't do it anymore because you're brain can tolerate far more alcohol than your organs can handle so you wake up in that hideous nether-region between tipsy and drunk feeling like crap and indulge in an "eye opener" because that's the only thing that makes you feel better. Either that, or have a really unpleasant day going through withdrawal symptoms.
Someone on the meds thread brought up an excellent point. When you drink, you seem to have all this free time on your hands, so why not overindulge and pass out on the couch? When you don't drink, it's amazing little time there is to get so much done.
I can't really add much to what has already been said, but drinking is like making a deal with a loan shark. For a temporary respite from whatever is troubling you, the price you pay when the bill comes due is not worth it. Several people have already mentioned the misery of the physical symptoms, the shakes, the chills, the nausea, vomiting and dry heaving and the insomnia, etc.
Furthermore, life hasn't stopped just because you temporarily checked out, so whatever was the problem that made drinking seem like a good idea will still be there and there's a good chance it's increased in magnitude. Drinking made me pick fights with people, has landed me in the pokey twice, made me unable to live up to family and professional obligations and makes me a douchebag in general.
And if you do it long enough and often enough as I did, "sleeping it off" doesn't do it anymore because you're brain can tolerate far more alcohol than your organs can handle so you wake up in that hideous nether-region between tipsy and drunk feeling like crap and indulge in an "eye opener" because that's the only thing that makes you feel better. Either that, or have a really unpleasant day going through withdrawal symptoms.
Someone on the meds thread brought up an excellent point. When you drink, you seem to have all this free time on your hands, so why not overindulge and pass out on the couch? When you don't drink, it's amazing little time there is to get so much done.
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