I used to like it a lot, less in recent years and completely dry for the past almost 13months. Not that I'm committed to sobriety for the rest of my life but I just dont really have a good reason to drink either

I drink alcohol very rarely. I've never found it to be worth the monetary cost and I know it's basically poison. In social situations, I'll drink a little, but that's about it.

Other than caffein, I don't partake more than that of the other "substances".

My "valve" is either a hot bath or walk outside, depending on time of year.

I'll drink a little, just a little, only when there's an ocassion like old friend's meetup or a happy gathering. I don't think alcohol does any good to your health and your pocket when drunk in high quantities.

My reasoning for drinking aligns 100% with that of #976403

I did stop drinking. I had dinner with friends a few weeks ago and had a beer to be polite, quickly drank it, and struggled but succeeded to not order another.

I have a weak moderation ability. Plus both my parents are addicts, one with alcohol primarily, the other with pills primarily.

If it weren't for how much I work, I might still drink, but I feel like I'm doing enough damage via working all the time and don't want to make things worse.

I let myself chew nicotine gum endlessly. I also drink about as much caffeine as I want most days until ~3pm. That's where I try to keep my "line."

The best self-valves I've found are walking, yoga, reading great fiction, and talking with a friend I trust deeply. Absent higher commitment things like that, I'll take a kratom gummy (which is functionally an herbal opiate) which is kind of like my "line after the line."

Yes, I come from a country where beer and rugby are core to the nations culture so until a few more boomer shed their coils, not drinking is the option that raises eye brows.

With that said and with the benefit of distance and the perspective it brings I can see that the level or drinking normalised in my home country is truly unhealthy. As I have gotten older and specifically over the last ten years I have cut back more and more, where I used to go through 3 litres of beer a night I now go through 0.7.

And there will be multiple alcohol free nights a week these days which once upon a time would have been viewed as heresy. Funnily enough thanks to spending too much time with a bad influence I can drink more then ever these days, although I am much slower and more moderated in my drinking as a result of that ‘training’.

I’m also more particular these days, I like my beer and have almost entirely given up on wine and spirits such as scotch which I used to love involving in all the sophisticated celebrations fine dining entailed with aperitifs and digestives etc. now I just want one or two of my favourite craft beer and I am happy with that.

Once a week I like to go out with a friend and ‘tie one on’ but these days that involves a lot less total volume consumed than the old days, home before midnight and a very mild hangover. I really fucking hate hangovers these days, my body cannot bounce back like it used to so I rarely drink to the point of having a bad hangover, once a year, maybe never. I’ve also come to believe that beer is pretty damn healthy for you, especially if free of preservatives.

I have my wife to thank for reining in my drinking, I am much happier drinking less but I fought her every step. I am pleased to see the kids today don’t drink anywhere nearly as much as we did but in my home county it’s going to take time, the drinking culture is deeply ingrained and there is little encouragement around excelling at academics, STEM etc. and much stronger emphasis on manly ball sports and drinking beer. On the contrary, if you excel academically and don’t like drinking, people will have it out for you nerd, we don’t like that type of behaviour round these parts.

I used to drink... a lot. Every (week)day, 10+ beers. In a social setting, that is. Rarely alone.

Then, I left university, and I kept drinking, but it became less frequent. Now, nearly 2 decades later, it's more like once a week. A still can drink one too many, but I can go for months without.

Life was good when I had it back in the day (it did wonders for my social life), life is good now without (it does wonders for my health). Also, my wife can't drink (that missing enzyme~~) but likes it, so I prefer drinking less to avoid putting temptations in front of her.

My valve is sports now.

I do not remember when was last time I drank a glass of water... but I am very well "vitaminized".

And please don't come to me with bullshit explanations that beer is damaging my health. I don't fucking care: I have a life and I live it as I want. If I die with a beer in my hand, I will be the most happiest dead man in the world. BTW, for more I drink beer, more healthy I am. I have 25 years that I never visited a medic to check up on me and I am still drinking beer every fucking day and digging with my bare hands, building my citadel.

I haven't had a drop of alcohol in over 12 years.

I used to drink quite a lot, but I gave it up when I finally decided to lose weight and get in shape. After taking a break from drinking, I found out that when I drink, I lose my motivation for days after. I went over 2 years without a drop, until recently, I had one beer in honor of my friend who passed away. I doubt I'll drink again anytime soon.

I don't relate to substances any more. When I was younger, I related heavily until I realized what it does to people. I used to go to parties where there was heavy drinking and smoking, until I arrived to one about 3 hours late, I saw nothing but a real bunch of assholes giving everyone a hard time, including themselves. I quit then and there. I also quit tobacco after seeing what happens to lungs of a smoker in scientific detail, with pictures, in an article in Nature. Whenever I felt the urge to smoke, I remembered those pictures. I immediately went cold turkey after a 3 pack-a-day habit.

I will occasionally (rarely, really) have a glass of wine with dinner. I also cook with wine in stews and etc. but there is no alcohol residue by the time I finish cooking.

Nowadays, it seems that SN is one of my valves. I also read science fiction or watch some movies, since I have a collection of them on DVDs.

i like to have wine on a Friday or sometimes an iced glass of whisky in a hot bath, i like it as something to signal the weekend is here. pour a glass and relax to play video games or watch a movie.

never beer a beer lover really, just get bloated and it's not an effective way to get buzzed imo.

in my 20s i would be drinking and partying on fridays and Saturdays, out all night meeting women, and I loved it, never affected me at all. obvs wouldn't be doing that at almost 40 as it would kill my older body.

a lot of people use drink as an escape though to escape stress or fix some other issue, that's when it usually becomes a problem, i think.

I haven’t had a drink in over 10 years.

I don’t take other substances other than the odd CBD gummy.

My pressure release valve is walking in nature and playing guitar.

I drink nearly every day but I have a policy of not drinking at home so it's always out in a social setting. I go totally dry for ~6 weeks every January and in that time I feel amazing and get a lot done but also feel quite bored haha.

I probably drink too much. Once I have a beer it's hard for me to stop. I do reflect on the days I wake up not being hungover and try to tell myself it's not worth drinking and how more productive I am on those days.

I used to accept a drink from people at social events, just to be normal, but then after a sip or two, I wouldn't finish it.

I just don't like the taste. And it's basically poison to the body, so just not interested.

Other substances...nope, not for decades. Just don't like it.

Never took a drink in my life. I took a pledge at 18 to abstain, and have stuck with it. No regrets. From time to time I think to myself that it would be nice to try a fine wine, but other than that I don't feel its necessary in my life. I was a bartender for many years in NY, and many of the regulars loved my cocktails. I had no clue how any of them tasted.

Not anymore, I use to be a heavy drinker, and I really can't say how much. But it was normal for me to drink more than half a bottle of whiskey, or two bottles of wine, or two dozen beers in a single sitting. Multiple times per week. Not something I am proud of at all.

I quit drinking about 16 months ago, I gradually cut down until I just decided to stop. I don't think I would ever drink again to be honest.

My valve is a small amount of Cannabis once or twice a week. I find Sativa strains particularly helpful for clearing my mental cache.

I stopped on my wedding day, 13+ years ago, with a short hiatus during the pandemic, mostly beer, then stopped again completely 3+ years ago. Being sober all the time is a superpower

Not anymore, especially after I discovered how many wonderful and health options out there!

I used to but not as much anymore. Kids and lack of interest, really. I can’t say I’m a total teetotaler, but it’s maybe a 2-3 times a year deal now.

Funny enough, I’m reading this post while drinking

Over here in the tropics, I still enjoy a cold beer now and then. It’s kind of a universal excuse — for the heat, for hanging out with friends, or just watching a game. Always good vibes, as long as it’s in moderation. 🍻

Ah, our lovely substances. (#965471)

Yes — coffee being the prime, daily drug.

Yes, I drink — pretty irregularly, more on late summer evenings chilling and when I travel somewhere with friends. (The caveat here is that I didn't touch alcohol until age 28, so whatever small amounts I consume these days I'm still gonna be far ahead of where I would have been had I been a regular binge-drinking teenager. Plus, the quality of my booze is somewhat higher than that counterfactual would suggest too: #965471)

The Tennesseean says...

I drink, though I've never really enjoyed getting buzzed or drunk (I do that maybe once every few years at a party with friends). But I love a good beer as well as various spirits (scotch and gin in particular). Probably consume about four drinks a week total.

Over 50% of American Youths drink

Occasionally and socially. You only live once

beer is a gift from the gods, and a high-quality beer shud be sought out in order to be enjoyed; the dumb drinkers will go after cheap beer made from toxic ingredients in cheap containers, and they will become sick; same thing with supplements - many body builders get liver abscesses from consuming cheap industrial sludge, for example;

alcohol is EtOH, a compound with a dedicated enzyme produced by ur own body, and anyone who says it's poison, shud consider a variety of many other poisons that they breathe in, ingest, absorb, and inject! these poisons are invisible, but can be perceived and avoided by the power of your God-given brain;

high quality substances in general shud go into ur body, or else be sober and fast; if u don't filter the consumables, u are the filter, so treat ur filter well, and seek out quality consumables;

i also like an occasional cigar, of the highest quality i can afford; there is evidence floating around that nicotine can help break down some compounds that are inside the injectables;

Of cos most persons drink.. there's even a drinking festival in Germany every 1st of October and the festival is called "Oktober fest"

Drank in university and early to mid twenties. Lacked an “off switch” which resulted in a few really negative and dangerous situations (near death etc)

Been sober since 2019. Better for health and mental state for sure however there were some tradeoffs like no longer being as close to some friends still in the drinking almost every weekend scene.

Main substance now is coffee and caffeine. Occasionally weed but that can be bad for motivation if done too habitually.

Valve is probably podcasts / running / working out or playing sports.

Interesting enough the bitcoin rabbit hole was a large focus of mine when I found it in late 2020 and that education filled the time void

I drink very occasionally, the last time I did it after 2 years

I grew up in a place to drink alcohol is normal from 14 or 15 years. I consider that during my adolescence I drink everything that corresponded to me for life. Exactly 10 years ago they were my latest activities in conjunction with alcohol. I decided to pay a certain point, after my 20 years. And since then I have kept free of a drunkenness and spending that generates drinking alcohol for a long time.

I drink mostly wine and beer, I see as nutrition complement. Wine is better for me as beer makes me feel too much sugar in the blood.

Yes I do