I’ve always hated how alcohol commercials play up like a cool beer is the best thing in the world, or a glass of whiskey is what will put hair on your chest. It’s a disgusting narrative that ruins people’s lives.

On social media, there’s a huge variety of it. People posting how they were sober on NYE. Folks sharing before/after as they’ve gone cold turkey. I see people share tips of what type of mocktails to get at bars, and alternatives to having a fun night over getting drunk.

I appreciate that.

And this is not bashing alcohol. Moderation in everything.

  • kandoh@reddthat.com
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    3 days ago

    I really want a drink right now but i dont want to get shit faced. The problem is, once i pop the fun dont stop, ya know

  • LovableSidekick@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    I don’t know why drinking alcohol has to be a binary issue, but maybe my propensity for addiction is lower than normal. Does it seem like the majority of human beings have to just not drink at all or they binge out and wake up in the bushes?

    • PraiseTheSoup@lemm.ee
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      3 days ago

      One of the primary functions of alcohol in humans is lowering inhibitions. It stands to reason then that the more one drinks, the more one will drink.

      I’ve been there myself. I spent my entire 20’s at the bar. It was fun and I regret nothing. But now I can count on one hand the number of alcoholic drinks I had in 2024.

  • Resol van Lemmy@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    I’ve never touched alcohol in my life outside of cleaning purposes (I mean isopropyl alcohol, or as I like to call it, icy prope). And to be honest, you’ve convinced me to remain teetotal.

    However, I always have the feeling I wanted to try out some drinks just for that taste but can’t because it’s got some of that الكحول in it. And there are very few non-alcoholic alternatives for these drinks. The only one I’ve tried is a virgin mojito (in my country it’s sometimes referred to as just “mojito” because it’s the only one we know). And honestly, it tastes great. And then there’s the fact that I can’t make my own vanilla extract. You need ethanol for that, and I just have this fear of putting it in my body because I don’t wanna get addicted to it.

    I’ve always treated alcohol like drugs and tobacco. They feel fun, and you want more, but it will knock you out when you least expect it.

  • Tiefling IRL@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    4 days ago

    I’m really glad that more and more places are offering fun mocktails. Sometimes you want the social aspect of drinking but not the alcohol

    I just wish they wouldn’t charge alcohol prices for them

    • peregrin5@lemm.ee
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      4 days ago

      I hate that mocktails are as expensive if not more expensive than literal alcoholic drinks despite having no expensive alcohol in them.

      • Tiefling IRL@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        4 days ago

        I’ve seen mocktail “shots” that cost more than an actual shot. It’s basically a ginger shot (not even a fresh one) with extra shit in it. Not worth the $12

    • CafecitoHippo@lemm.ee
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      4 days ago

      I’m just happy that there is finally some good NA beers. I realized I had a problem drinking where I would just want to keep drinking once I started but I had such a connection between beer and sports that it became hard to watch sports without wanting a beer which would then turn in to me wanting 12 beers. Just being able to have a good NA beer which tricked my mind into thinking I’m having a beer. My brain didn’t get the dosage of alcohol that I needed to keep drinking booze so I could just have 2 of them during an Orioles game and not worry about it. I’ve only had 8 total drinks since election night. Never more than 2 in a day but I’ve decided that I’m totally off booze since those 8 drinks.

  • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
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    4 days ago

    Is that the way whiskey is advertised? Huh. I don’t see commercials anymore, so IDK.

    I drink single-malt Scottish whiskey occasionally because I enjoy the flavors. Same with most bourbons and ryes. But Kentucky whiskey? Bleah. Sadly, I am poorer than my preferences.

    • Quadhammer@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      Man I haven’t “quit” but a couple months back I just decided it was more work to go get a beer from the fridge than it was worth. Because then after a few I had to then get up and piss. More effort. Now I’m out of beer at the house and it’s more effort to drive to the store and get it and then it would repeat that cycle. So, pure laziness has more or less sobered me up.

      I actually do have a nice bottle of whiskey hidden but it’s not open and I’ve been saving it for an occasion(ive had it almost a year). I do have to entertain guests coming up so I think I’ll just get a small case of nice beer and leave it as an option and once it’s gone it’s gone.

      So anyway what I’m saying is, maybe try just being lazy.

        • Quadhammer@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          You think? I don’t really feel any different. Ive been lazy about other things too but I think it’s more because they’re outdoors and I’m adverse to the cold.

          Edit: My job is active and I work out a little so my body feels pretty good. Which also helps a lot. Anyway this isn’t about me it’s about op I’m just letting him know what’s working for me.

  • Lvxferre@mander.xyz
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    4 days ago

    I’m a heavy drinker but screw it, sharing my non-alcoholic version of Irish cream here:

    • 100ml whole milk; boiling hot
    • a cinnamon stick
    • some pieces of orange skin, just the yellow part
    • drinking chocolate powder; I use 3tbsp
    • instant coffee powder; I use 2tbsp
    • 400g dulce de leche [see note]
    • 200ml half-and-half
    • vanilla extract
    • 300~500ml whole milk, again; keep it cool
    1. Simmer the cinnamon stick and orange skin in the whole milk for 10 minutes or so. Then throw them away, they’re just to add flavour to the milk.
    2. Add the other ingredients, in the sequence listed, making sure to incorporate well one ingredient before adding another. Taste it and add more or less milk as you want, if it tastes too strong add more milk.
    3. Transfer to a bottle, chill it. Serve it on the rocks.

    NOTE: you can buy the dulce de leche if you want, but it gets more expensive than just making it at home with the same amount of sweetened condensed milk.

    • ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.netOP
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      4 days ago

      My stupid ass read this as a non-alcoholic Irish Whiskey and got confused when I saw milk.

      This is still great! Thank you!

  • Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.eeM
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    4 days ago

    I wouldn’t say I “appreciate” it as it leans towards being subjective, but I’d say it seems to make more sense for alcohol to be refused. What goes on in a person’s mind when they’re using the world’s oldest form of psychiatry to reduce their faculties which are themselves implied to be the issue as a response to the weight of life?

    • ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.netOP
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      4 days ago

      I like drinking alcohol or taking legal substances during certain events. Feeling a bit of floatyness while watching the sunset is a great feeling (in moderation).

      If that feeling doesn’t mean anything to you, thats cool and no judgement.

      I think about how some cultures eat dessert as a closure to their favorite meal, and thats the only metaphor I can think of.

      • Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.eeM
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        4 days ago

        I got drunk precisely one time, for my 21st birthday. The legal age here is 21 and so the local bar sends you a sampling set for your birthday to see what drink you like. Despite getting pumped up for it, I wasn’t prepared for “how” to do it so I got drunk and almost got lost in the process (but was able to conclude my favorite drink was quince cider, which I had already liked, though after a few blunders trying to recognize what the heck I just drank). I’m not against drinking per se, but it confirmed an idea in my mind that, in a utilitarian sense, it’s feels connected to the mindset “if I can’t have my mind, nobody can”, which I carry over with the topic of drugs too even though I’ve done sarpa salpa multiple times when I was younger (that was more cultural though) and have tried to do art while under the influence.

        • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          4 days ago

          You might also consider that you had one bad experience, and that maybe you shouldn’t base an opinion on such a small sample size? You don’t have to get blackout drunk. It seems like you’ve never actually experienced the feeling that the other comment was referring to (a buzz). You just went all out, and found out that you don’t like being blackout drunk (most people don’t).

          Like it seems you might have the wrong idea of what people usually mean when they say they’re “drinking” since your only experience with it is basically poisoning yourself with it.

          Just a thought…

    • Skua@kbin.earth
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      4 days ago

      mate this is explicitly about people choosing non-alcoholic options at social gatherings

      • ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.netOP
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        4 days ago

        Haha! I do enjoy when I convince my anti-social friends to come to a party and give them a chill out room to recharge and tricks to getting the pets to play with them.

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      No big deal. I can’t personally take shots, but I can drink beer and metabolize it super fast. To each his own, but trying to put a “one size fits all” limit on drinking is silly.

      I can drink shitty light beer all day, but one time I drank 3 beers on a date at the local brew house, drove home and thought, “Jesus. I shouldn’t be doing this.”

      To most people, drinking means hammered, or at least too loosey-goosey to drive. Some of us aren’t like that. (And yes, no matter who you are, alcohol dulls reflexes.)

      If it works for you, great.

      • socsa@piefed.social
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        3 days ago

        One per hour and not more than 3 is a very easy rule for staying below 0.08. Two drinks in an hour and nothing more will usually still keep you below the limit tbh. It really is that third and fourth drink which tilt it.

      • deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz
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        4 days ago

        They probably mean they’re likely to be below the breath-alcohol limit for their region.

        Also duration of these rounds can be accounted for in that calculation.

        That being said, it’s always best to have a personal limit of zero when driving.

  • stoy@lemmy.zip
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    4 days ago

    I have a zero tollerance policy for alcohol when I know I will be driving the same day or early the next.

    It is far easier to just say “no” from the start than trying to calculate and estimate what would be an acceptable ammount at what time to be able to drive.

    Yesterday when I drove home from NYE at my parents, road conditions were terrible, it snowed, the council had not cleared it as I drove home (understandable), and I felt my car loose grip a few times. On roads with a limit of 70km/h I drove 35-40, and on a road with a limit of 90km/h you could not drive any faster than 60, I have excellent winter tyers, but it took all my stone sober concentration to get home safely, if I had had any alcohol, trying to drive home would have been utterly reckless, to be fair, it was borderline reckless when as I drove home sober, but it was doable.

    • ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.netOP
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      4 days ago

      RESPECT.

      I have the same rule. No alcohol 24 hours prior to driving.

      It’s easy for me though, since I can take a bus, Uber, or even walk. And I have no urgency in my life where a car is required like that.

      • toynbee@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        24 hours seems like more than necessary, but I agree with the gist: I don’t drink if I’m not where I’m planning to spend the night.

          • toynbee@lemmy.world
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            4 days ago

            Whatever rule works for you is a good rule, sure, but I don’t think 24 is any simpler than 8 or 16. To be clear, I’m not advocating getting absolutely wrecked, taking a nap, and then going driving. I am very much opposed to any form of drunk driving - it’s not safe for the driver or anyone in the vicinity of the driver and is easily avoidable. However, I don’t think a 24 hour division is necessarily required between one drink and a drive.

      • stoy@lemmy.zip
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        4 days ago

        Why is it a “yikes” situation to make 100% sure that you have zero alcohol in you when driving?

        As for drinking, it is a very small part of me, while I have an extensive collection if spirits, I hardly ever drink.

        • fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          4 days ago

          You don’t need to have 0 alcohol anywhere in your system to drive. Everyone has their own limits of when alcohol starts to affect them. And how much water you’ve had makes a huge difference.

          0 water all day, drank a bunch, then didn’t drink any water afterwards? Yeah you’re gonna want to wait a bit before you drive. But if you’re well hydrated all day, had a few drinks to get buzzed, then chugged some water? Yeah you should be fine after an hour or so. Waiting 12 hours is pretty excessive.

          • stoy@lemmy.zip
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            4 days ago

            It is known that alcohol reduces inhibitions, making it easier to ignore limits if you start drinking alcohol.

            Why you would put yourself in a position where you need to do maths and estimations when you are less suited for it is a dumb decision, when not having alcohol at all is far easier.

            Having alcohol when you know you will be driving later is just idiotic. You don’t need to min/max drinking and driving.

            • fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              4 days ago

              It’s not hard to figure out a plan before you start drinking. This isn’t complex algebra. It’s A. What color was my pee B. When do I plan on leaving C. How much food did I have.

              I should add that this is all stuff you should think about any time before you drink, regardless of what you’re doing later. Even if it’s just to avoid a hangover.

  • tal@lemmy.today
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    4 days ago

    I see people share tips of what type of mocktails to get

    I like blended virgin raspberry margaritas on the sour side, and will generally order one if I see one on a menu.

    Honestly, I should probably just figure out a recipe to make them myself, as they’re nice to slowly sip, and they’d be nice to have at home too. Never did get around to making one myself.

        • DrPop@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          It feels like you are piloting an older flesh suit with a dying battery. The actions are on a slight delay, there a weird buzzing in the head, everything feels dry even after drinking water, and light is the enemy. That is at least how it is when I get a weed hangover. I haven’t had an alcohol one in ages some I stopped drinking drinking.

        • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          4 days ago

          I remember being this. I also remember everyone telling me to enjoy it while it lasts… and they’re aboslutely right.

          One day it just goes away. Suddenly you have a hangover for the first time, and then that’s it. You’re no longer the “I don’t get hangovers” person.

        • ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.netOP
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          4 days ago

          Headaches. Vomiting. Like the flu.

          I learned a few tricks to avoid hangovers. Drinking water in-between drinks, ramen noodles before sleeping(or whatever your favorite soup is) and avoiding getting to a point where the world spins when your eyes are closed.

          • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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            4 days ago

            If you’re not into ramen, look into hydration products like liquid IV. The ramen is filling a similar role in that it’s salty AF, so you’re helping replenish electrolytes that help prevent the hangover.

            Ever since I started including one or two of those in my post drinking/pre bedtime routine and I haven’t had a hangover in years.

            • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              4 days ago

              If you’re consuming that much sodium, you’re gonna also want to drink water though because it can dehydrate you. Which also causes/worsens hangovers.

              • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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                4 days ago

                Yeah, art if my routine when drinking is to never have rounds in a row, its always a glass of water in between. Liquid IV/ramen broth are water based, so that helps as well

                • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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                  4 days ago

                  I try to do 1:1 alcohol to water (one glass of water per alcoholic beverage), but that often becomes hard to enforce on myself after a couple of drinks lol

      • DominusOfMegadeus@sh.itjust.works
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        4 days ago

        The anti-chiropractic echo chamber that is Lemmy left me in in pain for far too long. I’m certain they vary wildly in skill and quality, but after just two sessions, my 3 weeks of lower back pain are gone. Dude is a godsend.

        • shalafi@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          Ex-wife was an RN and not prone to magical thinking. Chiropractor fixed her shit in 6 weeks, told her she was done, don’t come back. She was and she didn’t. It was honestly amazing.

          So yeah, I won’t lump them all in with the modern alchemists, but OTOH, they should have been self-regulating if they wanted to be taken more seriously.

          • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            4 days ago

            I just feel like… If you believe in science, and want to actually help people, you become a physiotherapist or an orthopedist or something. You know, real medicine.

            Like, was there something that specific chiropractor did that they would not have been able to do if they had become a physiotherapist instead? I feel like there is a Venn diagram here, where the shit that chiropractors do that actually works is entirely overlapped with some other form of actual doctor.

        • Gerudo@lemm.ee
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          4 days ago

          There are plenty of people who swear by them. There are plenty who have been fucked up by them too.

          I have a friend who went to one, was getting relief for his back pain, and then decided to adjust his neck. He immediately felt like he was electrocuted and almost threw up from dizziness. He is now 4 years deep into chronic, debilitating neck pain, that didn’t exist prior to the adjustment. He is having to be treated with pain injections just to function.

        • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
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          4 days ago

          They did it to themselves with the voodoo bullshit trying to be pretend doctprs but it doesn’t mean their services are useless. Medical Community used their stupid PR to drive them from the discourse. Remember that doctors are not our friends, just another merchant that might do you right.

          Many people are satisfied with their chiropractor services and that in of it self is value even if some quack thinks it’s placebo.

          • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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            4 days ago

            Doctors are not just merchants. I’ve had indifferent ones and ones that really gave a damn. Many of them go into the field and stick with it to help people. Many do not, but it’s not accurate to paint the bunch with one brush.

          • protist@mander.xyz
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            4 days ago

            The chiropractic field drove themselves from the scientific discourse by refusing to participate in peer-reviewed double-blind studies. I’m very good friends with a chiropractor and know others through them. If I had a nickel for every “science can’t study what we do” I’d be a rich man. We just don’t talk about it because it’s not productive to friendship lol

          • Skua@kbin.earth
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            4 days ago

            Many people are satisfied with their chiropractor services

            That seems awfully self-selecting, doesn’t it? Someone that is dissatisfied is not likely to remain a customer

            Medical Community used their stupid PR to drive them from the discourse

            Why are you blaming this on actual medical practitioners immediately after saying “They did it to themselves with the voodoo bullshit trying to be pretend doctors”. Of course actual doctors aren’t interested in what people who are lying about being doctors have to say

        • imaqtpie@sh.itjust.works
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          4 days ago

          The placebo effect does exist, and I still remain skeptical of chiropractors, but I’m glad that you were able to get some relief.

          Fact is, the objective scientific/medical understanding of the causes and treatment of lower back pain is pretty limited anyhow, so you might as well try whatever you can.

          • DominusOfMegadeus@sh.itjust.works
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            4 days ago

            The ortho basically shrugged and told me to go to physical therapy. Physical therapy was nice but was very slow going and time consuming. Chiropractor brought immediate relief. Would I like them to have a deeper medical and scientific understanding of what they are doing? Of course. But I am not going to argue with results.

            • Dojan@lemmy.world
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              4 days ago

              That’s the thing though, physiotherapy is proven to work, through decades of practice and research. We know how and why various exercises etc. have the effects they do based on what damage you’ve suffered.

              Chiropracty was founded with the belief that misalignment of your vertebra is the sole cause of various illnesses and disease, ergo if you pop your spine correctly you’ll cure your cancer, or your asthma, or what have you. That’s obviously not true. There’s no real evidence that ciropractic manipulation actually fixes anything, but people do experience relief for a time. Then that passes and they need to return for follow up sessions.

              There are also dangers involved with the practise, with people suffering serious injuries, and some even dying because of it.

              I wouldn’t want someone without a proper education to mess around with my spine. It’s too important.

          • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
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            4 days ago

            The placebo effect is pretty magical in itself. You’re convincing your body to heal itself and it does in a minority of people. I guess there really are wizards among us.

            • protist@mander.xyz
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              4 days ago

              The placebo effect is less about healing yourself and more about altering your perception of your situation

              • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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                4 days ago

                Sure, but it has actual, measurable effects. You can cause your body to fix itself by tricking it into thinking you took a medicine to fix it. That’s insane.