> If you don't want to drink or don't enjoy drinking, good for you. Do your own thing. But damn do you come across as feeling better than others for making that choice.
While I won't argue your other points, I will push back a bit on the comment above. Since you seemed to gather so much from a sentence, let me ask you this, why do you care?
If you are going to go out of your way to make a personal attack when nowhere in my expressing MY THOUGHTS did I make an attack on anyone, then that is your prerogative. You make some wild accusations based on me explaining an experience that is personal to me. While I am not sorry you took what I said in a negative light, it does shed light on how you view yourself as a person and others who don't agree with your line of thinking.I wish you the best in you finding who you are.
(edit) Apparently, some of you don't like my comment. Let me clean it up a bit for those downvoters.
It seems to me that people can be more apt to try to read someone's intent in writing something - beyond what the words convey directly.
Re-reading your original post, I can see why - absent the characteristics GP ascribed you - it would be really upsetting to be accused of it.
Your entire text can be read either as a genuine curiosity and attempt to get answered, or condescending humblebrag. And either one has the potential to be accurate.
Some subset of people tend to assume that it's the latter when they run into something that can be read like that. I often do too - I think it's that I sometimes find it hard to understand how someone could be writing in public forms (the internet no less) and not be aware of this.
And now that I've written it out, Ive become aware how ridiculous a basis that is. You can be aware that it's annoying when someone taps their foot on the floor, without quite being aware that you're doing it too. Someone points it out to you, you realize it, stop, and start again five minutes later.
All that said... I could still go either way. Though thinking this through has led me to the conclusion that in the future, I'll just ask.
So whichever it is in your case, I appreciate that the discussion prompted by your post gave me a chance to think about this...
> Since you seemed to gather so much from a sentence, let me ask you this, why do you care? If you are going to go out of your way to make a personal attack when nowhere in my expressing MY THOUGHTS did I make an attack on anyone, then that is your prerogative.
I don't care. And I didn't mean this to be a personal attack. Maybe you didn't mean it to come across the way I read it. Maybe you don't feel smugly superior to people who drink. But as written, your message came across (to me, and I'm guessing to those who upvoted me) the way I presented it.
At the very least, you grossly misrepresent the motives of people who drink as being primarily driven by peer pressure and a desire to conform. And your "experiment" of "drink everything in the house" comes across as misguided at best, and as chasing evidence in support of your preconceived notions at worst.
Given that, are you really so surprised that people took umbrage?
People no. You, yes. Please don't speak for other people.
> you grossly misrepresent the motives of people who drink
I do? I offered my OPINION on why I believe people drink. What qualifies me to give such an opinion?
10+ years as a bartender (from dive bars to high-end restaurants - the last being Spiaggia in Chicago). During that time, I continued to further my understanding of why people drink. Asking clients and gaining deeper knowledge. Let me ask you...why did you start drinking? Yes, you can point out that after high school...blah, blah, blah. I am not speaking to the fact that those have a choice once they reach an age where they are less pressured into doing things they have less control over at a younger age. You seemed to have completely missed the point of the article and my commenting an experience where peer pressure has not affected me.
So yes, I would say I am qualified to make statements not only about my personal experiences (those of which NEVER supported a position for or against drinking). You seemed to have done that for me.
> "experiment" of "drink everything in the house" comes across as misguided at best
Misguided at best? You are grasping at straws now.
> preconceived notions at worst
At worst? Let's put this into context.
Whether or not I develop an opinion before or after an experiment doesn't predict the outcome of that experiment. That is like saying because I heard about how bad heroin was growing up and tried it then...what exactly? What are you trying to say exactly? Because as far as I can tell, you are saying a whole lot without actually saying anything.
You have touched on an exposed nerve, to eschew such a fundamental past-time for many. The lack of prosody in the comm allows readers to fill the void of inflection to match their expectations, don't take it personal. Just don't say 'I don't watch TV' or there may be pitchforks & ropes in your future.
Oh my god this is such a dumb reply. I was pointing out that it's pretty unbelievable that you would be a bartender for 10 years and only have had a drink (or in OP's case gotten blackout drunk) once in your life.
I would hate to order a drink from someone like that. Follow a formula for a cocktail all you want, you should still know what it tastes like. It's like a patisserie chef who has only ever eaten one cannoli.
Perhaps he is evaluating your assessment of drinking, and finding that you possibly have other-than-logical reasons for your conclusion? (Not that I agree.)
>Growing up I often pondered the reasons why people begin drinking: Peer pressure, wanting to fit in, the need to feel cool, etc. None of these things every pushed me in the direction of needing to drink.
None of these are the reason most people drink. They would all be bad reasons to drink. You are saying we drink for bad reasons. You make a caricature of drinking (all the booze in the house) and say that's why you know better. The gist is that you missed the target on why others do something, and imply that you, scientifically, are wiser for it (you're drinks not only taste better than ours, they don't make you lose your inhibitions!).
While I won't argue your other points, I will push back a bit on the comment above. Since you seemed to gather so much from a sentence, let me ask you this, why do you care?
If you are going to go out of your way to make a personal attack when nowhere in my expressing MY THOUGHTS did I make an attack on anyone, then that is your prerogative. You make some wild accusations based on me explaining an experience that is personal to me. While I am not sorry you took what I said in a negative light, it does shed light on how you view yourself as a person and others who don't agree with your line of thinking.I wish you the best in you finding who you are.
(edit) Apparently, some of you don't like my comment. Let me clean it up a bit for those downvoters.