Why does society brag over drinking?

[Tony Williams]

Ok, in society I have always wondered why is it people like to brag about drinking and there tolerance? Like it's to fit in and they look great for it, my young sister feels that drinking makes her appear cool in front of friends and to make things worse people that don't drink alcohol (ie, me) are sad?

Also they come out with stupid crap like: "have you ever drank yourself sober?" or "alcohol has no effect on me" (big drinker). You probably get to a point you don't know your drunk after you drink too much as it effects how you think of yourself.

If you mention "I took so much amphetamine last weekend I had 4 hours of crazy sex" or "Once on LSD I thought I was a plane" people think it's sad. I know in general society tend to dislike drug users but why do they feel the need to brag about tolerance?

I don't drink but I use drugs and often I've been on enough drugs to kill small rooms of people - can I brag?

 

[Mysterie]

people brag about stuff they think is perceived as cool

people think alcohol is cool, so they brag about how much they have drunk / can drink

drugs users dicksize amongst other drug users, its just something instinctual to try and fit in/ or its in your personality to try and one-up others

 

[weekend addiction]

Because it's socially acceptable.

 

[Frydea]

I've noticed this too. One particular friend comes to mind, she talks soooo much about how drunk she gets, how much wine she can drink, is constantly posting pics of drinks etc. Yet if I mention doing acid it's just a blank look from her, and she'd never try it because she doesn't want to "get addicted". And this is a college educated, intelligent young woman in a liberal part of the country. Pretty sad.

 

[llama112]

The media.... society.... all that stuff. It's certainly not right but that's how it is.

Have you ever noticed, if you're with a group of drug users, that they DO brag about the amount of drugs. Like "oh man, those shrooms I took, I was seeing crazy visuals" etc. Or "bro, I did so much meth I was up for a week" and then someone is like "when I did meth, I was up for TWO weeks". It's kinda funny.
But then again, I do surround myself with like minded people. Although when I am with a certain group of people, they're just like that, talking about how drunk they were, how they got blacked out, etc.

I guess people think it's cool. I don't think excessive use of anything (drugs or alcohol) is cool at all. Use in moderation.

It is kind of amusing (but also sad) when heavy drinkers look down at someone who even just smokes weed. It drives me crazy. Because heavy drinking isn't dangerous at all but weed is sooooo bad. (sarcasm, obviously) I can only imagine saying anything else (like coke haha).

 

[SirTophamHat]

I've noticed this too. One particular friend comes to mind, she talks soooo much about how drunk she gets, how much wine she can drink, is constantly posting pics of drinks etc. Yet if I mention doing acid it's just a blank look from her, and she'd never try it because she doesn't want to "get addicted". And this is a college educated, intelligent young woman in a liberal part of the country. Pretty sad.

Maybe she actually knows she has an addictive personality and is playing it safe?

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

I'm not defending pissing contests involving intoxication, because that's pretty much the opposite of harm reduction. I'm just deconstructing this sort of remark.

Boasting about being able to hold one's liquor is one of those things that makes much more sense from the perspective of the unsaid implications:
* "People don't have to babysit me or carry me home if I drink too much."
* "I don't vomit on people's floors or in cars."
* "I don't act out of control and do and say things that embarrass people who take me out drinking."
* "I won't ruin the festive mood by being serious and sober."
* "I won't ruin the festive mood by passing up those last few rounds / shots and saying 'I'm tired' or 'I've had enough'".
* "I'm a gentleman / lady, who acts 'normal' and follows all the rules of polite society, no matter intoxicated I get. I have no ugly 'true colors' that come out when I'm drunk."
* "I'm not a prude or a square. I know how to let loose and have fun."

In other words, saying you can hold your liquor is an advertisement of people skills and social fitness -- you're assuring people that you're never a burden or a pain in the ass to people once you've gotten your drink on. This is all well and good, in theory. With a drug cherished for its ability to enhance conversation and social spontaneity due to lowered inhibitions, there's a risk that someone will take this too far, and lose their inhibition to say and do things that cause other people to suffer. In all cultures where alcohol is an accepted part of the social culture in any way, I think you'll find most people prefer the company of an un-obnoxious drinker to an obnoxious one.

The problems begin when people with big egos and/or a sophomoric sense of invincibility reinterpret this social nicety into a pissing contest over who can poison themselves worse and still appear perfectly OK. There's a big difference between "I'm a civilized drunk even if the drinking ends up getting heavy" and "I'm making it my goal to drink you under the table".

If my children drink socially, I'm going to teach them to say, "I'm friendly when I'm drinking", "I'm not an angry drunk", etc., instead of trying to impress people with how high their limit is.