Why I refuse to drink

Another crosspost from that 30 day thing I'm doing on tumblr, in case you don't follow that. Don't blame you.

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I’m not sure if I’ve ever explained this to anyone in great detail.

Whenever I go to parties and bars with friends, I almost feel like it’s a chore. I tell them I’m having a good time of course, but I’m usually lying. I don’t drink and I’m not looking to get laid, so there’s really no point. Lets go see a show guyz. It’s not like I don’t enjoy meeting new people, it’s just that I’d rather do it when half the room isn’t drunk. I’d rather talk to people when they act how they normally act. And often the first thing people ask me at parties is why I don’t have any alcohol in my hand. And then there’s the look. I usually get a look.

And it’s not even a big deal to me that others drink. I don’t care if others enjoy themselves the way they want to. I’m an atheist so I don’t do this for religious reasons, and I’m not on some moral crusade. I do this for myself. There are two reasons I choose not to drink: 1) Alcohol is poisonous. Your liver is the only thing preventing it from killing you outright. If you drink enough of it, then it’s going to make you vomit, and feel like shit, and possibly even kill you. If other people can drink it responsibly and not be bothered by this, then it’s no skin off my back. It bothers me though. A lot. If something can kill me, then I’m not putting it in my mouth. Simple as that. If you think that’s strange, then fuck off. And 2) I care about my mind. The thought of drinking something that fucks with my head and alters the way I behave scares me a lot. My one brain is imperfect enough, and I’m not chipping away at it any more than I need to. I’m sure as shit not going to give up any amount of control over my thoughts and actions to a human being, so why the fuck would I give it up for an inanimate substance? That’s even worse. It’s not a strange thing to wish to be in control of myself to the highest degree possible. Here’s a quote from James Randi, he explains it much better than I could:

“Why people are so drawn to the irrational is something that has always puzzled me. I want to be if I can, as sure of the real world around me as is possible. Now, you can only attain that to a certain degree but I want the greatest degree of control. I’ve never involved myself in narcotics of any kind, I don’t smoke, I don’t drink because that can easily just fuzz the edges of my rationality, fuzz the edges of my reasoning powers and I want to be as aware as I possibly can. That means giving up a lot of fantasies that might be comforting in some ways but I’m willing to give that up in order to live in an actually real world, or as close as I can get to it.”

This isn’t unreasonable. I don’t see myself as the weirdo here. This is common sense, and there’s absolutely no reason why it needs to be such a big thing to a lot of people. I actually don’t mind at all when I’m asked simple questions about it (really), because I know it’s uncommon, but if you act entirely dumbfounded like you can’t even comprehend the words I’m saying, then I’m going to lose a ton of respect for you. That says a lot more about you than it does about me. Why doesn’t anyone act bewildered when I say I don’t smoke pot? Why is alcohol use expected of me by default, in spite of the fact that it’s even more dangerous? Doesn’t anyone notice this?

And let me stress: I do not lose respect for people who drink responsibly. As long as you don’t hurt yourself or those around you, then have at it. Live your life the way you want to, I don’t give a shit. And please don’t worry about me going through life ‘missing out’ or ‘not having fun.’ It’s okay. I have fun in my own way. Alcohol makes me feel weird. I don’t like it when my mind isn’t clear and I can’t think. I don’t know why others think that’s fun, but I’m sure most of them don’t understand why I don’t, so. To each his own.

And I’m sure most alcohol enthusiasts don’t care about this either, and I’m likely preaching to an understanding, but politely disagreeable choir. But you people still confuse the hell out of me sometimes, and you’re not always nice. To those who are, I know we’re not always easy to deal with, so thank you.