After experiencing an awful hangover, i took a break from alcohol for a while. During this time, i went to clubs sober, hoping it could act as some sort of exposure therapy, and make me feel more at ease at social events without relying on alcohol. After recently getting drunk again, the club was so much more fun. I dont think my problem was social anxiety, i think the only way i can enjoy clubs is with alcohol, and that kind of makes drinking to socialise less shameful. By extension, drinking to socialise and network kinda seems like a smart idea, with not alot of downsides, assuming its done in moderation.
Anyways i still have a slight hunch that its a bad idea to rely on alcohol, so was wondering if anyone had any decent arguments for or against this point of view so i can make my mind up š
4 comments
I view it as a crutch, but I grew up surrounded by alcoholic family members. I simply donāt think drinking it worth it.
The main issue is the ādone in moderationā part. It always starts out that way, but at least in my experience, rarely continues that way.
Yeah, going to a club sober kinda sucks, especially if you end up being the sober person taking care of all the drunk people in your friend group. Same thing with social events, but to a lesser extent (depends on the vibe of the event I guess).
Using alcohol to consistently avoid facing the reality of a negative emotion/situation sucks more. It bleeds into other aspects of your life. Mostly it prevents you from learning how to actually process negative emotions in a healthy way on your own.
So I’d say, depends on whether you can actually do it “in moderation” – whether you’re deliberate about it, and whether you hold yourself accountable if you’re trying to take a break. A few drinks at a party seems perfectly reasonable.
I know alcoholics who’ve tried quitting. When they stop drinking, they genuinely don’t know what to do with their newfound free time and mental clarity. Not saying this is you lol – my point is, if you want to try drinking less, you need to figure out how to spend that free time in a way that feels productive/fulfilling. Otherwise it’s easy to give up and be like, well this is boring.
It’s less than a crutch: if you’re already socially anxious then trying to get drunk won’t make you socially outgoing, you’ll still be anxious but also sick and dizzy.
Don’t drink, it’s poison and if you can get people to like you sober, then you don’t need alcohol.