Men over 30, How much did alchohol affect your life?

32 comments

1. it keeps me from killing myself for one. i find that so long as i keep my mind enjoying life i don’t give up on it. i have been fighting depression ever since i was 25 or so because of an injury which causes me constant pain. literally physical pain all the time. being numb helps. at this point i am glad that i find it in me to eat twice a day. sadly i thank alcohol and cannabis which are now maintenance substances to me. i pretty much fit the definition of functional user. if you are asking because someone you know is using the way i do there is something causing it. you should talk to them about it when they are buzzed or drunk then keep talking about it when they are sober. people tend not to try killing pain when there is no pain to kill.

2. I’ve always enjoyed a few beers, over 40 now so more exercise/less beer to keep reasonably in shape. Only thing that really changes is the hangovers – never had one until I was 30+, now a good session leaves a mark for 48 hours.

3. It allowed me to enjoy myself in social occasions

   But of course, it also made me act like a moron, and once I sobered up, I looked back and cringe

   Oh, and I had an alcoholic parent. That was tough. Don’t let anybody tell you it’s not hard being the child of an alcoholic or an addict

4. I’m 36 and I started drinking when I was 13 and throughout my life it’s gotten me in a lot of trouble, it’s caused me to make a lot of stupid decisions, I’ve hurt a lot of people that I love and it’s ruined a lot of my relationships.

5. It ultimately led to divorce & loss of house I’d payed for. Fortunately, it was worth every penny too get rid of my drunk ex-wife.

6. My mother’s drinking led to an extreme negative association with alcohol in my teenage years – so I vowed never to drink.

   As a result alcohol doesn’t affect my life at all, since it’s not a part of it.

7. Alcohol fucks me up to bad so I just stick to weed.

8. Alcohol? Oh man, let me tell you, it’s had its fair share of influence on my life. In my younger days, I used to drink like a fish. It was all fun and games until the hangovers and bad decisions started piling up. It took a toll on my physical health, my relationships, and even my mental well-being. These days, I’ve learned to balance it out and drink responsibly. But trust me, alcohol can definitely have a big impact if you let it.

9. Held me back from achieving my potential. If I had forgone drinking in my late 20’s into my 30’s I would be much healthier, and I think I would have gotten more education than I did.

10. Concerned that it was beginning to affect my life too much, so stopped entirely before age 30. Don’t miss it at all. But if other people drink, no problem.

11. I didn’t drink until I was 26. I could’ve kept going. Often I still do go weeks without. I went a bit overboard at first, wanting to sample a little of everything, but I never drank to excess. I’ve still never been totally drunk in my life. The worst it ever got for me was when I knocked back a couple too many whisky & ginger ales. It was a delayed reaction. I was fully lucid, but took longer to form sentences, and my limbs felt like rubber. I hated it. Thankfully I was at home. In a ponderous manner I knowingly brushed my teeth, undressed myself, and climbed into bed to sleep it off.

    I’ve made a friend I wouldn’t otherwise have because our mutual interest in uncommon whisky. I also had chances to bond with my parents over wine where I couldn’t in the past.

    I recently went on a month long spell of abstaining from alcohol in preparation for a medical appointment. I didn’t need to, but I chose to as a gesture of self-control. Oddly only once I forbade myself from drinking any did I miss it. The appointment has since passed, and I’m back to being a social drinker. I have nice bottles of liquor in my home, but little urge to have any of it.

12. A lot.

    I was an alcoholic for years, I was homeless, drove every single friend away, have a strained relationship with my family, I’ve not had a relationship for years now.

    I’m sober now and have been for almost two and a half years. I wish I had never drank alcohol

13. I used to drink every Saturday night with mates in my early to mid 20s, every Sunday was a write off and wasted but I found it to be worth it. I am 31 now and honestly drink once every 2 months, if even that. I’ve found for myself that drinking is 0% necessary unless I want a bit of social lubricant. Everyone lives different lives with different situations, but that’s mine.

14. I’m at the point in my life where I have a higher tolerance for alcohol and less time for it. I find that I can drink 1 or 2 drinks and not be drunk but the next day I notice I am incredibly cognitively delayed. I have trouble recalling words, I don’t remember where I put things, and I am very distracted and forgetful. It’s almost like it makes me stupid the next day. This didn’t happen when I was younger. I could drink loads, sleep, and wake up fine the next day. Sometimes even more refreshed

15. My father was an alcoholic, so I watched him drink himself to death. It made me never want to drink. I’m now 32. I’ve probably had 6 full alcoholic drinks my entire life. I hate the taste, and the feeling. It makes my joints hurt. I’ve never been drunk in my life, and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.

16. Both of my grandfathers were alcoholics and died because of it. My father and uncles, as far back as I have been able to trace, we’re all alcoholics. I can count on both hands the number of times I’ve been drunk and I gave it up without looking back years ago.

17. Going against the negativity here but it’s led me to meet some amazing friends, top nights out and funny stories to look back on. It’s led me to long term sexual partners and indeed short term ones. I’m 32 and I still look forward to good boozing session with mates. It’s enabled me to break down barriers with colleagues and clients alike. Only thing that’s changed is the hangovers last a bit longer. I’ve always been a social drinker so I rarely drink alone which is where I think problems occur

    Getting pissed is fun and I’ll continue to do it until it Isn’t.

18. I grew up with two alcoholics. Two. It finally killed my mom five years ago. My dad is a working alcoholic. I have a big extended family with a lot of alcoholice in it. Some have quit drinking and some have not. It is not easy growing up with two. Plus I do not have and brothers or sisters to help me deal with it growing up. I do not drink. Which I am surprised because I was around alcohol so much growing up.

19. It would have ruined/ended it if I hadn’t intervened.

20. Poorly

21. Not much. I didn’t get well and truly drunk until my bachelor party (33 yo at the time). I do it rarely and only on a few occasions.

22. I’d almost certainly be a 30yo virgin without it.

23. Very poorly. Had to be rid of the beast. It was ruining everything I’ve worked for.

24. For the longest time, I just drank instead of handling my responsibilities. I didn’t drink every night, but often enough to be problematic. My wife put up with a lot of stuff she never should have had to. This lasted for the first 8-9 years we were married. Sounds cheesy, but I would say God got my attention when my son was about 6 months old. So for the past 5 years I may have a beer or two every other month. Looking back on it, some of the things I have hated myself the most for, have come from excessive drinking.

25. Alcohol affected my life fairly positively.

    That said, I never developed any extreme alcoholic habits and in my 30’s I drink maybe 3-8 times a year (holidays and special events).

    I met friends that I still have today from drinking in my 20’s. I also got to do a lot of things with my life from the people I met at the bar.
    Joined a band for a while, worked as a bouncer, got involved in charity events and non-profits etc etc.

    I kept it to once a week (Saturday or Friday) at max though and made sure that I had other things going on with my life.

    More recently I’be been working as the accounting manager at a small firm and we needed to open a new position. I recommended a good accountant that I met back in my party days. She’s an outstanding worker with data analytics and that’s what we needed…of course when we first met we were drunk off our ass at a karaoke night but this was 14 years ago lol.

    With all that said, in retrospect I followed some key important parts of alcohol consumption.

    1: I never drink alone. It’s a social drug for me and it’s just not fun to do it on my own.

    2: I never drink to feel better. Drinking can be a good time but if I’m in a rough spot I’ve always felt that I should remain sober to deal with my problems.

    3: I’m already a social person sober and drinking just makes talking to strangers *more* fun due to the candor jovial effects

    4: it’s never been the only thing I have going on for fun.

26. it’s an added dimension to a great meal, but no daily occurrence.

    A red neatly paired with lamb.
    A white to boil into the risotto, and maybe a small sip to the chef of whats left of that.
    A nice cider on the rocks while sitting in the sun on the porch.
    A dark 6-9% coffee/chocolate stout to go with a chocolate-mousse dessert.
    A rich belgian blonde with fried fish is actually a very good mix.
    Maybe one singular unit of beer as a standalone kind of deal, once or twice a month, to taste something good.

    expenditure on alcohol is low, with my consumption i don’t get hungover and its a light buzz at best. for me and my current use, its a minor good thing.

27. As a kid I remember going to school one day and seeing my uncle piss drunk on a park bench in rags. I vowed that would never be me and swore off alcohol.

    Eventually I started working in pub at around 25 and would occasionally join in on the culture. Rarely drink now unless it’s a social event.

28. By far my hardest battle. It’s completely ruined my life multiple times. I’ve had it under control a few times, sober or 1 night a week for awhile. I’ve slipped back in again the last few months and it’s not going well.

29. Meh, I’m well past the days of drinking just to get drunk in my 20’s. Did a few stupid things that kids tend to do but nothing awful, just being dumb and awkward but I can count those times on one hand and I learned to not repeat them. Had plenty of amazing times drinking with friends and bandmates too though that I wouldn’t change for anything.

    Nowadays I’ll just have a few beers on the weekend while watching football/ufc or playing video games and it’s very much quality over quantity. The only bad thing is that it hurts the wallet a bit lol.

30. Alcohol is so overrated. I just think of all the things I can’t remember and how shitty I felt emotionally and physically after going on benders and it’s not worth it. The family culture I was brought up in was one of social drinking. While the immediate and extended family were never fighters and always happy drinking together the physical toll is not worth continuing that way of life.

31. I was a raging alcoholic in my teen years/during an abusive relationship. I do recommend therapy, it did give me tools to manage the learning of destructive patterns/ lack of boundaries, self love and respect/ and managing emotions as a whole.

    Tbh, I was severely depressed , did put my life at risk several times, did very harmful and humilliating things as a whole.

    What drawed the line for me was my newborn kid. I decided to not be an alcoholic like my father so my kid remembers me being healthy.

    That and, I’m actively watching someone I dearly appreciate drinking themselves to death.

    The first time is hard, but the main goal is worth it. I’m active, healthy, happy altogether. I rarely have a can of beer every once in a while. I don’t miss alcohol honestly.

32. It made be funnier and more appealing to the opposite sex.