re: Question for the non drinkers

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My daughter was born and I never wanted to be drunk and in a position that I couldn't take her to ER at 2am on a Saturday morning if need be. Not worth the risk.

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this was alwaysmy exact thought

went to more of a weed-smoking high school. never really drank until 18-19 and only at parties. drank a little at bars when single in my 20s but just much prefer getting stoned.

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I am not an angry, mean, or embarrassing drunk but I know I am killing myself. It is almost just a question of what organ is going to fail first.

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Your liver. Have your doctor check your AST, ALT, & GGT. That will tell you what direction in which you're headed.

I used to drink like a fish at LSU and for maybe five or 10 years after that. Then I just kinda lost interest in it. Thankfully, I wasn’t addicted and I was able to cut way back with no problem. Some people aren’t so lucky.

I was a professional drinker. Literally won a drinking contest in Jamaica as the crowd shouted "LSU, LSU, LSU." Could drink more than you and your friend(s) combined and still take care of you later in the night\morning. Never had a hangover, rarely lost control (although there was a time a Washington Mardi Gras). Drank basically every day from age 17, through college (frat), softball leagues, flag football, riding on parade floats, tailgates, through age 50, and got up and went to work, coach, give a speech, whatever without a problem. Until it did. Nothing bad happened, I am lucky, and it took me a couple of years to figure out that at some point, I was no longer drinking to have a good time, I was drinking to not feel bad. The cumulative drinking over a long period of time, caught up to me. Because of my extremely social life, I could not imagine giving up drinking. I thought it would be the end of all the good times. I was very very wrong. I have not had a drink in nearly two years, though I did make 50 Bloody Mary's on Saturday, and truly have never felt better. Lost weight, gained control, lost the desire to drink, gained freedom. I understand that it sounds ludicrous, particularly to people from Louisiana, but there is absolutely life after drinking. My wife said when I decided to quit "well its not like you haven't had a good time", like I was giving it all up, but now I have gained so much more. It basically is like a video game cheat code for life. Remember this when you're 50, you will thank me.

I would drink at Parties or out with my shipmates, while in the Navy. Made a fool of my self several times and probably was close to death a few times, binge drinking, due to ignorance.
When "qualifying" on Submarine duty, once you earn your dolphins, there is a ceremony where you put your dolphins in a glass, pour hard liquor in the glass higher than the dolphin. Then drink it down.
I went to the club, I knew what was expected, so I ordered a hamburger, in order have something in my stomach, prior to the ritual. The ritual started before the Hamburger arrived. I drank down the Liquor and soon was feeling woozy. Then a shipmate said, you didn't do it right. You are supposed to catch the dolphins with your teeth. So, I repeated the initiation drink. The last thing I remember was falling out of my chair. They helped me back on my seat and I fell off again. That was the last I remember that night.
They told me, I passed out so they carried me out and put me in a Spanish Taxi and told the driver to take me back to the Ship, three miles away. When he got to the Dock, he drug me out of the Car and left me on wooden Pallet.
The Submarine Tender, Officer of the Deck, looked down on the Peer, saw my body, and called my ship. He told them to send some sailers over and get that body off the Pier. I was 6'3" and weighed over 200 lbs. They had trouble getting me down the ladders into the Submarine. Finally my shipmate who was about 6'00 175 Lbs, put me on his shoulder and carried me down a metal ladder, about 12-15 ft.
I awoke next day but didn't get out of my bunk until 3:00 AM the following day.
For some reason I never developed a taste nor a need for alcoholic beverages.