You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Now with 3x more gears...

[Locke]

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times.

"Beer Gardens" have to be the absolute stupidest concept of all time.

You cordon off a section of an event so people can drink. However, there is literally nothing else to do.

So a bunch of people wait in line to get a drink, are stuck with nothing else to do and really nowhere to go, and then they proceed to get slaughtered on booze and then...

And this is the genius part of the plan.

And then...they're released into the 'family/all ages' element of the event.

Mayhem ensues.

Really? No way. I cant imagine why.

"You've got to do something about the drunks! Won't someone PLEASE think of the CHILDREN!?!?"

Yeah. Let people drink...while wandering around. The activity helps to burn off the alcohol but also slows the amount of drinking.

If you're locked in a cage with nothing but booze and nothing to do but drink it...at an event...what do you expect to happen?

I've been to concerts where they'd split the room. All Ages on one side, 18+ only with drinks on the other and I thought that was a great idea!

The thing is, it comes down to normalization culture. If you create an environment where people are just getting wrecked...and thats 'okay' then people are just going to get wrecked.

If however you create an environment where people can have a civilized drink in a public space, then people (largely...always exceptions) take the social cues from those around them and are responsible.

[81MC]

Bad drivers. I swear, I saw a lady in a nearly new BMW suv today, in an empty parking lot, with nothing on either side, entirely unable to back her vehicle into the stall when she pulled up parallel and in front of it. Like, there is not an a scenario that could be easier. And she tried and tried and after about 4 painfully slow attempts to get the car in the confines of the lines she gave up, leaving the vehicle 20 degrees tangent to the stall and too far forward.

Then she gets out and sure as hell, she is driving around a child with her. I get you can look straight and step in the little go faster pedal and turn the round thing to follow arrows but Jesus Christ there needs to be a higher standard for the operation of multi ton death machines.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Dry January is already a thing. Now there’s a dry February too? But why?

The way I know I don't have a problem with drinking is that it has never even occurred to me to participate in Dry January / Dry February in the first place. I don't drink enough to even consider it something that participating in would fundamentally make a difference to my life.

[Harry Lime]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

The way I know I don't have a problem with drinking is that it has never even occurred to me to participate in Dry January / Dry February in the first place. I don't drink enough to even consider it something that participating in would fundamentally make a difference to my life.

Sounds like your a good candidate for 'slightly damp January'.

[AC]

Moist March.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Slava

I just think North Americans are so uptight when it comes to alcohol. Like my son is 16 and I have zero issue with him having a drink or two. I’m not going to get him completely buckled, but then again it’s not like he’s not going to do that at some point anyway. I’d much rather he has a drink or two and I know what’s happening as opposed to skulking around drinking some kind of hooch that was a combination of liquors that he out together from booze we have around the house.

I'm going to nudge this in the opposite direction and suggest that young people shouldn't drink at all until their brains are fully developed. That's around age 25. Sure would lead to a lot fewer stupid decisions fueled by alcohol. Take your pick: sexual assault, violence, property destruction/vandalism, drunk driving.

I'm pretty liberal on most things, but as I get older, I think we need to reassess our societal relationship with alcohol. I drink a fair bit, and I'm struggling to cut back because it's become a bit of a crutch to get through my week. There are a lot of studies out now that show a serious negative health consequence to frequent/regular alcohol consumption. I wonder if I would have had a different outcome had I not started drinking in my teens and developed an affinity for the stuff.

Just something to ponder. I'm not trying to turn this into an argument for prohibition or anything, but less drinking overall would probably benefit our society.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

I'm going to nudge this in the opposite direction and suggest that young people shouldn't drink at all until their brains are fully developed. That's around age 25. Sure would lead to a lot fewer stupid decisions fueled by alcohol. Take your pick: sexual assault, violence, property destruction/vandalism, drunk driving.

I'm pretty liberal on most things, but as I get older, I think we need to reassess our societal relationship with alcohol. I drink a fair bit, and I'm struggling to cut back because it's become a bit of a crutch to get through my week. There are a lot of studies out now that show a serious negative health consequence to frequent/regular alcohol consumption. I wonder if I would have had a different outcome had I not started drinking in my teens and developed an affinity for the stuff.

Just something to ponder. I'm not trying to turn this into an argument for prohibition or anything, but less drinking overall would probably benefit our society.

Disagree. I mean...we need to differentiate between 'shouldnt' and 'wont.'

Because unless they're Amish or Mormon its more than likely going to happen.

I think they should be educated and experienced rather than have to figure it out for themselves when all the shackles are off.

[Slava]

The other consideration is that with responsible drinking there’s also a lot of socialization. That’s so critical and particularly in this day and age where people are so disconnected from in-person meetings. It’s a significant impact on all humans when we have all of our interactions online and fewer and fewer are in person.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Slava

The other consideration is that with responsible drinking there’s also a lot of socialization. That’s so critical and particularly in this day and age where people are so disconnected from in-person meetings. It’s a significant impact on all humans when we have all of our interactions online and fewer and fewer are in person.

Sorry, that's not a justification for drinking. There's lots of socialization in anyone's life that doesn't require alcohol as a pre-requisite. I don't think the best idea for fighting the ills of technology addiction are prescribing alcohol addiction. Both are dopamine triggers, and hard to stop once you start.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by woob

My dad did this with the Swiss Chalet dipping sauce. Didn't like it at first, but kept on having it everytime he went (which was often, as they loved it and it was a cheap place to go for family dinners.) Eventually he got to the point where he loved it. Such an odd thing to be so determined about, but I respect the tenacity. We joke about it in our family often, so it definitely brings us joy in the end.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/...less%20intense.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Sorry, that's not a justification for drinking. There's lots of socialization in anyone's life that doesn't require alcohol as a pre-requisite. I don't think the best idea for fighting the ills of technology addiction are prescribing alcohol addiction. Both are dopamine triggers, and hard to stop once you start.

Well I’m talking about social drinking and responsible consumption. That’s not the same as alcohol addiction, and I don’t think anyone would advocate for that.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Slava

Well I’m talking about social drinking and responsible consumption. That’s not the same as alcohol addiction, and I don’t think anyone would advocate for that.

The problem is that young forming brains have the ability to develop more developed dopamine responses to alcohol, which increases the likelihood of addiction/dependence.

I'm not pretending that young people won't try stuff before they're allowed to, but freely granting access may facilitate development of a dopamine pathway that will continually be problematic to them through their adulthood. There's no easy answer here, but I feel we are far too easy about letting kids try stuff without teaching them about the consequences.

I say we should have a serious education session first before every allowing a single drink, that's all.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by AC

Moist March.

This is just what happens when Valentine's Day eventually gets a whole month to itself.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

I'm going to nudge this in the opposite direction and suggest that young people shouldn't drink at all until their brains are fully developed. That's around age 25. Sure would lead to a lot fewer stupid decisions fueled by alcohol. Take your pick: sexual assault, violence, property destruction/vandalism, drunk driving.

I'm pretty liberal on most things, but as I get older, I think we need to reassess our societal relationship with alcohol. I drink a fair bit, and I'm struggling to cut back because it's become a bit of a crutch to get through my week. There are a lot of studies out now that show a serious negative health consequence to frequent/regular alcohol consumption. I wonder if I would have had a different outcome had I not started drinking in my teens and developed an affinity for the stuff.

Just something to ponder. I'm not trying to turn this into an argument for prohibition or anything, but less drinking overall would probably benefit our society.

You’ll be happy to learn the rates of drinking are down sharply in young adults today (Gen Z drink 20 per cent less than Millennials did at the same age). This is part of a sea change in behaviour across the Western world.

On the downside, and to Slava’s point, one of the biggest reasons is because face-to-face socialization is also declining sharply in young adults. Which isn’t ideal.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

You’ll be happy to learn the rates of drinking are down sharply in young adults today (Gen Z drink 20 per cent less than Millennials did at the same age). This is part of a sea change in behaviour across the Western world.

On the downside, and to Slava’s point, one of the biggest reasons is because face-to-face socialization is also declining sharply in young adults. Which isn’t ideal.

Yes, a loneliness epidemic and anti-socialization of young people is linked to technology addiction. This is why I want to hold tech companies accountable for how they deliver content (especially to young people) as it also triggers dopamine responses resulting in addictive behavior. If we can hold cigarette and alcohol manufacturers responsible, we can do the same for big tech.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

You’ll be happy to learn the rates of drinking are down sharply in young adults today (Gen Z drink 20 per cent less than Millennials did at the same age). This is part of a sea change in behaviour across the Western world.

On the downside, and to Slava’s point, one of the biggest reasons is because face-to-face socialization is also declining sharply in young adults. Which isn’t ideal.

No wonder they're so boring.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Locke

No wonder they're so boring.

It's because they are so medicated.





https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...nxiety-surges/

[Slava]

Well being an introvert is en vogue these days, so along with comes disconnection, more anxiety is situations involving face-to-face interactions and things like that.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

It's because they are so medicated.





https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...nxiety-surges/

I mean, I'm not a big fan of over medicating.

But if someone is having a mental health issue I think taking anti-depressants and seeking help is definitely better than self-medicating with alcohol or other substances.

Like, fixing that problem would solve a huge portion of our homelessness issue.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

I mean, I'm not a big fan of over medicating.

But if someone is having a mental health issue I think taking anti-depressants and seeking help is definitely better than self-medicating with alcohol or other substances.

Like, fixing that problem would solve a huge portion of our homelessness issue.

Oh, no doubt. It just seems to be trending more that way, and is the root cause device use and social media? Other factors? Or would that proportion of youth always benefited and only now are they being accurately diagnosed? But anti-depresants tend to also affect the amount of joy you experience, often resulting, in more flat personalities, less likely to seek interest in doing things, thus, as Lcoke claimed, boring...