Some Things I Don't Understand

There are some things in life I just don't understand. This post is actually a continuation, or possibly a tangent, of my previous thoughts regarding social behavior. It stems from a conversation I had with a couple of my friends on Saturday night over pizza. We were chatting about various aspects of life, the evils of television watching and video games, the effects of the media on the population, differences between men and womens view of themselves in relationship to others, just your everyday light conversation.

The topic of going out to events (or parties) came up since I was supposed to be going to one such party that night. I was reluctant to attend said party. Not because I didn't like the person who was throwing the party, I actually like her very much, she's great. And not because I hate going to parties. What I don't like are parties where the main purpose is to get incredibly drunk. (I must insert here that this was just my assumption due to a comment made about the party. My assumption may have been incorrect.)

Many people think that getting drunk is "fun". I am the kind of person who has one beer, maybe two, and is done. I don't drink every day, I don't even have a drink once a week. It's just not something I think about or desire. So I just don't understand people who think that getting completely sloshed is a grand old time. Why is that fun? Why is it fun not to be able to control what you say or do? Why is it fun not to remember half the night? People say to me, "Well, you don't have to drink". Yes, that is true. But it is not very stimulating to be sober around a bunch of people who can't carry on a conversation. I'd much rather be sober around a bunch of other sober people.

Now let's tackle the idea that people drink to relieve stress or get a release. I'm sorry, I think that's stupid. That may be harsh, but it's how I feel. When a person is stressed out and they have all these things in their life they are trying to deal with, drinking doesn't fix any of those things. You may feel good for a few hours and forget the world, but when you come out of the hangover the next day, all those things you were trying to forget are still there, and they're still ugly and stressful. You did absolutley nothing to fix the problem. It's still there. And depending on your behavior when you were intoxicated, you might have a few more problems to add to the gauntlet. This line of reasoning makes no sense. If you want a stress release, do something that actually helps with your cortisol levels (which, if you don't know, regulate the stress response), like exercise. Again, remember that I am not criticising having a beer or two, I'm talking about excessive beer consumption (or other alcoholic beverages). Also, if you have some really tough stuff to deal with, get counseling. It have been shown over and over that alcohol (and drug) abuse doesn't fix problems, so why it is still a popular method I don't understand.

The only way to have a healthy life is to take care of yourself physically and mentally. I don't think alcohol abuse fits into this equation. And I don't think getting drunk is "fun". If you do think it's fun, I wonder if there is something else going on in your psyche that you need to deal with. But again, people's opinions differ, and maybe you and I are just intrinsically different in our perception of enjoyable activities.