Poll about alcohol

[woah_jaxsta]

How old were you when you were first drunk?

 

I haven't really been fully drunk before - but i've been on my way to being drunk hehe... which was this year.. and i was/am 18

[mysterious one]

first time i tryed alcohol was probably when i was 5 and i have a sip of my mom's or my friend sdrink every now and then but i haven't gotten drunk before and i don't plan on it. i just got home from a dance and my ex was srunk as usual( one of the reasons why i dumped him) and anyways it makes you do stupid things. my best friend used to go out with his friends from workn and get drunk and do stupid things. all it does is hurt people, includeing your self.

[easyguy]

I've never been drunk, but I've had a glass of wine before, like for a special event. And of course champagne for new years (one time only). I don't like the taste of wine that much, though. Alcohol just doesn't appeal to me.

 

However, if Diet Sierra Mist was an alcoholic beverage, I'd be drunk everyday!

[beanpaper]

I was 14 and it was whiskey.

[combat_barbie]

How old were you when you were first drunk? i'm jsut curious as to what the norm is for most people

 

The original question wasn't about alcohol in moderation, it was about getting drunk. And you have people saying they weren't even teenagers when they did it, being even proud of that fact. Not a good indicator that people are able to control it.

 

I figure its easiest to stop a problem by never putting yourself in position to have it. If you don't drink at all, no chance of you getting drunk. And any of the benefits people say alcohol has, you can get in many other and healthier ways.

 

Seriously! Seriously! Nobody is joking about alcohol as you stated in your earlier comment. It's a known fact that rarely escpecially in the USA where the drinking age is so high do people actually wait til they are of age to drink. Due to the nature of this there aren't a lot of studies based on how old people really are when they first consume alcohol. In addition I really don't recall anyone bragging most people simply stated the age they were and sometimes the type of alcohol. Take it easy just because someone was drunkw hen they were 14 it doesnt mean they got drunk regularily or they drove or any other stupid thing liek that. This isn't what this poll is about note POLL not debate on whether drinking is right or wrong.

[darkblue]

I think I was around 13.

I wasn't really drunk, but at that age, I probably thought I was.

[annie24]

I think I was around 13.

I wasn't really drunk, but at that age, I probably thought I was.

 

Same here. I was around 13/14.

[annie24]

I think most people go through "phases." It's new and exciting, and it can be overdone. By the time most people finish with college, puking the entire night and having a massive hangover loses its fun. I still love alcohol. I grew up in wine country in california, I love the art of wine making, and learning about the different grapes and the different flavors. Now, I drink in moderation when I am out at a party or the bars. My body doesn't handle a night of drunken debauchery as well as it did when I was 19

[mtastic]

Technically The first drink I had was at about 13 or 14 when I accidenty had some of my dad's hard cider, which I had mistaken for my own palin-old cider. My first voulentary drink was at 21 at a party at my ex's. The only time I've ever really gotten drunk was in June when a girl i was interested in inveted me out to the bar with her and her friends, and proceeded to talk to her friends all night leving me with litlle else to do but drink.

For most of my teen and undergrad college years i was pretty uptight about drinking, but have since loosened up a bit to the point where I've realized nothing bad will happen as long as i only have a few drinks in a night. I guess for me its always been a control thing as opposed to any moral issue, I like being in control and the process of letting go and not having control over myself frightens me to some degree. For a long time i was one of the people who believed that one drink would have me running around being a jackass, and have since realized that as long as one moderates their drinking, and knows their own limits, it ain't so bad.

[Jonboy582]

I was about 15 or 16

[katiekate1982]

15 for me. I believe it was Milwaukee's Best beer (The Beast!!) How terrible.

[nsbguy32169]

19 and haven't tried it and don't intend to

[Boricua7]

I can't drink alcohol, so I've never been and never will be drunk and I probably wouldn't want to get drunk if I were able to; like Shy, I don't see what's fun about getting drunk. It is fine in moderation as others have said, but a lot of people (not here, just in general) seem to think it's the only way to have fun and I think that is a big problem.

 

Like combat_barbie said, just because you drink and have been drunk does not automatically make you an alcoholic. You're right, there ARE other ways to have fun but it is fun to be inebriated and you might be able to disagree or agree if you'd ever been yourself.

[confuzedboy89]

15 years old

[Sheyda]

I can't drink alcohol, so I've never been and never will be drunk and I probably wouldn't want to get drunk if I were able to; like Shy, I don't see what's fun about getting drunk. It is fine in moderation as others have said, but a lot of people (not here, just in general) seem to think it's the only way to have fun and I think that is a big problem.

 

Like combat_barbie said, just because you drink and have been drunk does not automatically make you an alcoholic. You're right, there ARE other ways to have fun but it is fun to be inebriated and you might be able to disagree or agree if you'd ever been yourself.

 

You are putting words in my mouth; I never said anywhere in my post that people who drink or have been drunk are alcoholics. I only said I don't see the fun in being extremely drunk, drinking is fine in moderation and that it is only a problem if people think that is the only way to have fun.

[ShySoul]

Like combat_barbie said, just because you drink and have been drunk does not automatically make you an alcoholic. You're right, there ARE other ways to have fun but it is fun to be inebriated and you might be able to disagree or agree if you'd ever been yourself.

 

Sure, getting drunk once doesn't make you an alcoholic. But it only takes once for something to go wrong. Do you think people plan to be alcoholics? No. They start out saying just one time, no harm. Then they figure another time won't hurt. For many it becomes habit, a problem that creeps up on them. And their attitude all along is that its ok once and a while, its fun to get drunk every now and then and nothing bad is going to happen to me cause I'm not an alcoholic.

 

Alcohol messes with your head, loosens you up to do things you normally wouldn't do. And those things can be dangerous. Teenagers especially are not able to handle alcohol well. There is a reason there is a law on when people can drink, cause alcohol can be very damaging and kids of that age aren't likely to be able to handle the affects.

 

Please, do not assume that because someone has not had alcohol that they don't understand it. I have dealt with people I love becoming alcoholics. I have had to take care of them when they are drunk and watch them hurt themselves over and over. I have seen people turn to alcohol to drown their sorrows away, even when the sorrows always remain when the alcohol is gone. I have seen alcohol loosen someone's will so that he ends up trying out other things he diffently doesn't need to be doing. I know people who started drinking young and acting out, ended up pregnant, and has had to struggle ever since. I have seen people assume there is nothing wrong with getting drunk once, but that once becomes more. Alcohol has hurt the lives of many people I care about, done far more damage then any miniscule amount of fun it could bring.

 

Only beer with anything is root beer...

[cichlid]

Most alcoholics have other reasons to drink other than to just have fun. A lot of college kids drink and get drunk...but usually cut down a great deal after college. People that have a problem have other issues. There are also plenty of people that drink, are not alcoholics, and do not develop any addiction, shysoul. You seem to be forgetting that fact.

[pineapple_juice]

I have never drunken alchol before.

[ShySoul]

A lot of college kids drink and get drunk...but usually cut down a great deal after college.

 

If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you do it do? Just because a lot of people do it, doesn't make it right or justfies their actions. A lot of kids also start drinking in college and go on to be alcoholics. A lot of kids drink in college and find themselves in bad situations because of the drinking. A lot of kids say just one time and that one time is all it takes.

 

People that have a problem have other issues

 

We all have problems and issues in our lives. It's easy to say that people who become alcoholics have problems and that we will never be like that. But it could happen to us, especially if we take the attitude of being invincible, that we can get drunk and we will never have a problem.

 

There are also plenty of people that drink, are not alcoholics, and do not develop any addiction, shysoul. You seem to be forgetting that fact.

 

Yes, people may not become alcoholics. But they could. And it doesn't matter if they are addicted, something could still happen. Just one time drinking could lead to all kinds of bad things. All it takes is one time, and we never know what could happen. How many of us would play russian roulette? Even if there is only one bullet, theres still the chance. I don't see how any of the benefits of drinking is enough to outweigh that risk. My point is that the best way to avoid a problem is to never put yourself in that position. If you can have just as much fun, if not more fun without alcohol, why have alcohol?

[easyguy]

When you drive, you run the risk of being in a car accident, but millions of people drive anyway. When you park your car, you run the risk of it being stolen, but people park it anyway. People eat pizza and hamburgers either a lot or a little, and even though they are unhealthy, people eat them anyway. When you go outside at night, you run the risk of being mugged, but you do it anyway.

 

You know, alcohol can sometimes be GOOD for your body (such as wine) if you drink it sporatically in small amounts. I think you focus too much on the negative aspect of alcohol, Shy, instead of the benefits of it.

 

If you give me some time, I can go out and cite some primary sources to show you that alcohol (especially wine), however dangerous it may be (as are many things in life) if used the wrong way, can be used to your advantage if you have control over it and don't drink it a lot. Who would have thought that alcohol can be more than just a binge drink or an excuse to party...

[ShySoul]

And any of those benefits can be gotten from other sources that don't have any of the negative consequences that alcohol may bring. Health benefits of alcohol? Can get it from other sources. Milk and juice have plenty of health benefits... with no drawbacks that I know of (lactose intolerance not withstanding). Social benefits? Can have just as much fun without it. Dealing with fears or loosening up? Doesn't address whats holding you back or get to what is really the issue. Dealing with sorrow? Never helps the problem, only adds another one. Other benefits.... um, what are they again?

 

Driving, parking, eating... necessities. Consuming alcohol... not a necessity. If we want to get places to do things, we need to drive or take a means of transportation that goes onto the road. So we have to do it, not much of a choice involved. If we are driving, we have to park. No choice. Hamburgers or pizza.... have you ever heard a story of someone eating too many of them at once (outside of Jughead from the Archie comics)? On the other hand, people make the choice to drink alcohol when there are plenty of other drinks to chose from. There are always stories about someone getting drunk, getting in an accident and hurting themselves and others. There are always stories of relationships being broken up cause of alcohol abuse, never hear about relationship issues from someone eating pizza.

 

I'm not saying anything about the people who do drink, and I know people can do so responsible. But a great number of people can't. A great number of people think that they will never have a problem and then end up with the problem. So why put yourself in that position when there is no reason to?

[pelican_babe2005]

Never drunk alcohol so far and Im 21, never will though.

[annie24]

How old were you when you were first drunk? i'm jsut curious as to what the norm is for most people.

 

Me it was 14.

 

Just a reminder to everyone - stay on topic please! The original poster asked about the age of first being drunk - not for a debate on drinking or alcoholism.

[Santa]

Im not sure, but probably 14.

 

Everyone's entitled to their own beliefs and opinions. I personally believe that these people that bash drinking/getting drunk are just scared.

In my culture drinking is more or less celebrated, and everyone I know drinks. I have yet to find anyone who didn't like it after giving it a chance.

When you drink it enables your mind to stop being so uptight and to loosen up. truly, I feel more alive with drink inside me, as I don't have embaressment etc holding me back, and I can be me.

And as for the health issues, well we all die sometime, so why not live a little first?