• krashmo@lemmy.world
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    6 hours ago

    I also am extremely socially awkward

    That’s what the booze is supposed to help with. Whether or not it does is up for debate but it certainly makes you worry less and that’s a huge part of awkwardness.

      • some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world
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        5 hours ago

        Anyone who thinks alcohol “fixes problems” is probably not a serious person. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of someone who truly believes that. It’s kind of an absurd notion. Unless you’re being extremely pedantic, the problem is “getting money”, and you’re working at a brewery or tending bar, etc.

        Alcohol is, however, an inextricable part of the human experience throughout the world. I literally can’t think of a culture for whom some form of fermented grain/fruit/sugar wasn’t a significant element in their cultural development at some point in history.

        • Soggy@lemmy.world
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          4 hours ago

          Many Native American cultures did not know about alcohol before it was introduced by Europeans, same in Australia and New Zealand. The many deleterious effects of colonization are certainly “a significant element in their cultural development” but maybe not in the way you intended.

          • Darkenfolk@sh.itjust.works
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            2 hours ago

            Sources on that? I’m quite sure they had at least corn beers and other fermented drinks.

            They maybe didn’t use them for everyday consumption in the beginning, but they definitively had them.

      • krashmo@lemmy.world
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        4 hours ago

        I wouldn’t necessarily say it fixes problems and if it does it certainly isn’t free of cost in more than one way. I do think it can temporarily lessen some anxieties that one might view as obstacles to happiness because they impede one’s ability to engage in meaningful social interaction. I also think that making friends and finding romantic partners are learned behaviors that you need practice to get good at. If alcohol can help you be social enough to make friends in a new place or find a partner then I can see why someone would say it fixed a problem for them. It’s certainly more expedient and cost effective than therapy to get past your hangups would be.

        That said, that sort of “responsible” use of alcohol isn’t without its drawbacks and risks. I don’t know how common it is either. Perhaps that’s just what people who like to drink tell themselves to avoid feeling shame about their behavior.