I’ll start. I have to be careful drinking around other people, because I can get intensely motivational.
My neighbour used to be depressed and stayed at a cruddy job, despite poor pay. I was 17, and he was in his 40s. Well, one night we happened to drink together. It turned out he only stayed at that job in hopes that he would eventually get his parents approval, and that they would finally be proud of him. The job made him miserable.
I spent hours convincing him that he was worth more than his parent’s approval, and that he deserved to be happy. That he was the one living his day-to-day life, and that he should live it how he wants to. Many tears were shed that night. Dude quit before getting any new job prospects, and ended up working in a completely different field. He said thank you more than a few times, after everything was said and done.
That might not sound bad, but it was far from a one-off scenario. I eventually started to wonder what would happen if I accidentally helped lead someone to make a bad decision. It’s not like drunk people are known for making good decisions. So, I only drink around certain people now haha.
On a side note, a crazy number of people have problems with/from their parents.
When I used to drink I would gravitate towards the nearest pet and shower them with love
I’ve known two people who are extremely quiet and shy sober but become loud, social, and “larger than life” when they drink. Like a massive personality change.
Always wondered whether their drunk selves were closer to their “true” selves, but they suppress it in daily life?
Social anxiety is a bitch but a little bit of booze washes that little crippling demon away.
I’m a bit like this, like less extreme at either end but I’m much more confident when drunk, I feel good about myself, I take pictures, I laugh loudly at jokes, I tell my own jokes. I think it’s closer to my true self. As a kid I was very outgoing, I’d talk to anyone, I was a theatre kid and did solos in the choir. Life has made me a much more reserved person, slow to speak and more happy to listen. Not a bad thing really but probably not my natural personality.
Yeah it’s probably the case. The alcohol sheds their filters and social reservations that other people don’t have at all in the first place. At least I feel like that when I drink. I don’t do parties without a few drinks for that reason.
When I still drank I was very much like this! It’s not that I actively make a point to “suppress” my personality when I’m sober, it’s more like when I would drink every thought that popped into my head suddenly seemed like a great idea lol
If I had to put a name to this phenomenon, I’d say drinking just turns off the common sense filter in my brain
I somewhat feel like I’m being addressed here. I can only speak for myself but I’d agree, that this is more like being myself. Yet things/reactions that happened in my childhood/youth are ingrained so deep in my brain, that barriers where formed and the true self is somewhere in there.
Drinking partly breaks down those barriers. Good friends I had for a few years now also helped with this, so around them it became easier being “myself”.
As a shy person, I hope that drunk me isn’t the true me. That guy was an asshole
I knew a guy who was a very outspoken but peaceful vegan, didn’t want to harm anything. Animal rights activist. Super nice guy, when sober.
But he also had a drinking problem, and totally flipped when he drank, you could almost see the switch happen in a few seconds when he was at 4-5 beers. His drunk personality was angry, paranoid, quarreling and violent, and he would often get blackout drunk and get into fights and whatnot. Got himself banned from several bars.
I didn’t know him well, but he probably had some trauma/bad shit in his life. He never talked about his family, except his grandmother who apparently had raised him, more or less.
I’m flirty, thankful and sometimes say stuff I regret the next day (usually dumb jokes). Pretty good overall.
You did a good thing! alcohol can lower the shields for good or ill. Sometimes it can allow the facade we all carry about different aspects of our perceived selves to fall away and we can truly see what we need to do.
My poor wife if she gets too drunk just cries and cries. She has had such terrible loss in her family her entire life and when she drinks way too much she just sobs almost uncontrollably. It’s terrible. Because she remembers her brother, her dad, her grandpa, all gone tragically. She hasnt done that in a few years because we are getting older and drunk stupidly less but it was a thing for awhile.
Alcohol is weird man.
When I get drunk, I constantly evaluate how drunk I am and accounce it to everyone around me. You’ll see me stand up to do something, sway a little too much and then declare “okay, I’m at, like, a four.” If I notice I’m getting a little too smashed, I’ll try and slow down or eat some bread or just generally try to take care of myself. Still having fun, though.
I lose all filters and chaos mode engages. If I see a button I push it, if something takes one little nudge for it to fall over I nudge it, pranks, fire, just any kind of chaos you can think of. It’s especially prevalent if I’m drinking Jager.
Oh man. I love to be tinkering in my workshop on whatever project I got going, listening to music, singing to myself and hitting some fresh ganja. THEN, and the wife’s favorite part… I get to cooking a kickass dinner. I only like to drink a light beer and starting in the afternoon. By 5pm, I’m 4-6 deep, big time stoned and chef Emerald is in the house baby! I stick to water after that because if I go to bed all drinky, I’ll feel like shit the following day. I dont like listening to other drunks or their shitty ass music when I’m feeling the vibe so i almost exclusively drink when I’m having me time/alone, able to tune my system up/wife not home yet and its sunny outside. That is a perfect day for me. It doesn’t happen often but when it does… man I really enjoy it.
I used to have a major problem with alcohol in my 20’s and it caused me untold damage. I quit partying for a good number of years to get my shit together and regroup. Now, I can actually enjoy it without going way overboard and making choices and actions that severely negatively impact my existance, it’s an entirely different thing for me now. Moderation and a little bit of discipline did me a world of good.
I’m the apologetic drunk. I am SO sorry to everyone. Usually apologizing for being drunk or just my existence in general. Also, before I get to that point, I usually test to see if I feel (or don’t feel?) my teeth.
I have the most embarrassing quirk when I drink. I get super emotional and start giving out hugs to people I would never hug sober.
I used to do the same thing when I first started drinking. Now drinking just makes me slightly more open but also gives me a headache (even after 1 beer)
Drinking 1 or 2 actually takes my (sober) headaches away. Maybe this is not good lol
Have you tried alternating 1 drink and 1 water?
As long as you’re not forceful about it and can take a hint, everyone could use a couple extra hugs in life in my experience.
I guess I should clarify I start offering hugs to people. I would never just wrap my arms around someone unless I knew it was ok.
I liked to text my coworkers pictures of my cats.
It got to be a bit much, and started to be referred to as me getting drunk and sending pussy pics.
I haven’t sent one in months :( kind of miss it lol
I am like a homing pigeon. I might not know where I am or how I got there but I can sure as hell navigate a city well enough to get home safely.
I have a similar quirk to you, though it’s usually more being a therapist aligned.
Oh, and many accents creep into my voice from the great many I can do
Mine was that I don’t get hangovers pretty much at all so I never had an internal sense of “I’m going to feel like shit tomorrow if I keep going”. Anyway I don’t drink anymore and my body and relationships thank me.
My eyes blink at different intervals like some Thom Yorke motherfucker.
I will also say more stupid shit.
Edit - added more. I already say stupid shit.
- My accent changes to mixed Manc-Derbyshire.
- I become camp.
Glad it’s not just me that becomes mega camp. For some reason I go full Joe Lycett in voice and mannerisms.
Me too brother. I don’t realize I’m doing it until she pauses whatever we are watching and say, “look, I can listen to you or I can listen to the TV. I cant do both.” The guilt sets in and I, for the 6th time in the last hour, apologize for being a little chatter box… until something happens that I once again i must proclaim aloud to my wife who knew full well my apologies and self awareness dont mean shit in times like.
