Featured Alcohol and it's role in our culture

[chaosfactorxx]

For me, drinking is a good and bad thing. I've gotten stuck in shitty towns for weeks because me or someone I was kicking it with just wanted to get drunk instead of trying to hitch or hop. I know for sure that every time I've been arrested it was because I was drunk and someone started acting like a douche. I'm a procrastinator by nature and it's easier for me to say "well, it's like 100 degrees out, we could start hitching right now...or we could get a slam/bottle/whatever and just chill in the shade all day." Though I will say it makes long ass walks a whole lot better. I'll never get drunk if I'm getting on a train though. It's just my personal rule, I know too many kids who died or fucked themselves up too bad because they were too drunk to realize what they were doing. I've passed up a good number of trains because I knew I was getting too drunk. I'm also socially akward and I always feel weird when I meet new kids, so it's almost like an ice breaker to be able to walk up and be like "Hey, you guys got pitch?", instead of just trying to awkwardly make small talk. It's fucked up my life a good amount of times though, my ex was a raging drunk who got pretty abusive when he got drunk, so it led to fistfights/jail time/and a bunch of other shit I could have easily avoided. But damn, if that shit doesn't make for some good stories....

 

[Puckett]

rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey, whiskey makes my baby feel a lil frisky. circle of life, nuff said

 

[bryanpaul]

rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey, whiskey makes my baby feel a lil frisky. circle of life, nuff said

this was one of the only serious discussions on stp at the moment puckett............sheesh
(sidenote... my 3 year old nephew sings that sometimes...esta muy cute)

 

[Yani]

Earth: Your post made my day!

 

[Puckett]

this was one of the only serious discussions on stp at the moment puckett............sheesh
(sidenote... my 3 year old nephew sings that sometimes...esta muy cute)

i so was being serious, it a kinda funny way. i think that most people use drinking in a social manner to do things they wouldnt normaly do (sex or whatever) and then it goes beond that to they fell they need to drink.

(sidenote...thats fucking cute)

 

[Binaryzero]

I can see what you mean, Alcohol is great especially when I was doing the Appalachian trail. I'd stay sober in the days and towards camp set-up time I'd down some alcohol and gather kindling. It almost feels like it made my "stop" official for the night and relaxed the fuck out of me. I can't wait to have a few warm ones on a train heading southbound.

 

[Ristoncor]

[

I know a lot of us are from shitty situations where drinking at a young age is seen as necessary to escape. Also some of us were just born predisposed to addiction . . . Then I guess there are times where you are bored and alcohol seems like a good idea to pass the time.

I used to drink just because I liked the buzz. I guess if I wanted to be all poetic, I'd say it was because I was in pain and blah, blah, blah, and guess at the time I was sad or something. But honestly, it was probably just because I wanted to be different or something stupid like that. I wasn't addicted or anything, but when it came to the point of taking a shot in the morning, I was like, "I probably shouldn't be doing this," and I came back to it for a month or so, and then I kind of just laid off it.

I don't really care if other people are drunk or whatever, I'm not going to stop them doing something, fine by me. I don't look down on people who drink either, I just think I'm going to lay off it while. I guess I don't have any reason other than the obvious health reasons, and yeah . . .

Dunno. That's definitely not really an answer, but probably because it's an escape or whatever, and it makes you loosen up and pretty much the above posts.

 

[Nikki]

This thread makes me want a drink ::drinkingbuddy::

 

[Odin]

Nikki no joke.

 

[sketchytravis]

I love liquor. shits always been there for me. for everything. ever.
led to a lot of bad things in my life. lost friends, bad decisions, really bad violence. but its whatever, all it is is more experiences, no sense in regretting any of it since you cant change it.

also, its led to loads of good things in my life.

its whatever, its always been in my blood to be a drinker. shit happens. im not an alkie, I just like my drink.

 

[Deleted member 2626]

I like to drink too liquor and I can drink it hard and for a few heavy nights in a row and then not drink for days and not care and I haven't lost anyone or anything to it. Your post above sir sounds scripted punk points!

 

[sketchytravis]

I like to drink too liquor and I can drink it hard and for a few heavy nights in a row and then not drink for days and not care and I haven't lost anyone or anything to it. Your post above sir sounds scripted punk points!

Nah, a couple of my friends (that knew me before i ever even drank) felt that it was becoming an issue... So they kinda voiced that and bouced back a bit. Were cool again. It's just not the same. I even had a couple of my friends that were at one point or another full on dope addicts say I was a mess.

Now, i didnt think it was an issue, I still dont. They even bet me I couldn't stop drinking for a month. I did no problems. Lol won the bet, but i couldnt remember what I won. And they hopped out anyway so it didn't matter haaha

Also, i occasionally got really mean when I was drunk. Like I stopped fighting because I went at a bunch of people and got a lil police escort out of the building. Other stupid shit. But as I said, whats done is done, you can't change it so no sense in regretting it.

And a few days. That's not much man. That's not much at all.

Also for the it being in my blood thing. it is. My dads whole family going back is all drinkers. And on my moms her parents were drinkers and so on so forth. My mom don't realy though

Edit: also. Im not a punk kid, so the punk points are unneeded.

 

[Deleted member 20]

Im an older punk kid. Yes i turned 37. Im recently sober. I have been a lifelong binge drinker for 23 years. I started drinking in bars at 14 & never stopped drinking everywhere. Binge drinking started in school followed me into the military, while working etc. Sometimes this was daily drinking but mostly always playing catchup.
I had been reluctant of Alcoholics Anonymous for ever after forced exposure as a teen because my mom was in the program & with my own court obligations. I have a handfull of alcohol related felonies, misdemeanors, failed relationships, lost children, friends , jobs etc. I had never been a follower, & actually slowed down my drinking after vomiting blood & getting organ pain. This attempt had relapses monthly but i was physically feeling better.

The truth is, its a mental disease that requires spiritual healing. I dont want to argue religion or God so please dont confuse that stuff with spirituality. Once I accepted that I was powerless over Alcohol & that there is a power in the universe greater then me; did i truelly get sober.

Now with a clear head I feel good. Its nice to see some of my sucessfull/famous musical influences sober & in AA. It may sound lame to many as it did to me but it works for 23 million people +/-.
These #s surely have some of us incuded. Im sure that plenty of us on stp in the travelin community have grabbed some free coffee/cookies & got warm in some church basement before. I still travel part time hitching, riding trains etc. Im just not drinkin anymore. Since most of my social life was orbiting around booze, i thought it was gonna be harder. As of yet I still go to shows & do some stuff. I dont miss my fake ass drunk friends doing the same selfish & miserable shit over & over. I have been a loner mostly that would often find company.

I wish i could have admited that i hit rock bottom sooner! Hell i lived at rock bottom for 20 years.

 

[rusty]

A really good friend of mine traveled for a long time drunk,

it´s kinda odd traveling when every place looks like the inside of a bottle. drinkin an travelin always went hand in hand for me. many reasons, travelin alone it becomes not so lonely and sleepin in awkward places feels just fine if´n you drank yourself to sleep. feels pretty lame though, if its an every day thing

Punks, travelers, anarchists and leftists being constantly drunk not only make their ideas and theories easier to dismiss, but keeps them in more in control as well.

Interesting thread!

i think about this everytime i hear the song, i wanna be sedated...

 

[shabti]

I can't justify it anymore. I can drink, but I can't stop. I can smoke, but then I can't stop. As I write this sentence, it's been 91 days, 6 hours, and 35 and a half minutes since I've had a cigarette. A few days longer since I've had a drink, and about...92 or 93 days since I've had any cannibinoids. I'm done. I'm done waking up in jail, I'm done smelling like urine, I'm done poisoning myself. For me it's poison, because if I pick that shit up again, I'll keep going till I die.

Plus, instead of drinking I'm learning and planting gardens now. I'm ten thousand times more useful than I was high.

In order to do that, I had to change the culture I was around, and I quickly found that the people I used to drink with....that's nearly all we had in common. :/ definitely progress for me.

And the most perfect meme ever to describe it...

because Jager Bombs weere my shit. Never mind that they act like a watered down and legal speed-ball....

 

[shabti]

Wasted Indeed | zinelibrary.info is a fuckin great zine that helped me kick booze.

another great one from crimethinc is anarchy and alcohol
http://crimethinc.com/tools/downloads/pdfs/anarchy_and_alcohol_reading.pdf

 

[rusty]

I can't justify it anymore. I can drink, but I can't stop. I can smoke, but then I can't stop. As I write this sentence, it's been 91 days, 6 hours, and 35 and a half minutes since I've had a cigarette. A few days longer since I've had a drink, and about...92 or 93 days since I've had any cannibinoids. I'm done. I'm done waking up in jail, I'm done smelling like urine, I'm done poisoning myself. For me it's poison, because if I pick that shit up again, I'll keep going till I die.

props! i´m on day 4 wonderin if ill ever stop counting the days i havent drank... youve got it down to the second! is it still an everyday struggle or are you far enough removed from temptations?

 

[shabti]

props! i´m on day 4 wonderin if ill ever stop counting the days i havent drank... youve got it down to the second! is it still an everyday struggle or are you far enough removed from temptations?

Yeah, so I woke up from my squat and looked at the time, it was 11:24 on a saturday. "oh shit, I'm gonna be late"
I thought. I got dressed, left most of my gear, and walked a few blocks away to where the meeting was.
Brushed my teeth and used a piece of plastic to scrape the crap off my tounge, then went in and got some coffee.

If I can't make it to a meeing, I sit and fucking focus on the literature for an hour every morning.

That's the context. Yeah, everyday, I myself make the decision not to use, BUT, I would have absolutely no incentive to make that decision if I didn't have a tribe of people making that same decision.

That was my first disclaimer. I had a friend who was all disbelieving like "You *really* couldn't stop on your own? You needed one of those 12 step programs?"
I didn't even think about it. I was like "fuckin' a-right I do."

And no, it's not as much of a struggle, but yeah I DO still struggle. TOday, as I was walking out of that same meeting, I found a nice wooden pipe on the ground, not even used once and I was like....dude. I picked it up, thinking like "maybe I can smoke tea or something out of it" and then I disregarded that idea and thought "well, I know some people who still use, maybe they can use it." and eventually I just left it on the sidewalk in front of the high school nearby. Like, three months ago that pipe would have been MINE.

It's awesome. I frame my day in that context, and the whole day is better than if I had framed it with a bottle. those 12 steps may not be for everyone, but I can't get high anymore. I can't, or I'll die, and the 12 steps are the easiest, free way for me to stay clean, so that's what I use.

 

[Deleted member 20]

I see many people who have stopped drinking with just attending meetings, but miserable as all fuck. 12 step programs allow us to repair ourselves enough to be happy. I aint preaching & havent started step work yet but can still implement the easyones for me into my life.

 

[shabti]

Our common welfare should come first....unity.
Our leaders...do not govern.
The only requirement for membership is...desire.
Each group should be autonomous.
Don't get co-opted.
Every group ought to be fully self-supporting.
We shall remain forever nonprofessional.
No hierarchy. Service boards and issue committees are allowed, but not hierarchy.
Self-responsibility, self-awareness.
------------->
that moment when you realize the anonymous groups have a radical decentralized element.