Middle Aged Alcohol Drinkers

[Phoebe]

Apologies for linking only to this cursory overview and not to the underlying research, but you get the gist and can look into it further from there:


I found this pretty interesting because I fall into the category mentioned in the article, and comments about health risks are pretty meaningless to me if somebody wanted to persuade me to drink less. I'm choosing my vice, kind of like I sometimes choose to eat a potato.

But if eating a potato shamed me among the populations of people I need to respect me, as a professional (or the spouse of one) I'd probably be more cautious about getting deep into my potatoes in public, and that would represent a significant number of occasions when I dip into them freely, just as many of my drunk posting injuries (was supposed to say entries but that is hilarious so it definitely stays) have come after obligatory attendance at a professional event with an open bar where nearly everybody is drinking, at least at the level of negotiating who's giving rides to whom.

It also strikes me that these kinds of campaigns are what changes youth behavior, much more than any of the anti-drug or other anti campaigns we experienced as kids. Of course, you don't have to take my word for that because there's a lot of research. The fact that cigarette smoking has now become a social stigma as much as a cool thing is kind of amazing and will have a tremendous public health impact.

Anyway just thought it was interesting.

[mimekiller]

I've never really been a sloppy drunk so the public thing has never been a huge deal, I mean at some point I won't shut the fuck up but I do so in a way that's not embarrassing.

[Phoebe]

[Phoebe]

I'm too depressed to drink, because I know myself and I only drink when happy and cheerful, lest greater unhappiness should follow, or greater temptation to drink. I feel like alcohol is one of those things you should choose deliberately with no self-deception, and keep it healthy. Exceptions to this rule have proven the rule! So it's depressing to have a work culture where you cannot really confide in anyone about being depressed (I should say, me personally - others could do this, so that's good, but my situation is different), yet are easily encouraged to drink or don't feel like you could participate in the social life without drinking because you'd have to explain it somehow, and you also don't want to give anyone the idea that you're pregnant.

I am so depressed - always comes as a bit of a surprise, like oh, darn it, wtf - that I actually agreed for the first time in life to have someone pick out a special brain pill, which they kindly did for me, but I have to make two phone calls and one car drive to get it in hand or mouth, and by that time I've talked myself out of it. So no drinking and no brain pills; I basically drink three cups of coffee a day and work out like a monster and hope more serotonin or whatever bubbles forth.

[Phoebe]

Progress: I was mad at myself after having written that, so I made one of the two phone calls and we shall see what happens. I mean, why struggle to function if there's something that could help you be better without the struggle?

[Mike]

I'm proud of you. That's hard to do. I hope it produces positive results for you. All my friends should be net positive on the happiness scale.

[akiva]

[Phoebe]

Ok here's what happens: nobody will prescribe it to me until I go see an entirely different doctor which I have to wait a month to do. My counselor, though fully licensed as a counselor (and informally as a genius I might add), does not have the ability to actually prescribe medicine and none of my other doctors will prescribe because they're not a primary care doctor, specifically. Where is the Eyeroll guy, nope, he's too small for my Eyeroll. Is lucky that I'm not actually in an urgent state of needing it and can afford to pay for a brand new appointment out of pocket; yay for the healthcare system.

[Phoebe]