Psyco/Social Alcoholism Study part 1

[Devercia]

IF YOU ARE AN EXTRAVERT PLEASE DO NOT VOTE!

POLL EDIT: The numbers are numbers of drinks.

I know there is both an alcahol thread and a substance abuse thread, but this one has an aimed purpose. I am doing a project for my sociology class and this is part of my research. The question is, does introversion or extraversion effect alcohol consumption and the purpose for consumption (or lack of.)

Please vote on your average weekly consumption.

Please identify your outlook (intro/extra)

Please identify your reason for drinking or abstaining. Identify the environment that you choose to drink in. Identify your state of personality when drinking (but not necessarily drunk.) Essentially, what tell me your purpose for being drunk, engageing in social alcoholism and why you abstain when you do.

 

[Anling]

Well, I don't drink. For religious reasons as well as that it just never apealed to me. My father's family are all alcoholics, so it seems like a bad idea for me to pick it up. And then there was this car that parked outside our house for a couple days once when I was little. There were beer bottles all over the inside and it stank to high heaven. After smelling that I couldn't conceive of voluntarily drinking it. Besides I get enough of a high off of orange juice.

Oh, and I'm an introvert.

 

[Ogion]

Introvert, no alcohol (as good as none).

Well, reasons? I just don't see no point in it. As well i don't smoke or do any other drugs (apart from books of course, of yes, and 'teh interwebz'). for me there is nothing appealing in drinking (alcohol). Firstly, i don't want to get drunk. I does seem as a state absolutely undesirable. Secondly, i really didn't found any good tasting beverage for me. Thirdly, when i am with people at aplace where they drink, i might as well just drink something non-alcoholic.
Though it may sound different, this is no hardcore-abstinency or somethng. Like when eating at a chinese restaurant, in the end you get some alcoholic drink as 'farewell gift' or something (you know what i mean, right?) that i drink. I don't really mind drinking some alcohol, i just wouldn't drink myself to drunkenness.

Ogion

 

[Raku]

Introvert , and I have several reasons for abstaining:

I don't see the point in drinking. It causes a lot of bad things with little or no positive things. Surely people can't think the headache it causes for a lot of people the next day can be a positive sign? Also I don't like to be out of control. I did get drunk in the past but it wasn't a pleasant experience. I felt like I was out of control, decisions seemed like they were made by instinct instead of by my thinking process.

Also, we have a lot of alcoholics in my family, with my dad being the worst. Seeing what it can do to people from up close made me decide to never make a habit out of drinking. I drink like 2 times a year now, so its not like I'm entirely abstaining. This might seem hypocritical, but at the times I do take a beer it's mostly after a long day of hard work when I can really enjoy it.

 

[eudemonia]

Well, I drink a lot by the standards of this forum. But I don't consider this a lot by British standards - it's about medium. Seriously, everyone drinks in the UK and you are considered a bit different if you do not. I try and restrict my drinking to the weekends and to socialising. But I really can't understand people who do not drink anything ever.

I drink for a number of reasons:

I love champagne and this is what I drink most of the time. I used to adore a French Bordeaux - my God the flavours of those wines are heavenly. However, I have noticed that when women get older certain hormonal changes take place which affect their tolerance of alcohol. Sadly, I can no longer drink red wine

It relaxes me in social environments. When I am not drinking, I am even more introverted than I am normally - and I am really introverted. I can never think of anything to say in social gatherings and I consider myself very boring. Champagne helps me lighten up and have fun.

I have had some fun times in the past when drinking rather too much alcohol - which I will not go into here . But alcohol reduces inhibitions and so therefore brings the extrovert out of me and the madness out of everyone. I love being mad!!

Why can't I be mad and extrovert without alcohol If someone finds the answer to this question I'm first up for therapy.

I think you have to understand the social context of alcohol in the UK - that is that it is very widely used and abused. The powers that be are getting very vexed and uppity at the moment at the phenomenon of middle class drinking - ie. people coming home from stressful jobs and drinking a bottle of wine a night. I have seen this and this is why I try to restrict my drinking to weekends!

 

[nihilen.]

I drink everyday, practically. I wouldn't call it alcoholism cause I have stopped a couple of times when i didn't feel like it.

I'm not a stressed or unhappy person at all, I am usually pretty happy but alcohol just makes me even happier xD

And I would get even more intuitive a/o extroverted, which is always more socially entertaining.

 

[Gorgrim]

mostly never. A couple times only, when i've wanted to learn my class mates, i'd drink with them. Or when im celebrating things.... I don't feel the urge otherwise, i do find it rather funny though, but I really don't feel the need to party and drink, or to party... much.

I'm introverted and yeah i voted 0-3 ( since i rarely drink i problbly dont even drink averagedly more than 1 or 2 a week

 

[Ogion]

@nia:
If i had a drink which i 'loved', i would probably drink that (not till drunkenness, for sure). It's not that i evade alcohol like as if i were allergic to it or something. I just see no reason to drink it, and there is very much reason against being drunken. So, in my opinion it makes, for me, no sense to drink it.
I am not very often in these 'social situations' or when i am it's not all that bad. I can just pretned 'normal' extrovercy and get through it.

Ogion

 

[fullerene]

0-3 here, introverted.

reason traces back to porn, believe it or not, because I didn't even like my first orgasm all that much and it made me feel kind of sick... then shortly after I found myself thinking "well... maybe it wasn't all that bad... actually, it felt pretty good, in a way"... then proceeded to get addicted to them, and my mind has felt like its been breaking into pieces ever since.

When I went out drinking for the first (and only) time, it was almost the exact same pattern. I drank a little too much (I weigh 140, and drank like 6 or 7 with no food or water in between... and obviously had no tolerance because it was my first night). I got kind of sick, and my vision sloshed around when I turned my head, and I decided I didn't like the feeling very much, and thought I'd better limit myself to 2 or 3 from now on just so that I don't get sick. The next night, though, I found myself thinking "it was actually kind of cool feeling, in a way," and wondering when the next party my friends decided to throw would be.

I realized the association almost immediately, backed off, and haven't drunk anything since. I don't think I ever will, either. Alcohol is expensive, considerably more intrusive into the rest of your life if addicted, and I don't trust myself with it.


When I was drunk, I'm pretty sure I wasn't any different than I was now. The only people I could ask who saw me were also drunk, so their opinions don't count for much more than mine. I had a lot worse balance (almost fell down the stairs...... when I was just standing next to them), and one of my fast-talking sober friends from college called me, and I had a lot of trouble understanding what he was saying. My mind still worked in basically the same (inquisitive) way, though, because I was doing things like turning my head quickly just to see what happened to my vision (which is how I remember it sloshing around, dragging behind my head almost). I also found out that I can still play the piano pretty well, cause I was specifically listening for wrong notes and I didn't hit very many . My singing voice, though...

 

[Decaf]

I drink 2 or 3 a week and I'm an introvert. I like the sensation that comes from drinking small amounts when I'm relaxing, and sometimes the buzz from several, but definitely not often.

Unlike many others I have no horror stories of drinking (even the one night I drank way too much and vomited turned into a great story, even though I plan to never repeat the incident). My family was supportive and I eased my way in with maybe 1 or 2 drinks on any particular night with my 180lbs frame. It was years before I actually tried getting drunk and did that in the company of all my friends, with my transportation figured out ahead of time. It was an uncomfortable, but fascinating feeling.

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

I clicked 0-3 (introvert) because that is where I am at now. Also because that figures as an average. I'll go weeks without a single drink and then have 6 or 7 in one night. I don't have any aversion to alchohol (moral or physical) but my body doesn't tolerate it like it used to. That 6 or 7 is my limit and it used to be a lot more. Also I just got bored with drinking all the time like I used to. The effects of aging I guess.

 

[Waterstiller]

Introvert. I might drink at family functions or parties. I've been sober at most of them lately though.

0-3... a month.

 

[Jennywocky]

Please identify your outlook (intro/extra)
Introvert (although I can be very sociable for a few hours in the right context).

Please identify your reason for drinking or abstaining.
- Cost (booze not worth the money)
- Get sick if I drink too much
- Other things to do in my life that I enjoy or take up my time

Identify the environment that you choose to drink in.
Sometimes will drink alone, but usually like to drink around others more often.
- The former is more of a "get a buzz / forget my problems" if I do it.
- The latter is more of a "I like being tipsy when socializing" situation.

Identify your state of personality when drinking (but not necessarily drunk.)
I am a silly, goofy, fun drunk. I never have gotten mean, I just get REALLY goofy and have fun. Also, since I've had severe social anxiety at some points in my life, basically the booze would lessen some of the anxiety and inhibitions and I felt much freer to engage.

Essentially, what tell me your purpose for being drunk, engageing in social alcoholism and why you abstain when you do.

See above.
Sometimes I do it because I like how it feels when around others.
On occasion, I'm just really hurting and want to medicate.
However, I have other coping mechanisms as well and also get ill now when I drink too much (where I just can't smell alcohol without getting sick for a period of time after drinking heavily).

At college, I went through 1-2 years of drinking heavily every weekend after a lifetime of not drinking at all. I eventually decided it was a bad habit and grew out of it, and never was tempted to fall back into it.

My father is a chronic alcoholic ever since I have known him, to the point of almost dying a few years ago from long-term alcohol poisoning. He's still alive but drinking heavily again; I expect him to die at some point of it. Despite his issues, I've usually just been able to view my drinking in terms of my own problems and situations and made decisions for myself sensibly.

 

[NoID10ts]

I'm an introvert and I almost never drink. It's not that I don't like it, but it's frowned upon in my ultra conservative little twilight zone of a universe.

 

[Agent Intellect]

i'm not too clear on the intergers used. what units of measure is it? do i drink 10 beers in a week? 10 shots of liquor? 10 mixed drinks? 10 half pints? 10 gallons?

When I was drunk, I'm pretty sure I wasn't any different than I was now. The only people I could ask who saw me were also drunk, so their opinions don't count for much more than mine. I had a lot worse balance (almost fell down the stairs...... when I was just standing next to them), and one of my fast-talking sober friends from college called me, and I had a lot of trouble understanding what he was saying. My mind still worked in basically the same (inquisitive) way, though, because I was doing things like turning my head quickly just to see what happened to my vision (which is how I remember it sloshing around, dragging behind my head almost). I also found out that I can still play the piano pretty well, cause I was specifically listening for wrong notes and I didn't hit very many . My singing voice, though...

everybody thinks they're maintaining well while drunk.

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

I'm really surprised at how many people don't drink here. I think that being drunk or buzzed is good, but I agree with you guys that it isn't great. Just good/okay.

I have a very strong understanding of what responsible drinking is. Sometimes I cross it, but I recognize that I am crossing it and I take more precautions... Like I don't plan on going anywhere, and I make sure to drink water afterwards. I will drink to help myself get sleepy or relax in the evenings, or I'll drink 2-6 drinks if I'm drinking with others. I don't see drinking as an activity to do by itself... it's a modifier. The main point of "getting together to drink" is for the getting together, and being with my friends. Drinking makes it a little more fun, and it acts as a social lubricant. I probably average 10 drinks a week. (3-4 from single beers on weekdays, the rest from partying.)

I am more talkative when drunk. I am in introvert.

The way you use "Social alcoholism" is a misnomer, because you're assuming that any social situation with alcohol is with people who have alcoholism.

 

[Devercia]

"The way you use "Social alcoholism" is a misnomer, because you're assuming that any social situation with alcohol is with people who have alcoholism."

I'm not assuming much of anything. I am interested if I/E effects alcoholism and how within a social context. Essentially, an introvert may drink to extravert, or be even more introverted (drinking alone) any number of combinations. I want to know if there are any connections, not to verify preconceptions.

@Cryptonia, Eudimonia, Jenny, Decaf, good answers, gives me a lot of what I'm looking for.

"i'm not too clear on the intergers used. what units of measure is it? do i drink 10 beers in a week? 10 shots of liquor? 10 mixed drinks? 10 half pints? 10 gallons?"

About a shots worth, so a robust beer or glass of wine or whatnot, nothing terribly exact.

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

"The way you use "Social alcoholism" is a misnomer, because you're assuming that any social situation with alcohol is with people who have alcoholism."

I'm not assuming much of anything. I am interested if I/E effects alcoholism and how within a social context. Essentially, an introvert may drink to extravert, or be even more introverted (drinking alone) any number of combinations. I want to know if there are any connections, not to verify preconceptions.

I know what your goal is. I'm arguing about a detail.

I still think you should have used "social drinking" instead of "social alcoholism". Alcoholism is when someone is drinking despite negative consequences. You're pushing that assumption that there are negative consequences.

I just finished a marketing class, and we worked on proper ways to write surveys. You're making one of the mistakes of adding bias. I think that most of the people at INTPforum are smart enough people to overlook it, but that doesn't excuse you.

No personal offense meant, I'm just trying to catalyze understanding. BTW, what is your MBTI type? Your profile doesn't have it listed.

 

[Agent Intellect]

how many shots are in a fifth? i can put away 4 to 5 fifths in a week sometimes (on top of beer chasers). i guess i'll go with 25+

edit- i'm an introvert

 

[Kidege]

0-3 a year

Please identify your outlook (intro/extra)
Introverted

Please identify your reason for drinking or abstaining.
I never found drinking particularly pleasant.

Identify the environment that you choose to drink in.
Sometimes I have a drink at New Year. Other times I had a glass of wine when eating crackers and cheese and reciting poetry with my mother, who did it as an homage of sorts to her (winemaker) grandfather.

Identify your state of personality when drinking (but not necessarily drunk.)
I get sleepy, which sucks when you're trying to enjoy poetry. I also tend to get a sore throat (as if the alcohol lowered my defenses or something).

Essentially, what tell me your purpose for being drunk, engageing in social alcoholism and why you abstain when you do.
I just don't like the effects.

 

[Devercia]

<---INTP

I know what your goal is. I'm arguing about a detail.

I still think you should have used "social drinking" instead of "social alcoholism". Alcoholism is when someone is drinking despite negative consequences. You're pushing that assumption that there are negative consequences.

I just finished a marketing class, and we worked on proper ways to write surveys. You're making one of the mistakes of adding bias. I think that most of the people at INTPforum are smart enough people to overlook it, but that doesn't excuse you.

No personal offense meant, I'm just trying to catalyze understanding. BTW, what is your MBTI type? Your profile doesn't have it listed.

Ah, so its nomenclature. I'm not biased to that, at least in the manner you describe, mostly because I don't believe it, but it is a poor choice of words. My research proposal had a specific definition of alcoholism in a footnote, so I just carried it over without noticing.