Thank y'all.
Personally, I can't understand people who don't drink.
I don't drink. I don't care for the taste and care even less for its potential for damage.
While
many people do drink responsibly, if you have seen the things I've seen, seen the pain and suffering alcohol abuse can bring, if you are knowledgeable about alcohol abuse and understand how
easily one can cross the line from social to problem...you'd never touch it. It's playing Russian Roulette...are you going to be one of the people who can handle alcohol and have it be just a tastey drink now and then or are you doing to be one of the
millions of people who's bodies
can't handle it and who can't live without it.
It's just NOT worth the risk of emotional damage, physical damage and health issues it CAN cause. I know a LOT of people who would call themselves "social drinkers" who are SO over line but say its just "having a good time".
I never cared much for alcohol because of the taste, but after seeing the suffering some of my friends went through with alcoholic parents and/or boyfriends...I ceased what little drinking I did. There is
nothing about alcohol that is worth opening the door to the emotional suffering I saw my friends go through. Most of the people I know who drink, know very little about alcohol beyond "It's fun". I don't need alcohol to have fun. I have a GREAT time every time I am around my friends. For that matter I have a great time by myself.
I smoked and, aside from the "second hand smoke" issue...the only person I was hurting was me. Alcohol abuse inflicts pain on everyone around the abuser...from family members to spouses to hapless strangers who were unfortunate enough to be on the road with a drunk driver.
I was never so stupid to think that smoking was NOT harming me. It's an addiction and very hard to give up...same as alcohol for some people.
It's really kind of interesting that smokers seem far more willing to admit its bad for them than a heavy drinker to admit alcohol is bad for
them. I wonder why that is...
Sorry. Off my soapbox. I've seen too many reaaaally nice people hurt by alcohol not to be passionately anti-abuse.
On topic...in previous years, one of my most commonly used pipes was the toilet paper pipe. lol
I am an ex-smoker, but let me tell you, there's nothing I hate more than preachy ex-smokers.
Ohmigod that is the truth!!! I'll never be like that. My boss is like that. She used to smoke and after she quit she'd walk past us smoking outside with a dirty look and a cough.