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Responsible Drinking - What’s Your Poison?

Friday

Moderator
I’ve been having to use alcohol as a muscle relaxer since I screwed up my back a few months ago, since I’m allergic to most muscle relaxers. Which means, once I fix my back (touch wood), I may very well go tea-total / have lost all enjoyment of drinking in the interim.

IDFK what I’m going to do about showers. I’ve (almost) always taken 3-5 showers a day, but a shower an hour to avoid the screaming/crying thing actually has me avoiding showers on good pain days. Which is doubly vexing in PTSD-Land; as I can go weeks without bathing in the field, but one of my “tells” for being “home” is I shower when I wake, before bed, and any time in between that I’ve gotten all sweaty & gross. Life is messy. Clean it up. So this stupid injury is messing with my PTSD on two fronts; first, being injured at all; second by messing up my “stateside” vs “field” mental divisions.

But? I digress.

Back on target.

So I was just thinking back to when I actually enjoyed drinking. Instead of taking it like medicine and snarling about it.

Happy Thoughts?

***
Whiskey
Good Bourbon (Blanton’s!)
Decent Scotch (The MacCallan, GlenLivet, Speyside in general 12+ years)
Whatever Irish (Jameson, etc.)

Tequila, limes, & salt. Not especially picky here. Just lovin’ the ‘Sex Now’ aspect of Tequila shots.

Hot Buttered Rum in the cold
Bee’s Knees (Gin, lemon, honey) in the heat.
Mint Gimlet (oh, muddling, sick a bartender at me)
Vanilla Lavender Martini
Dirty Martini

Gin for the Girls
Whiskey/Bourbon for me’self
Tequila for the Boys

Beer? Yes. Please. Thanks!

You?
 
No alcohol for me. I've never been a drinker, and I have no plans to start. I just never cared for the taste. They used to give us wine at communion when I was growing up. Made me sleepy. Couldn't get past the smell of beer.

I had a great-grandfather who died long before I was born by falling down an elevator shaft because he was drinking. All my uncles on that side drink, but my mom never did (and my dad drank then fell asleep).

I do drink caffeinated beverages.

IDFK what I’m going to do about showers. I’ve (almost) always taken 3-5 showers a day, but a shower an hour to avoid the screaming/crying thing actually has me avoiding showers on good pain days.
Oh, I also use showers on bad pain days (most of them). So far, I don't want to avoid them the rest of the time, but they are kind of blah. I'm usually a 2 shower a day person on the bad days. I have huge amounts of guilt about wasting water.
 
Just lovin’ the ‘Sex Now’ aspect of Tequila shots.
Bwa ha ha ha 😂 Yes❣️

I want to get better at drinking/enjoying drinks rather than just “what gets me drunk?”

As a youngster I liked greyhounds
Dirty martini extra olive
What’s the one with the pearl onion?
Hoppy beer
Guiness for breakfast
The one in the copper mug with the lime juice—Moscow mule
The one that the dude drinks—White Russian
The one that college kids drink to get drunk fast—long island ice tea
This place in town makes vodka pearls, sort of like big gelatinous vodka bobas, very soft
Kahlua and coffee
Irish coffee in Vegas, walking around in the morning
Sangria on a summer afternoon with friends
Margaritas with tacos and family
 
Off topic, Can you take strong anti-inflammatory drugs? The only way I’ve gotten better when my back goes out is extreme anti-inflammatory meds in addition to prednisone (which makes me crazy). They say you can take Tylenol and Ibuprofen at the same time as well. (Not sure on dosage). I’d look into seeing a pain management specialist if you haven’t already. Hamstring stretches-once you can move. Look into internal organs, herniated discs.

On the subject…

A well made strawberry mojito. It has to do with the timing. Letting the strawberry, lime and mint have there 30 seconds of mashing before adding the rum. Yum.

Chocolate martini.
 
When I was in college and began my dance with the eating disorder Dragon I was horrified at the calories girls consumed in alcohol. It's always been easy for me to "just say no." If I am going to annihilate my body with calories, give me really good chocolate!💜
 
Single malt scotch. Straight. 18 yo+ preferred. Almost all regions. Glenlivet, Aberlour, Dalmore, Dalwhinnie, Auchentosen, Bruichladdich.

Beer - Kokanee - occasionally with Clamato, Guiness, High Test (Carling O'keef Black Label, high test refers to 6% alcohol content)

Caesar's - (Canadian thing) Rim glass with Celery salt, Vodka, Clamato, Worcestershire sauce, tobasco to taste, celery stick.....(Alberta Pure grain vodka preferred)

Good gin, and tonic

Hennesy XO
 
Pre lockdown, I binge drank in social situations. Because of the terror of people. I didn't tend to drink much at home.

Since lockdown I have not drunk very much at all. Though I've now had 3 long social events in the past year. At each of these I drank JD & diet coke as the thought of more than one beer / cider / cocktail or glass of wine makes me feel a bit ill.

At home I tend to have less than a drink per month.
But drinks I have loved / still do love are

Pina Colada heehee, I will always love you for creamy tart sweetness and for being so naff with umbrellas etc

Kir Imperial - Chambord (raspberry liqueur) & Prosecco

Flavoured gin and tonics - particularly rhubarb or orange

Good bourbon

Or standard JD & Diet coke when out

Chenin Blanc, Basque Txakoli wines, prosecco

Chianti, Tawny Port

Sweet tangy ciders, Inches, Old Rascal, Woodpecker (painfully sweet, but bearable because of my adoration of the tangy flavour)

Indian / Japanese / polish lagers

Bloody Mary's 🥰

And how could I forget, most recent fav cocktail Old fashioned
 
Total light weight as I can handle one glass, but a second ............😴
LOL… I usually describe my tolerance level as “Fruitbat”. I could drink like a fish in the military, my Scottish/Norwegian metabolism adapts very quickly, but it’s never really been my thing. The past 6mo of hot shower+cold beer have upped it considerably. In addition to ruining how much I used to enjoy that particular combo. Grrrrr. Very little is better after a day of sweating my arse off than standing under hot water with a cold drink.

Off topic, Can you take strong anti-inflammatory drugs? The only way I’ve gotten better when my back goes out is extreme anti-inflammatory meds in addition to prednisone (which makes me crazy).
Sadly, I’ve been taking 1000mg Tylenol/Paracetamol & 800mg Ibuprofen around the clock for over 20 years (unless I’m drinking, I space 24hrs between alcohol & pills, currently I only drink every other week). I get my kidney & liver tested every 3 months at med checks & so far so good, but age will catch up with me, eventually. Hopefully not before I’m old enough for joint replacement. I’ve needed 2 new knees since I was a teenager, and misc. other joints added on over the years, but you have to wait until you’re in your 50s.
 
I used to prefer Indian beer 🍺 and would generally drink anything but loved a good bloody Mary or gin and tonic. When I was younger I would drink alot of wine but then switched too cider. Haven't drunk for over 2.5 years now and I'm so much better for it.

Cocktails...a Long Island ice tea. Just about the only alcoholic beverage I actually miss!!!
 
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