I don’t suffer fools or public drunkenness gladly. I was put on the spot about the latter last night after refusing vodka (the liquor of choice for the gays) and offering very little explanation.
Vodka gives me a headache no pill can fix, and it just isn’t some amazing wonder drug people act like it is. It is also nowhere near as pure or as distilled¹ as people like to believe when they pay $40 for a bottle of the stuff.
I just can’t respect people who are drunk in public on a regular basis, or at least when I see them. I try to maintain no more than a buzz (if I slip up I will self-flagellate, no worries) and if I cross that I need to sober up fast or go home. I have seen too many Swedes too drunk to stand in a lifetime to ever be OK with people around me falling over after far too many drinks, and driving home. I cringe and feel embarrassed for them and am creeped out to no end by the false emotions (maybe vino in veritas, but if they don’t remember and categorically deny, how can you know what they really think?) or overwrought acting out.
The drunkenness I usually see in the the US is far less coarse and less all encompassing, but the reflex is built in. It’s the ultimate turn off.
¹In Sweden there’s something called Renat, which translates as cleaned/purified. It was distilled at least 10 times, and the re-introduced version is distilled hundreds of times and certainly doesn’t cost $40, even in Sweden, the land of intensive alcohol control. It’s not available outside Sweden, as it would probably undercut Vin & Sprit’s other expensive products like Absolut and Level.
While I agree that Swedes are vulgar drunks, they do seem to grow out of the ‘oh man, I was so drunk last night I spewed all over my bed sheets ha ha’ a lot sooner than Americans.
Just one reason that I don’t really enjoy going out to bars — not that there are many in my town that cater to 40-ish gay men. There are also alcohol issues in my family that touch very deep nerves. At this point, three drinks is almost always my absolute limit, anywhere, anytime. It’s fine if others can drink more than that, but it’s true that I usually don’t like to be around them.
I’ve missed reading your blog; not sure why I’ve stayed away, but I’ll try to correct that.
I don’t even know that I mean bars per se, but usually I do mean that.
I’ve withdrawn from the bloggeratti, so I get it.
Hi Carl, long time no talk or read.
I’ve come back from my extended blog vacation only to find that (a) apparently Facebook is killing off our little circle of web-friends and (b) half my blogroll has vanished into cyber ether.
But you’re still around and for that I’m thankful.
Still foodblogging of course.
By the way, there’s no way I could ever get drunk. My body forces me to go to sleep when too much alcohol is involved. 3 glasses of red wine is my limit. Hard liquor is a little too intense for me unless it’s in a cocktail. And I’m afraid tequila and bourbon are out.
*waves*