Aspergers and alcohol

Post Reply New Topic

I used to drink in excess, until I completely cut it out.

For me in seems to be not at all or too much - there's no such thing as 'moderation'.

Agreed, government keeps maintaining making prices higher will curb the culture of binge drinking and the disorder that accompanies it, but fact is it just adds to the problem - yes, one major issue is our attitude to alcohol, but also I do believe it's a class issue too. I used to find it funny that Americans used to freak-out at the idea that I not only drank but used to go clubbing and even held parties of my own as young as 13 years old, that here it's fairly standard to start getting drunk at that age...but really, it's not funny

My drinking is...not so great.
I'm actually considering becoming teetotal.

My father was an alcoholic and died as a result, most of his family went the same way, and I saw my mothers hang-overs often enough, you'd think I'd know better! I don't really like the taste of alcohol, thus I don't drink at home and generally don't drink in pubs, I do however drink when I go clubbing and I can drink a LOT - I RARELY go clubbing these days, but it is a shame it goes so wrong due to drink

I used to have very high alcohol tolerance, now I don't know my limits - on a good day I can drink enough to get drunk and have a good time, but on a bad days when I'm not happy with life my drinking increases. The past two times I've gotten drunk I've gotten emotional, so much so last time I contemplated suicide (far from normal for me), and there are quite a few times when I've gotten so drunk I can't remember what I've done...other than some vague idea that I've made a fool of myself and bothered/pissed off someone.

Last time I went clubbing I had 5 vodka jello shots, about 10+ double or triple vodka's and maybe a couple of shots of sambuka.
So, although I rarely drink I think I make-up for it in idiotic drinking when I do go out.

I've never found alcohol particularly pleasant. The buzz from 2-3 beers just makes me feel nervous and awkward. So I don't drink socially. I have never been drunk enough to have a headache the following day.

I do have an occasional glass of wine or beer with a good dinner, but that's about it. I probably use more alcoholic beverages for cooking than drinking.

Four basic reasons to drink alcohol
1. lose inhibition in a social environment
2. kill boredom
3. treat depression
4. feeling suicidal (see 3)

2&3 are only temporary fixes but when the hangover wears off the underlying problem is still there, plus a slightly damaged liver and brain.

1&2 can also be linked to "I want people to notice how sophisticated I am".
In the case of 2 you can drink something like brandy, Midori, cherry schnapps, rum & coke, vodka and orange or Bailey's Irish Cream and convince yourself that it tastes really special.

I would like to take back those years where I was doing 1&2 as I know the stuff tastes like drinking battery acid with sugar.

5. Because one likes the taste of the particular drink?

There are lots and lots of beers I won't touch with a bargepole because I either find them uninteresting or because they taste either bland or have an obnoxious taste (most industrial lagers TBH, although quite a few real ales fall into this too). But don't write off the idea that people who like beer aren't just doing it to get drunk - in fact, I've noticed an almost prohibitionist trend amongst a lot of real ale people in recent years, demanding that their beer gets weaker and weaker, even below 4%.

In Southern Europe, people often drink as part of a very long meal and at social occasions where overt drunkenness is distinctly frowned upon.

(Unless it's a mild, it's not easy to make a particularly memorable ale below 4% - 3.5% at the most.)

There are a very few memorable beers brewed below 3%, although beers like this aren't commonly made in the craft beer market primarily because they almost always end up tasting too watery to be sold. Manns Brown Ale (2.8%) is one exception and, although I like this beer it does taste extremely sweet. Blue Label from the Maltese brewery Farsons (3.3%) is another, though it isn't sold in Britain and is quite fizzy but is based on the light mild style.

I've been a fan of porter, stout, hefeweisen, weisenbock, and others in these families - these are the only beers I still even find tempting.

Here in the USA, it's kind of the other way around. There's this whole economy of 'getting trashed' where people weigh alcohol content against the price. Coors Light, Bud Light, Miller Lite, Busch Lite are all about 4-4.2% alc/vol - distinctly aimed at that sweet spot where a person can get trashed after 3-4 beers. Wide mouth cans designed for the purpose. All cheap, smooth and palatable pseudo-lager/pilsner beers (not tasty, just bland).

For those who have no standards, we have something called "Steel Reserve" High Gravity (8.1% alc/vol) that retails for $1 / 16-ounce can. It's made from a deep ferment of all leftover ingredients likely scraped from the concrete floors at the Miller Brewing Company. It tastes like a dozen stale a$$es. It's swimming in thick, rank sugar (350 calories in 12 oz). It rushes you like the Spanish Inquisition, and gives you the worst hangover ever conceived. This is but one of many products made in America that amount to basically ill will against one's fellow man.

Sounds like Carlsberg Special Brew. Horrid stuff.

I drink... a lot.

It's similar for me too - I only find bitter blonde ales, porters, stouts, one or two old ales, IPAs etc and the occasional schwarzbier really get me going.

Here in the USA, it's kind of the other way around.



For me, to get properly done at that ABV I'd probably need to have about six pints (568 ml). And how much is a beer can size? If it's a standard 355 ml can, then Americans don't need to drink much to get drunk! If a 'beer' is a beer at 4.2% is at 355ml size, it would probably take me more like ten beers to get properly done. Then there's the difference in beers in ABV at the bar, though generally in the UK it's at 4-4.2% for real ales as you describe, the same for most lagers and 5% for "strong, premium" "European" (brewed in a factory on an English industrial estate") beers. Taste varies from non-existent to nasty and harsh. Highly carbonated and served cold to make up for the lack of taste.



It's true about that - there are a very few extremely pleasant, fresh-tasting pale lagers but they are few and far between and in the craft beer market. Inside the pilsener market there are much more of them.



The equivalent of something like this in the UK would be Tennent's Super, a "European strong lager" made in Glasgow, Scotland. It costs about £5.50 ($8.93) for a 440ml four pack here and weighs in at 9%.

Here is a photo:



It tastes strongly of alcohol, a really sickly malty taste, rawness, metallic taste, and alcohol. Lots of alcohol. Dominates the flavour to the beer's detriment.



I'm sure it's nasty stuff. We don't have quite that range of "tramp juice" here in the UK. Generally it's limited to Frosty Jacks cider, Buckfast, Tennent's Super, Carlsberg Special Brew, Skol Super, K Cider et al.

Last edited by Tequila on 20 May 2011, 4:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Tennent's Super is probably worse and I've had that one. Twice. To be honest, having a beer like that once is enough.

And for all critics of disgustingly sweet alcoholic beverages… I gie you…



15%. Tastes like sangria gone psychotic. Nasty stuff.

I drink every day but only get 'drunk' maybe once a month or so.

I really like Newcastle Brown Ale, its pretty much one of the best beers I've had...kind of expensive being imported and all but worth it.

Strange thing about Newky Broon is that a lot of the people that used to really enjoy it here say the taste has changed dramatically, and for the worse. I would probably prefer a bottle of Manns over Newcastle Brown Ale.

Having said that, brown ales aren't all that popular here. They can be quite different from one another though.

Ah Buckfast, helping Scott's kill each other since 1927...or something to that effect.

Well compared to the crap we have in the U.S its very good....but most of the imported beers in general are better then what we have here.