Blame It (On the Alcohol)

3. That's right. I had my first beer when I was 3. For whatever reason I wanted some when my dad was drinking and he let me have some of his. To which then I supposedly tried chugging the whole bottle.

After that time in my life, there were various times of me having a sip of alcohol here or there while I was a minor. Never got drunk until I turned 21 though. And I've only been drunk twice.

First time was a few weeks after my 21st birthday. My dad took me to Vegas and we just gambled at one of the hotel bars while drinking whatever. I don't know how drunk I was since I still remember what happened. Everything was so funny. There was something enjoyable about walking drunk as well. And honestly, lying down on the floor felt more comfortable than it should have been.

As for the second time, it was at my dad's house. Some sort of party or something. Again, not drunk enough to forget anything.

Now, I don't know if it is just me or if I simply wasn't drunk enough each time, but I could still think clearly while drunk.

 

Prohibition has worked in other parts of the world. My understanding is that it's due to an existence or lack of an 'entitlement factor.' We're seeing it everywhere these days, particularly in the Western world.

People are brought up having access to commodity X (or behaviour X). Given it feels 'normal' and above all, socially acceptable, everyone is in an uproar when anyone tries to infringe on their 'rights.' It happens time and time again. Opium, for instance, has largely fallen out of use (albeit it was eventually replaced, in the Western World, by other drugs).

If we hypothetically introduced a new form of say, drug that became exceptionally popular, but was dangerous, and then banned it quickly after its inception, people would bounce back without too much hassle...given enough exposure however people would riot and feel that "The Man" is always stepping on them and trying to take away their rights. Problems arise when, even illegally, a substance is used for an extended period of time, and then dangers are discovered (as is the typical historical pattern). Marijuana for instance, long thought to be a 'safe' drug, is now starting to show signs of damage and risk, particular in long term studies. Ironically, this information comes just as it became legalized in some places, and they're having a real tough time controlling the situation.

I guess the respective governments feel that they may as well make tax on it?

Another non-drug example would be something like abortion (not to veer too far off topic here). If you go back to the 1960s, people were advocating for abortion and most people are saying "No way, it's not right, etc." because it was a new, previously unknown, experience for them. They were raised in a culture where abortion was condemned. Some countries (such as Canada) successfully banned abortion for a time period. It was legalized once more in the 1980s. Now however, since the legalization, people have slowly and steadily become more adapted to the concept... and if anyone ever brings it up, people just kind of say "OBVIOUSLY we should have abortion. It's our right."

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In answering your question, I've never really been a heavy drinker...it's tough for me to find anything that I actually enjoy. I didn't really start drinking at all until I was 24 and in grad school (it was a social activity by that point).