Why Do People Start Drinking Alcohol

Whatever the reasons why people drink alcohol, it’s important to keep in mind that the effects cause more danger to our health than they do good. But society still drinks and most social situations promote alcohol use. Alcohol advertising does a great job in programming people to believe that alcohol is the necessary ingredient in all social settings. Alcoholic drinks are encouraged in bars, restaurants, parties, private functions and most other social scenes. We’ve all heard of “Happy Hour” – a late afternoon drink where you celebrate the end of the day. Many tourist destinations advertise happy hour at restaurants, lounges and bars, where you get cheaper drinks during a late afternoon/early evening time frame. Just another promotion of social drinking.

So the question posed here is: What makes drinking alcohol so social? One answer is that many people enjoy a mild intoxicating feeling because it helps them loosen up and gives them the ability to be social with people they haven’t met or be more social with those that they know.

Research suggests that the main reasons that people drink alcohol is because:

• They like the taste.
• To make them feel at ease.
• To get drunk.
• To fit in with the crowd.
• To relieve stress, anxiety and forget problems.

All of these reasons for drinking have a link to social situations. It’s important to watch how much alcohol is consumed in a social setting. Social drinking can lead to addiction, so pay attention to the early signs of alcoholism. Many social drinkers do have a drinking problem, it’s not out of the question.

Some folks love the taste of their alcoholic beverage of choice. Beer and wine are two very good examples of this. The making of wine and beer can be an art in itself. By simply adjusting various ingredients or leaving the grapes on the vine for two more weeks can vary the whole outcome and those that enjoy the taste, also enjoy the whole experience that comes with the taste. Social events are organized around wine-pairing and even beer-pairing. However, some wines (and even beers) have a very high alcohol content and it doesn’t take many drinks before you’ve consumed the suggested daily limit.

For some it’s not so much the social setting, but they enjoy a drink after a hard day or week at work. Alcohol helps them to relax, feel at ease and unwind after the stress of the day. The problem here begins when alcohol use turns into a habit, which can then turn into addiction. It’s important to have other outlets for stress that are beneficial to your health such as exercise.

In recent years, some communities are replacing drinking events, such as high school graduations and New Year’s eve parties with dry events. These events answer some problems that a community could have with alcohol abuse situations. But if you like to have a social drink, keep your alcohol use within moderation and eat before you drink and try choosing a low alcohol content drink

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