The Vent and Rant Thread

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ApK

"I don't need alcohol to have a good time."
"No, but everyone with you does."

While it's funny as a joke, it's generally not true in real life. No alcohol addict I've known drinks because other people drive them to it; that's just an excuse some of them love to use.

And yeah, I admit I have a slightly phobic attitude towards alcohol addiction, as my father was one. Fortunately most people I know drink moderately or hardly at all, and are perfectly able to have fun without drinking.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by issybird

When you go out for a celebratory birthday lunch and everyone else is doing dry January, so you feel as if you can't have a drink....

January birthdays are lousy in so many respects.

Somehow, I don't think that would bother me at all. But January is a terrible month for a birthday when you're a kid. No money in the budget left over from the holidays, and too late for any cool toys anyway.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Somehow, I don't think that would bother me at all. But January is a terrible month for a birthday when you're a kid. No money in the budget left over from the holidays, and too late for any cool toys anyway.

My birthday is in January, and I didn't have such an experience. It was just as fun as anyone else's birthday. But granted, the times were different back then.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Why would an alcohol-free birthday be lousy? To me it's a sign of an addiction if someone is unable to have fun while sober.

Wow. That's a leap and a lot of judgment, too.

Fortunately I had my pocket flask on me, so with judicious nips into the ladies room I was able to keep my alcohol levels topped up.

Originally Posted by CRussel

Somehow, I don't think that would bother me at all. But January is a terrible month for a birthday when you're a kid. No money in the budget left over from the holidays, and too late for any cool toys anyway.

And you missed out that the two major gift-giving events are tied to one season, so no stuff for spring/summer or even fall. Obviously I'm past that, but the weather still stinks and limits the kinds of activities one might do to celebrate/indulge.

That said, given it was warmish yesterday (low 40s) before the polar votex comes in this week I went for a walk on the beach and enjoyed that. Still, it's not as if it was sunny and in the 70s!

[Deskisamess]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

As for your mother's phone, is there any other provider you can get for her?

Only AT&T has land lines, as far as I know. They are offering 2 options, one that uses their internet, which mom doesn't have, and one that uses their cell towers and your home electric. They send a device that you plug in, and then your phones plug into it. It's advertised at $45 a month.

Once my husband is through his back surgery, which is tomorrow, I'll be looking into that service. It's new as far as I know, the one that uses WiFi and their internet has been around a while. The new one is called AT&T Phone Advanced.

Land line support is going away in 2029, and her connection and audio quality is terrible. It took weeks after she moved in there to get the land line working correctly. I hate to make any changes, as they fluster her, but she will be able to keep using her existing phones and answering machine.

[Deskisamess]

I recognized my relationship with alcohol as no good some years ago. 14 years to be exact. When I was disappointed at dry events, I knew I needed to rethink it.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

While it's funny as a joke, it's generally not true in real life. No alcohol addict I've known drinks because other people drive them to it; that's just an excuse some of them love to use.

And yeah, I admit I have a slightly phobic attitude towards alcohol addiction, as my father was one. Fortunately most people I know drink moderately or hardly at all, and are perfectly able to have fun without drinking.

I have an alcohol intolerance (lucky as I am from a family of alcoholics) so I dont understand the whole drinking culture.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

I have an alcohol intolerance (lucky as I am from a family of alcoholics) so I dont understand the whole drinking culture.

Same here. Well, my mother didn't drink, but one of her brothers was an addict, and most men on my father's side of the family.

That said, I don't mind people drinking alcohol per se; as long as they're able to retain control over their intake, it's not my business what they indulge in. But complaining that other people are ruining your fun by not drinking? Yeah. How dare they, unnatural creatures!

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

But complaining that other people are ruining your fun by not drinking?

Show me where I said that. Thanks.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by issybird

Show me where I said that. Thanks.

You implied it. By saying in a vent & rant thread that everyone at the event was having a dry January, so you felt you couldn't indulge either, and that January birthdays are lousy. The implication being that one of the reasons they're lousy is other people not drinking.

Yes, you didn't use the same words as I did, but the meaning was pretty clear.

It's no skin off my nose whether you like alcoholic drinks or not; many people do, you're an adult, and your habits are not my business. Still, that complaint about dry January felt... strange, and not in a good way. I've heard similar sentiments from people who are in the process of becoming addicted.

[Deskisamess]

Originally Posted by issybird

Show me where I said that. Thanks.

Respectfully, I took your meaning the same way. It would be lousy because it was a dry event.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Yes, you didn't use the same words as I did, but the meaning was pretty clear.

No, I didn't, and apparently not. "Ruining your fun" was an inference too far. Similarly,

Originally Posted by Sirtel

To me it's a sign of an addiction if someone is unable to have fun while sober.

Nowhere did I say I was unable to have fun while sober and imputing alcoholism to someone is really not called for. I'm not going to discuss the situation any further but I'll request that in future that any paraphrases you make of my comments hew to what I actually said.

I'm out. Carry on, Carrie Nation.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by issybird

When you go out for a celebratory birthday lunch and everyone else is doing dry January, so you feel as if you can't have a drink....

January birthdays are lousy in so many respects.

I would have to say that it definitely reads as if you were stating that having a dry celebratory birthday lunch was lousy.

It is becoming apparent from your later posts that this was not what you meant to say but we can only go by what you wrote.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by issybird

When you go out for a celebratory birthday lunch and everyone else is doing dry January, so you feel as if you can't have a drink....

January birthdays are lousy in so many respects.

@ib - FTR I read that as "[It's no fun] When you go out for a celebratory birthday…".

BR