I feel a sense of euphoria when I drink. I also have a bell curve where drinking enough removes a layer of fear which allows me to do things I couldn't previously do while still retaining my coordination. For instance when I was younger and lived in Santa Cruz, I'd often bomb hills skateboarding. On the nights I was 3-4 beers in, I'd have no problem whatsoever. If I drank less than that or more than that, I'd be a meat crayon.
On a general note, be happy alcohol does nothing for you. It's one of the most addictive, vile, and damaging drugs that exists. The withdrawl for alcoholics is worse than heroin, and one of the most deadly. The people I've met in my life that are addicted to it have a really hard time.
People who enjoy THC describe it to me as similar to how they enjoy caffeine, which makes some sense to me having a dopamine supplement daily. Most of what I enjoy about alcohol is tasting it. As far as psychoactive effects, I find it calming but not as much as you do. It doesn’t generally make me sleepy unless I’m already headed that way. It just makes me feel less at odds with things in the world. Which is good for my psyche, as long as I don’t drink too much… which is when I remember feeling at odds with things in the world.
Anyway I’ve thought about taking advantage of the legal market to see if there’s bud that works for me, and even (maybe especially) after working in the industry for over half a decade I’m not inclined. They just don’t grow anything for me, and I’m too old now to want to experiment.
I do appreciate your pattern recognition, because it’d be the same recognition I would have. I don’t think the pattern fits me though, I really do just react negatively to THC in high doses.
Single malt scotch, on the other hand, has a very different effect - gives me energy, makes me more sociable, lifts my spirit. Red wine affects me differently from white wine, cocktails also have a different effect (can’t have sugar with alcohol!). Basically, at least for some people different kinds of alcohol have a very different effect.
For me the benefit was dulling the frantic nature of my mind, especially at night. Instead of thinking or worrying about everything under the sun, I was able to not ... have those brainwaves snapping until 3 am.
It is of course a cycle, since the negative effect of alcohol exacerbates that latent anxiety. I'd dull it and it would pop back up the next night.
I guess, the relaxing effect is what the casual drinkers are after. Loose tongue, less inhibitions in interactions, less anxiety. It works... but briefly, it's too easy to cross into drnking-for-the-sake-of-drinking zone. All leading to feeling tired and dehydrated one way or another.
As it's figuratively said, at some point even the finest wine begins drinking itself, that is its alcohol content overpowers anything else that made it 'fine'.
I guess, in youth the drinking is mostly for bonding, in adulthood it's also for coping and habit, god forbid, dependence... Well, it does make one sleepy too.
Looking back, one thing for sure is early youth social drinking is very much unnecessary and can cause more trouble than good.
A nice piece on the subject of alcohol and anxiety:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/staying-sane-inside-...
I never was a heavy drinker. I mostly stopped for religious purposes and out of personal conviction when I was 20.
On the personal conviction part, I always say that I prefer being in control of my faculties. Fast response times (esp when driving), situational awareness, control over what I say and do.
I don't know about other people: when I'm tipsy I'll do or say something, then a few seconds later I would say to myself "this isn't something I would have said/done". That alone has been enough to dissuade me.
I drink "on occasion with an annual quota". I find that to be a great personal goal because when in a situation where alcohol is offered to me, I almost always abstain.
Then again, I don't drink coffee as I jokingly say that caffeine is a drug (I don't judge anyone, it's something I say when asked why I don't drink it). I drink things with a significant amount of caffeine when offered and it's the only alternative, like cola.
How much do you drink?
For an average 175lbs male to feel buzzed, he would need to drink 2 pints of beer (or close 1 1 liter) on relatively empty stomach quickly.
To feel drunk, it would require at least double that amount if not more.
These days, a single sip of wine when my wife is having a glass of wine with dinner. When I was younger, I'd have a glass or two of wine, or a pint of beer. But I always concluded that I'd feel better without the alcohol, so I cut back to the minimal amount.