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Comment by _heimdall | Hacker News Reader

In your experience, is the alcohol required to enjoy the night out?

I've personally had nights out with and without alcohol that were just as much fun. I'm also very much a homebody though, so I'm not a great sample to really say either way.

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It’s not required, but so much of socializing and the existence of various “third places” hinges on alcohol that the choice is “do something social centered on drinking” or “do nothing”. You can’t expect people to single handedly overturn the social systems that have intertwined alcohol and socialization (especially for men)

There really isn’t much you can’t do sober that you think you need to be drinking for. Even dancing, jamming out, hanging out at a bar with friends are all possible and TBH more enjoyable once you get past the early phase where you anticipate it feeling awkward.

I think we are in a phase of overturning even more ingrained social systems, so not drinking a certain thing isn't a huge deal, especially with a growing Muslim population in the west, the growing interest in health and fitness culture, and in my country, the absolute state of the city on a weekend.

I think that may be a moot point if you move from an individual level to a societal level.

Like, the positive effects that their success in baseball has on the Dominican Republic would likely also be there if they would commit that hard to basketball, or chess (and maybe that would come with less knee injuries). Yet, it's still correct to say that baseball is hugely beneficial to the DomRep.

My larger point being that we have to disentangle "what should you do on your evenings" and "what is a good cultural approach to this issue"

> My larger point being that we have to disentangle "what should you do on your evenings" and "what is a good cultural approach to this issue"

Those are actually one in the same for me, or at least two parts of the same answer. People should spend their evenings however they want as long as it doesn't harm anyone else.

I'd be very concerned with any cultural approach to changing behavior, basically "Nudge" with a different name. Culture should be the byproduct of the collective people, a retrospective understanding of what the people already are. Culture shouldn't be a tool for manipulation in my opinion.

I'm not sure about required, but depending where you live most of the stuff that's open at night is drinking-related ie. bars, pubs and clubs. A table full of people in a busy bar only ordering Coke or water is going to be kicked out pretty quickly.

If I wanted to go out at night in my city, and go somewhere that wasn't centered around booze I'd be going home around 8 or 9PM since nothing PG-13 is open late.

If it's required you shouldn't drink. Alcohol is only good when you don't need it.

I'd extend that to nearly everything in one's life beyond the absolutely necessities like food and water.

Candy, entertainment, police, governments, even shelter. They're all great things as long as you want them but don't need them.

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