Comment by rdtsc | Hacker News Reader

Comment by rdtsc | Hacker News Reader

In Eastern Europe it was (is, maybe, I haven't been there in a decade now or so), a social lubricant for _all_ the occasions. Birthday parties, any holidays -- state, unofficial, religious. Any business deal or venture. Birth of children, deaths, graduations. Celebrating buying a new car. Visiting someone for the first time. etc...etc... Any one of those are a reason to drink alcohol. Not just a reason to drink it, it is suspicious not to. Yes, it can be very mentally demanding to not drink. There is a constant barrage of offers (Oh just have a little shot. Just taste it. We are drinking for the health of so and so). I have family members back home that struggle with alcoholism. Those that are struggling are able to handle it pretty much just by avoiding most such functions. Cousin so and so is having a party? -- "Yeah, I'll just find some excuse to not go, as they will drink themselves stupid and I can't handle the nagging". Stuff like that. You go to visit someone for the first time, and you refuse a drink, that is borderline an insult to host. You gotta tell them it is under strict doctors' orders to get out of it. "It looks like you have a hangover? No problem. Guess what the cure is? -- Yap. More alcohol in the morning.". Stuff like that.

It's like this in SE Asia as well. Socializing pretty much always implies drinking. It's a struggle for me because I've never really enjoyed drinking and I've found that as I get older it takes me longer to recover from it. Even a few drinks now and I have trouble sleeping well and I'm mentally fuzzy the next day. This is not conducive to writing code at all.

Hopefully one day Cannabis will mostly supplant alcohol as the social drug of choice.

Not just SE Asia, Japan, Korea, pretty much as well.

> Hopefully one day Cannabis will mostly supplant alcohol as the social drug of choice.

No thank you. I don't like smoke. I'd prefer tea or coffee.

> Hopefully one day Cannabis will mostly supplant alcohol as the social drug of choice.

I hope not. I find the smell of Cannabis to be nauseating (almost like a swamp or distant sewage plant), and I wish people would consider that more often before smoking it in social settings. I realize that alcohol can smell as well, but it usually takes quite a lot of it for me to notice at least.

Another consideration: It's a lot easier for non-participating guests to abstain from alcohol than from Cannabis. Apart from peer pressure concerns, I can abstain or moderate my alcohol intake while still participating in social activities, regardless of the alcohol intake of my friends. When Cannabis is smoked in an enclosed hotbox though, I have to choose between intoxication and leaving.

I don't mind the brownies though.

I know this is a little off topic, but I always wonder if Cannabis becoming legal in more places, like the US, would result in more innovation with regards to the actual smell of cannabis. Perhaps more convenient ways of ingesting/inhaling that don't result in such a strong odor? Maybe biological manipulation of the strains to specifically eliminate the aspects of the plant that give it such a strong smell while maintaining the effects? You have to think that the primary providers of Cannabis to date have not had much incentive to tackle this problem, but like you said, the more and more prevalent it becomes in society, the more necessary it may become.

I found the recent episode of the tv show VICE that focused on the booming entrepreneurship in Colorado around cannabis to be really interesting and it will be interesting to see what comes of that test environment within the US.

You may find UCLA professor Mark Kleiman's thoughts on the future of legalization interesting. Basically he predicts a big shift towards vaporization, e-cig style.

http://www.vox.com/2014/4/16/5620322/how-legalized-pot-would...

> Perhaps more convenient ways of ingesting/inhaling that don't result in such a strong odor?

Brownies.

smoking (or vaporing) makes much more sense in a social situation. eating pot food takes a while to kick in, sometimes hours. it's not ideal and the experiences are not identical.

Personally I don't mind the smell but, as other posters have suggested, I think it's likely that less intrusive and safer methods of consumption will become popular as Cannabis moves into the mainstream. Vaporizers and edibles are both good alternatives.

Just keep in mind that Cannabis isn't without lasting side effects. Over time, people get burnt, ain't quite as sharp as they used to be, some flip their lid in ways that aren't precisely comedic.

yes, but I would say alcohol is more likely to cause problems like those.

What social benefits does cannabis provide that are remotely comparable to those of alcohol?

I wonder what sort of reaction cultures like this would have to the invention of an alcohol-neutralizing prophylactic. Put yourself in the mind of the people-who-want-other-people-to-get-drunk, and picture someone who can drink like a fish but won't actually get even slightly inebriated--and who purposefully put themselves in this state, instead of "just being that way." How do you feel about that person?

drinking and not getting drunk is a feat of strength, something to brag about, oh did you hear so and so can drink 1L of Vodka and still drive home!"

Ireland is similar. If you refuse a drink people might ask if you're on antibiotics.

I currently live in Poland and have lots of family here. One of my cousins is an alcoholic in recovery and whenever his family has a party he leaves the house. It's just easier for them to not be there.

> We are drinking for the health of so and so

As if it were a way of praying or wishing!

Yes, and that is the standard, default line you say when you drink "Na Zdorovie" == "For health!"

Where I grew up in Michigan: exact same thing. As a kid the omni-presence of social lubricant was great! But the cost grew over time. Many of my friends and family killed themselves with drink and drugs, and some others were wiped out by alcoholism.

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