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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

'Getting drunk' - what does this mean?

56 replies

FlowerArranger · 18/01/2020 08:26

There seem to be a lot of posts were people refer to them or their OH being 'drunk'.

I'm just curious what that actually means, how often it happens and, most importantly why.

Sorry if this seems like a stupid question but, even though I do drink alcohol fairly regularly, I can't imagine why I would want to get drunk.

What's the payoff?

OP posts:
Copperleaves · 18/01/2020 08:28

Alcohol is mood altering. It doesn't always taste as nice as a soft drink, so why drink it if not to alter your mood? Being drunk means you've had (at least) one more than the amount that would have made you feel relaxed and carefree! And does not result in hangovers for everyone.
You sound quite preachy OP, why are you thinking about this if you don't do it?

HarryElephante · 18/01/2020 08:29

I don't like knitting or knitted clothes. I can't imagine why I would want to knit.

What's the payoff?

Sonichu · 18/01/2020 08:30

Don't knock it till you've tried it OP 🤷‍♀️

Powerbunting · 18/01/2020 08:32

I have no idea why people may want to alter their mood, relax, go beyond relaxed into an escape of reality, forget their troubles and responsibilities for a short while. Even black out their misery.

GiveHerHellFromUs · 18/01/2020 08:33

It relaxes people, makes them feel calm and happy.

I'm sure you've been drunk at some point in your life - it's when your head goes a bit woozy and you don't feel completely 'normal'.

Some people go really quiet and introverted, some get really chatty, some get silly. Alcohol affects everyone differently.

Some people like it and some don't, like everything else in life.

HugeAckmansWife · 18/01/2020 08:34

I disagree with the pp about it not tasting nice, I over drink red wine because its delicious. Getting drunk can mean anything from just being a bit more relaxed and socially at ease, to being silly and singing /dancing loudly, to heightened emotions generally which can in some people's cases lead to tears or fights. Some people are 'happy drunks' usually, some tend toward angry or sad. If you really overdo it then obviously the hangover symptoms relating to dehydration and upset stomach come into play. Part of learning to drink iis to recognise your type, recognise the signs of where you're at and learning which drinks are best for you.

antisnowflake · 18/01/2020 08:35

I don't like drinking tea or making tea, i cant imagine why i would want to drink tea.

whats the payoff?

WeeSleekitTimerousMoosey · 18/01/2020 08:36

I'm like you OP in that I'm not a great fan of being drunk but do enjoy many alcoholic beverages.

However, enjoying the feeling of being drunk (or high for that matter) is very common, not just in humans but all sorts of animals. Lots of animals will seek out fermenting fruit to get a bit pissed and dolphins are know to get 'high' off puffa fish so it seems something that is deep wired. Hell even small children love to spin round in circles to induce that dizzy feeling, as do dogs, and cats.

Original poster
FlowerArranger · 18/01/2020 08:40

Sorry if i sounded preachy, but im just puzzled. I've been drunk twice in my life - once when I was 16 and didn't know any better, and years later when someone spiked my drink. Both occasions were rather scary to me as they could have ended badly. I do drink but I just do not see the point of continuing beyond a certain point where I'm no in control of my faculties. Hence my question...

OP posts:
HarryElephante · 18/01/2020 08:41

I guess the short answer is that everyone is different, OP.

PseudoBadger · 18/01/2020 08:42

Ah so you get tipsy instead?

Copperleaves · 18/01/2020 08:42

Those are atypical and scary experiences.
When I've been drunk I've still managed to leave a venue, get a taxi, give my address, pay for taxi, use a key, make a cup of tea (you get the picture) - hardly having no control over faculties

yearinyearout · 18/01/2020 08:45

I'm not sure the OP is referring to having a few drinks. I assume she means getting proper drunk whee you're starting to lose control a bit. To be honest I'm with her on that, I like to have a few to relax/be sociable, but once I get to the point when I know one more will send me over the edge into "drunk" I stop.
I know if I do have that one more, I'll get the spinning room when I lie down, have to keep getting up, possibly vomit, and get a hangover. For me, I can't see the appeal in all that.

Palegreenstars · 18/01/2020 08:49

How do you relax OP?

PineappleDanish · 18/01/2020 08:53

OP is deliberately misunderstanding "drunk". She thinks that "drunk" means being so inebriated that you can't stand and fall asleep in your own vomit, not remembering anything which happened when you wake up in the morning. Not a lot of fun in that.

But for most of us, "drunk" is a spectrum between being over the limit for driving (which in Scotland is less than a glass of wine) to the aforementioned falling over stage. Having a few drinks is a lot of fun.

Frenchw1fe · 18/01/2020 08:53

I am with the OP. I cannot understand why people go out to 'get hammered.' I like a drink and I like to feel relaxed but I hate being drunk.
Although my grandad died when I was young he was an alcoholic who used his fists and made everyones life a misery.
I think drunk people scare me.

Original poster
FlowerArranger · 18/01/2020 08:53

Yearinyearout sums up my take on this. I would not consider having a few drinks and being a bit merry the same as being drunk. Hence my question in the title...

OP posts:
OccasionalNachos · 18/01/2020 08:58

Sometimes people drink a lot of alcohol deliberately to get drunk. Sometimes it’s more accidental. Sometimes people want to, sometimes they don’t. I don’t think this is question with a straightforward answer!

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 18/01/2020 09:09

Yearinyearout sums up my take on this. I would not consider having a few drinks and being a bit merry the same as being drunk.

Most of the people referring to people being "drunk" mean exactly what you do above, they don't mean people being plastered and out of control.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 18/01/2020 09:11

I would see it as being unsteady on your feet, or actually staggering, throwing up, being aggressive (not necessarily either of those), being incapable. talking rubbish. Or actually passing out.

Quite a different thing from being a bit merry.

HarryElephante · 18/01/2020 09:13

Quite a different thing from being a bit merry

So, ultimately, this thread is about semantics!

GiveHerHellFromUs · 18/01/2020 09:15

'Merry' is a word a drunk person uses when they normally look down their nose at drunk people.

WeeSleekitTimerousMoosey · 18/01/2020 09:16

Most of the people referring to people being "drunk" mean exactly what you do above, they don't mean people being plastered and out of control.

A lot of people absolutely do mean getting plastered and out of control. A lot of people enjoy that feeling.

And here are some elephants, baboons, warthogs, ostriches and others doing likewise, in the wild, in spite of the risk of predators.

CripsSandwiches · 18/01/2020 09:17

I would say drunk means more than a bit tipsy. So being loud, more likely to fall over, might embarrass myself. It happens very rarely now. Maybe once every few years if at all. I'd be a bit tipsy more often.

doublebarrellednurse · 18/01/2020 09:17

If you are "merry" you are still intoxicated, you're feeling the effect of the drug you've drunk.

I would include merry in drunk tbh as you're feeling the effects. I am drunk under this feeling after a large glass of wine 🍷 but quite enjoy it so am not sad about it lol

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