Like I bet if alcohol was something you had to snort, or just like a pill you take, I think a lot of people might not dig it as much.

  • TrackinDaKraken@lemmy.worldEnglish
    832·
    21 days ago

    When people say, “I don’t use drugs”, almost never do they include alcohol in that. Alcohol, which is a drug, is always referred to separately, in large part because it’s a beverage. Most people, if asked, will agree that alcohol is a drug, but it’s not really categorized as one in their mind on a day-to-day basis. No one has a glass of wine at lunch and thinks, “I’m doing drugs now.” But, if alcohol as a liquid simply didn’t exist, but exactly the same effect could be had in pill form, I don’t think people would be taking a pill with their dinner, and washing it down with water.

    • radix@lemmy.worldEnglish
      571·
      21 days ago

      For many people, “drugs,” with no other qualifier, is just short-hand for “illegal drugs.” Plenty of people who say they don’t use drugs also take prescriptions or OTC medications.

      It will be interesting in the next few years to see where marijuana ends up on that spectrum. Still largely illegal (federally), but if that changes, will people still consider it a “drug” in the same way they do now, or will it fall into a separate category like drugs that are mostly legal?

      • _g_be@lemmy.world
        3·
        20 days ago

        There’s people already, which smoke recreationally and/or advocate for legalization, that already don’t see it in the same category as other ‘harder’ drugs. And, it hasn’t always been illegal federally.

        All this to say, it’ll probably end up near alcohol on the spectrum you describe

    • nesc@lemmy.cafeEnglish
      17·
      21 days ago

      Alcohol is something that for a very long time was associated with civilisation itself, it was and is very important. It’s just embedded into most societies of course people don’t consider it drug.

        • cattywampas@lemm.eeEnglish
          131·
          21 days ago

          It’s largely a myth that ancient and medieval people brewed beer for lack of fresh drinking water, kind of like the “spices were for eating rotten meat” myth. People have always known how to find fresh water or preserve meat.

          The main reason people have always brewed beer and wine is because they’re good. Small beer was in fact made for funsies.

          And, interestingly, in certain places and times there was also a cultural reason as drinking those was higher status than water which was “for commoners.”

          • FistingEnthusiast@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
            6·
            21 days ago

            I agree for the most part,

            It was very dependent on where people lived

            My point that booze comes in many delightful varieties still stands

            Booze has a journey, other drugs are about the destination

    • FistingEnthusiast@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
      8·
      21 days ago

      I agree, but there’s a significant difference

      I love wine, beer and whisky and pretty much anything except vodka (because it’s boring)

      I love it because of the flavours, the mouth-feel, the way I can pair drinks with food to enhance the enjoyment of both

      I’ve never had coke, mushrooms, ketamine, weed or anything else that made me think “wow, this is yum! I reckon it’d go beautifully with a nicely aged cheddar, or oysters, or a perfectly cooked lamb shoulder”

    • ddh@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
      3·
      20 days ago

      You’ve inspired me. Next time I decline a drink I’ll say no thanks, I don’t do drugs.

  • ReanuKeeves@lemm.eeEnglish
    19·
    21 days ago

    I think you’re probably right, especially now that snorting snuff and smoking are significantly less common. Although if you put it in vape form…

  • magic_lobster_party@fedia.io
    14·
    21 days ago

    I believe it’s mostly cultural. Alcoholic beverages are as old as civilization itself. We drink alcohol because that has been the social norm for thousands of years.

    But there’s probably something about it being a beverage as well. It goes along well with food because of this, which makes it a tasteful alternative to water.

    • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
      6·
      21 days ago

      Alcoholic beverages are as old as civilization itself.

      Some people theorize that alcohol was the cause of civilization; that we settled down and developed agriculture to have a reliable source of grain to make archaic “beer”.

    • xylol@leminal.space
      1·
      21 days ago

      They have sparkling THC beverages which I preferred when I was trying out weed when it became legal. Something about drinking a refreshing beverage as you feel its effects slowly is more relaxing than a gummy or something

  • medem@lemmy.wtf
    11·
    19 days ago

    I have a friend who was addicted to both cocaine and alcohol. While he, of course, is convinced that cocaine is one of the worst substances to have ever existed, he is even more wary of alcohol because of: (I’m obviously both paraphrasing AND excluding most countries with a Muslim majority here)

    a) Social acceptance. No one is ever going to judge you for quietly sitting in the corner of a bar drinking your beer. Try snorting a line on the same setting and see what happens.

    b) Availability. Even in sparsely populated areas, you are never too far away (say, a 10 minute walk) from a bottle of wine/spirit/beer.

    c) Practicality (which is what answers your question). You don’t need a syringe, spoon, knife, bill, bong or lighter, not even another recipient, to start binging on booze. Once you buy/steal the stuff, you’re all set - and drinking something definitely IS more ‘natural’ (as in, it’s a reflex) than injecting or smoking something.

    • SEND_BUTTPLUG_PICS@lemmy.zip
      7·
      20 days ago

      I wonder why eating drugs never became as popular as drinking alcohol. Obviously you can put THC in food but imagine if instead of going to the bar for a beer you went to the restaurant to eat some THC infused food or food infused with some other drug that can be taken orally. Eating food has the same level of social acceptability as drinking a liquid and is similarly as natural evolutionarily but it isn’t a thing people really do.

      Maybe it’s because the effects of alcohol have a quick onset which edible THC lacks? What about infusing food with some other oral drug with a quicker onset? I can’t come up with any off the top of my head though.

      • Cracks_InTheWalls@sh.itjust.works
        3·
        20 days ago

        Imagine if instead of going to the bar for a beer you went to the restaurant to eat some THC infused food

        Brother I’ve been imagining this since legalization here. More than a few restaurateurs were as well, only to be disappointed by the current legislation.

        My kingdom for a legal, indoor cannabis consumption space that doesn’t have to get around things by being a funded experiment or ‘grey area, members only “private club”’ (translation: open as long as cops can’t be arsed to bother raiding, and you do a little kabuki theatre the first time you visit). And tinctures, infused drinks and edibles are the clear best choices of RoA in those spaces given anti-smoking laws.

      • ToastedRavioli@midwest.social
        2·
        20 days ago

        Most substances that have any kind of enjoyable aspect tend to be very bitter and have an alkaline taste. Think of like coffee, we cut it with stuff or sweeten it with sugar. Pure alcohol would taste terrible, thats why we have beer, wine, and spirits. Its all alcohol but nowhere near entirely alcohol.

        Also, not all substances are able to be used by your body in same way or with nearly the same level of efficacy. Some things have high bioavailability when snorted, like cocaine, but many things have no bioavailability when snorted (even if they do when consumed orally). Likewise you cant smoke just anything, as not everything can be absorbed through your lungs

        That said, sugar and salt are probably the most commonly eaten substances that also jack up our dopamine levels. We just dont think of that as drug use. Spicy food can also be just as addictive, as eating really spicy food releases a lot of endorphins and makes some people feel great. Is that substance use? I think most people would say no, because were also doing it for the flavor. But my nervous system would say yes

    • Psythik@lemm.ee
      2·
      19 days ago

      The term you were looking for was “more wary”.

      “Weary” means you are tired.
      “Wary” means something seems suspicious.

    • Darleys_Brew@lemmy.ml
      2·
      20 days ago

      I love a beer, but I definitely think if alcohol were invented today, it would never be legal. Same with gambling. Why are some addictions legal and socially accepted, but some aren’t? Really don’t get it…

  • Zenith@lemm.ee
    132·
    21 days ago

    I think of it was a pill it would be waaaayy more popular. A lot of people avoid alcohol because it’s disgusting, including me, but if I could skip having to drink disgusting liquid to get drunk I’d consume a lot more of it. Snorting probably would be more popular too as long as it didn’t smell bad or burn to do. I like alcohol and hate drinking so I don’t drink but if drinking is taken out of the picture…. I’d be down

  • Darleys_Brew@lemmy.ml
    10·
    20 days ago

    To flip your question, I’m a massive fan of craft beer/real ales/etc …if it wasn’t for the alcohol ingredient, would I walk in to ten different pubs and try all the IPAs/stouts/pilsners I do cause “I haven’t had this one before”? Probably not…

  • smoker@lemm.ee
    7·
    21 days ago

    Cigarettes, pipes, hookah and lots of other forms of smoking were and are popular as a social lubricant, if that’s what you’re getting at

  • YappyMonotheist@lemmy.world
    5·
    20 days ago

    How would the average German man socialize if alcohol did not exist? I’m not even kidding, I’ve never seen it be absent at any Western table. We should be able to slowly but surely become capable of being normal human beings without needing to be at least tipsy, but at this point in Western civilization it’s a “necessary” crutch so I assume it would be used regardless of the method.

  • Aggravationstation@feddit.uk
    83·
    21 days ago

    Before water could be reliably sterilised beer was the only thing people could drink safely. So it would have been the only thing a lot of people drank for their whole lives after they stopped breastfeeding which I think will have contributed quite strongly to it’s popularity.

  • bcgm3@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    20 days ago

    Like I bet if alcohol was something you had to snort…

    This reminded me of this ancient internet video where a few guys (allegedly) “inhale” alcohol by adding dry ice and breathing in the vapors. Doesn’t look to be very effective, but if it was, I’d at least try it.

    • Freshparsnip@lemm.eeEnglish
      2·
      20 days ago

      I got drunk eating rum Popsicles and joked “how can I be drunk if I didn’t drink it”

    • burgersc12@mander.xyzEnglish
      1·
      19 days ago

      I used to use a twisted up plastic water bottle to inhale alcohol vapors. It was alright, but drinking it is better