[Dante Hicks]

Originally Posted by Boogster

I'm not sure I buy that. It sounds to me as though people need alcohol to enjoy certain situations.

Possibly, although I wouldn't say it applies to everyone, even those in the "pro-alcohol" camp. I went clubbing a few months ago and was due for a blood test the next day so steered clear of any intoxicant. Still had a good time yet not as good a time as I would have had otherwise.

Different strokes for different folks, of course. I know people who are "straight edged" who go out and party all the time but never drink, but they are rare. Most people who don't drink (from personal experience) tend not to go out, or at least not as actively as those who do.

Pointless analogy? Or is there some hidden profundity I've missed?

I think his point is that you are playing word games again. The word "need" in the context of drink and drugs is usually seen as "bad" yet there are many contexts when that doesn't apply.

Originally Posted by Charjerk

Lets consider a refugee who comes from a war zone.A person who is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder may need to consume some substances especially if his society is considering him ill and abondaning, if he is in a different country with a strange customs, without a family and ex-friends who consider him strange and take off. He could heal sooner with proper support in a social environment. But the solution becomes alcohol and drugs.

What on Earth relevence does this has to do with anything? Yes, they could turn to alcohol or drugs...so what? They could also destroy their lives in any number of other ways.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that drink or drugs are a universal good thing, or for anyone. This thread was asking for why people drink and a number of explanations have been offered, usually from personal experience. For some people, "self-medicating" with alcohol would be a horrendously bad idea, for others, it's OK. There is a certain diversity in the human condition and thank goodness for that.