friends help: So a few weeks back I got drunk for the first time. - Help.com

It depends on how old you are.

This friend of yours obviously cares about you a lot if he is willing to risk his friendship. Think about why you are drinking? In my opinion there is nothing good that can come from drinking that can come from something else and also that any amount of drinking clouds the thoughts. It sounds like your drinking is a social thing. I’ve done the very same thing, but I now think about drinking differently. Your friendship sounds important to you too. I don’t know if i can be of much help. I hope the truth shines through though.

Anyone saying you are on a path to self destruction, doom, and alcoholism, is way over reacting. That’s like saying a person who passes their driving test and gets behind the wheel of a car for the first time, is on the way to being splattered on a highway in a huge wreck of metal from a head on collision.

Simply driving doesn’t mean that will happen. Simply drinking doesn’t mean addiction. At that age it is quite normal to experiment in that way.

Explain to your friend that drinking doesn’t make a person bad, or good, and that it is simply something enjoyable. Try and mainly talk to him about other things though, like you normally would. Hopefully he’ll see that you are still who you are, and that what was good about you guys hanging out before is still there.

I guess, much like anything else, it only takes the first one to get started. I know it seems harmless at first, and you know what, it might be just that. But, unfortunately, we don’t know where these paths lead. I can’t imagine one of my friends saying something like that to me, but I’ve never really had a close friend like that. I don’t think it’s a selfish thing on his part. But ultimately, it is your decision. Look at the benefits of drinking? I don’t really see any. I know you have a good time, but if you start making that your excuse to have a good time, that would not be a good thing. I may be a little biased on this subject, and don’t get me wrong, I’ve done more than my fair share of drinking, and nothing bad has happened, in fact I’m down right silly. I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite. :)

do what u feel is right

but remind urself too , that at ur age , its normal to go out and have fun drinking
but isnt it 21 to drink in the usa?

but it is a normal part of growing up, i started at 15-16 so that was to young, which now i dont drink,not cause i had problems wit addiction,but cause i found it a waste of money.
ur friend seem like a true friend so dont let that go cause of some drinking
but i do also think ur friend needs to loosin up abit.

“stop it! it starts like this you ask me,i know when people start getting addicted this is one way to”

Hardly. I’ve been addicted to alcohol in the past. I know plenty of people who weren’t addicted, who drunk more regularly than me.

Very few people get addicted, it’s just a hysteria brought about by binge drinking. Addiction and binge drinking are not the same thing. Neither is present, or even likely, in this case.

The reason ~I~ got addicted is I used to drink large quantities of 50% content doubles before moving on Absinthe later in the night, every week. That is not what is going on here.

There’s plenty of reasons to drink and there’s plenty of reasons not to drink. If you’re drinking lightly in a comfortable social environment you’re probably getting far more of the benefits than the problems.

I would not back down about this… it is simply one of those things in a relationship where guidelines will have to be established. If he cannot respect your right to drink even a little then he will not respect your rights to do anything else you wish to do. Very few people can live happily with those restrictions on their life.

If he brings it up, try asking him where it ends. If he says ‘it’s just this one issue’, then he’s a liar. Relationships do not work that way.

It may be that he has such a strong aversion to it because it affected someone in his life. It might be a good thing to ask him why he feels this way.

good point there g4young

Yes it is technically possible for an addiction to happen. Though there are far greater odds that it won’t. It is nearly impossible that drinking once or twice will start an addiction. I can’t remember what the average length of period of heavy drinking it is that is normally required to develop a physical addiction to alcohol, but it was over a number of years.

It is true that some people are predisposed to it, and other people are even less likely.

But nobody needs to be in hysterics. Looking at it in a factual way would seem to indicate the likelihood of developing an addiction from a couple of drinking sessions several weeks apart is almost nil.

Well, I don’t think there is anything wrong with his opinion. I don’t think that it’s over the top. He obviously cares about you. I don’t think I have ever had such a strong opinion on anything myself. But it should be respected. I want to help but I’m not sure what to say. He is a good friend, I hope this isn’t the reason why you guys split paths. There are greater things in life to have split opinions on.

“There are greater things in life to have split opinions on.”

Split opinions are one thing. Demanding change in a friend because of your ill-justified paranoia is completely another. Appeasement doesn’t work, unfortuantely, because most people take it as a sign they can tell you how to behave as it suits them.

Anyone who tells me how I should act gets a swift boot out of the door. A friend respects who you are… and even if they don’t, a good friend would sooner leave than try to forcibly change your habits against your will.

“US drinking age is 21…friend is smart…you making a big deal of it is not.”

Well reasoned argument indeed…

or… not.

his issue with alcohol might run deeper, perhaps he had a parent that drank a lot? or maybe b/c hes never drank himself he is just afraid.
Try not to lose that friendship though, its good to have friends that like to go out and party but its also important to have friends that like to do things with out alcohol.

funny. i get drunk like once every 2 or 3 months (if that) i go out to the store and buy beer(mostly ale) and i have like one beer every once and a while. Every once and a while meaning like once or twice a month i rarely even buy beer. I have a 12 back of bud light in the backseat of my car that has been sitting there for over a month now. does this make me an alcoholic? I think not. and usually if i go out and have a drink with a friend usually meaning like 98% of the time, after my first beer im really done and have no need or want for anything other then a water or soda beverage if that. whether your an alcoholic or not is your choice. what i can tell you about me is that alcoholism runs on my moms side of the family but i really have no real craving for alcohol or anything of the sort. its more of an occasional thing i enjoy every once and a while. I know alot of people who(including my mom) who are like “boycott alcohol”, or “its so bad your a drunkard” or “your just wasting your time and life away”. to be honest these people who have been scarred from someone who drank alcohol end up being worst then the alcohol themselves the reason being they are no stereotyping anyone and everyone who drinks it. thats just about as much as i can tell you. the one thing i will tell you is if your planning to get a bit drunk do not drive. Its good to have a place you can get drunk and crash at or a friend who is sober. But don’t always trust your friends. drinking can impair your judgement (obviously) but its not to hard whether your a bit buzzed or really drunk to realize whether your friend are ok or not. No matter what never get behind the wheel drunk or with someone who is drunk. I would also say don’t get drunk too often once and a blue moon is fine but when you start doing it all the time its really something that can be defined as a “loser” activity.