Demon of Alcohol

[anunitu]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

as in my other post so good to see you lady.

[prometheus]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

In relation to naming the demon one of alcoholism.. another option might be to name the demon after the underlying issue causing the alcoholism?

Good idea.

Your last question is worth discussing, and not just from an Abrahmic perspective. I'd be happy to discuss that from any angle. From a Christian perspective regarding substance use, I'd put it in the same category as 'drunkeness' which is advised against in the New and Old Testament. I guess because it leads to a lack of control over mind and body and deteriorates the body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

This is very similar to the fifth precept of Buddhism.

As for heroin and cocaine being a perfectly normal part of life.. I'm not sure those types of drugs can be used in moderation? Aren't they designed to be addictive from the very first hit? Myself being someone who doesn't have a lot of impulse control, I'm sure a single use of cocaine would spell ruin for my life! Maybe it would depend on personality.

A few people can use them in moderation, maybe not many. If we were to look at it objectively we would measure the destructiveness of each drug and base legal decisions around those. The most comprehensive study on this has alcohol as the fifth most destructive drug known to us. According to this study, if we were to say alcohol is the limit of tolerable destructiveness, we should legalise ecstasy and LSD, though heroin and cocaine would remain illegal.

[anunitu]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

i have some experience with drinking,i believe they describe it as like a fish,that was me,and i did try coke once,but did not care for it,but i was doing at the time a lot of crystal meth,and acid and weed and uppers and downers,but drink was my main issue mainly shooters Tequila was my fav. no demons but maybe some kicking me in my head the next morning

[Azvanna]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

A few people can use them in moderation, maybe not many. If we were to look at it objectively we would measure the destructiveness of each drug and base legal decisions around those. The most comprehensive study on this has alcohol as the fifth most destructive drug known to us. According to this study, if we were to say alcohol is the limit of tolerable destructiveness, we should legalise ecstasy and LSD, though heroin and cocaine would remain illegal.

I was having this same conversation with a friend just last week. We were discussing that difference between what is considered socially acceptable vs what might be less damaging for the body. It's hard to mentally get over the social norm aspect. For myself, I would be less okay with using MDMA than getting inebriated, but that's only based on what I'm familiar with. Thanks for the link. I'm reading through it now.

I'm only a little familiar with Buddhist teaching having studied world religions at school. I did know sobriety was well regarded, but I didn't know it was a precept. I like that Buddhism and Christianity share an emphasis on cultivating habits of the mind. The use of drugs to enhance spiritual experiences might have made sense to me at some point but now I'm not sure how I would get over the thought of those experiences being so subjective. I'd be much more inclined to just have the experience for its own sake.

Anunitu, with your long list there, I feel like we're lucky you're still with us! ^.^ And thanks for your welcome.

[anunitu]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

i came close to buying the farm a few times,but i think the goddess was watching over me

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

A lot of alcoholism in my family - not funny at all. But I don't subscribe to 'Today's social drinkers are tomorrow's alcoholics' in its entirety either. Yes, some are, but not all.

I think there's a genetic aspect to this too, since my siblings and I have very low tolerance to drinking.

Not all drinks are the same either. Shandy is technically alcohol. But trust me, absinthe is in a class of its own. One spoonful and the bloody room started spinning, so never again...

[Azvanna]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

Not all drinks are the same either. Shandy is technically alcohol. But trust me, absinthe is in a class of its own. One spoonful and the bloody room started spinning, so never again...

:XD laugh: Never heard of Absinthe until this moment. 45-75% alcohol?! I wanna try!

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

It's 110 - 144% proof which is pretty bloody high. Used to make people go blind...

[monsno_leedra]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

:XD laugh: Never heard of Absinthe until this moment. 45-75% alcohol?! I wanna try!

Absinthe falls into the moonshine / grain alcohol category for a lot of people. The stuff I've seen also falls into the everclear category as it to is clear, has no smell at all. Used to add fruit mix to give it some taste and color. Makes you go crazy and can kill you in to time at all at the higher percentages.

Some of this reminds me of my youth when my grandfather used to make various wines and other "Things". I recall him paying us kids to pick dandelions so he could make dandelion wine in our bathtub. Oh the stories we heard of running moonshine out of the mountains in his youth.

[volcaniclastic]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

:XD laugh: Never heard of Absinthe until this moment. 45-75% alcohol?! I wanna try!

It was popular in medieval Europe. Distilled from the wormwood plant (grows like a weed in some areas), it's a high proof spirit. Wormwood has some minor pyschoactive properties, however, and absinthe was banned for a number of years.

It was Hemingway's favourite beverage, and it tastes very similar to aniseseed.

It's bright green, and if hemmingway is to be believed, best drunk with champagne (the beverage being called "Death in the afternoon").

The more you know!

[anunitu]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

i was going to comment on the wormwood thing,van go used to drink it and was the cause of his ear being cut off i read.

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see here.

https://www.absinthe101.com/famous.html

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

Some people are less prone to addiction than others. Nobody knows why. My father quit smoking cigarettes in one day. My ex was a pretty major cocaine user in the '80s - he couldn't just judge when to party, stop, allow time for sleep, and get to work on time on Monday. I knew lots of folks, though, who went absolutely wild on the weekends but that's all. And if they left the situation where it was available, they never even looked for it again, while others squandered their lives over it. People say doing meth or heroin just one time hooks you for life. Not universally true! But it's not worth the risk...

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

:XD laugh: Never heard of Absinthe until this moment. 45-75% alcohol?! I wanna try!

You dribble ice water over a sugar cube or two into the absinthe. You end up diluting about 3:1. The absinthe becomes swirly-cloudy - it's called "the louche." It's caused by water mixing with the anise - ouzo does the same thing.

There's a lot of bla bla bla about the wormwood's supposed hallucinogenic properties, however, classic recopies (from the days of Van Gogh) have very little wormwood in them. The "properties" of absinthe comes from the high powered alcohol content. Some companies, like Lucid, beef up the wormwood in the recipie to play on wormwood hype, but end up with a nasty flavor. You'll still get rippin' drunk, though.

The best absinthe I've had is LA CLANDESTINE, which is a clear absinthe from Switzerland (I imported it, slightly illegally, before the U.S. ban was lifted). Grande Absinthe is probably the best you'll be able to find locally - at around $65 a bottle, and 138 proof.

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:XD laugh: Never heard of Absinthe until this moment. 45-75% alcohol?! I wanna try!

You dribble ice water over a sugar cube or two into the absinthe. You end up diluting about 3:1. The absinthe becomes swirly-cloudy - it's called "the louche." It's caused by water mixing with the anise - ouzo does the same thing.

There's a lot of bla bla bla about the wormwood's supposed hallucinogenic properties, however, classic recopies (from the days of Van Gogh) have very little wormwood in them. The "properties" of absinthe comes from the high powered alcohol content. Some companies, like Lucid, beef up the wormwood in the recipie to play on wormwood hype, but end up with a nasty flavor. You'll still get rippin' drunk, though.

The best absinthe I've had is LA CLANDESTINE, which is a clear absinthe from Switzerland (I imported it, slightly illegally, before the U.S. ban was lifted). Grande Absinthe is probably the best you'll be able to find locally - at around $65 a bottle, and 138 proof.

[Florenna]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

How did this discussion evolve into talking about Absinthe..? (Something I've never tried, and don't particularly want to - now that I might even agree to being "demonic"...)

I don't believe in evil as a literal thing (i'm actually an atheist), but it's fair to say i see societies attitude towards alcohol as extremely unhealthy, to the point i would characterise it as evil in a story. But i agree, it's the attitude towards the substance, rather than the substance itself that is the problem. However, addiction is a nefarious beast, and the number of problem drinkers who think they have a healthy grasp on their habit is well documented in the medical literature. I'm all for adopting a more Mediterranean attitude.

Let me ask: would you accept heroin or cocaine as a perfectly normal part of life? After all, despite the obvious harm they do there are many people who take these substances responsibly, as some do alcohol.

No; I'm with Azvanna here - not sure those two can ever be used moderately. Anyway, it's a moot point, since as long as they are illegal, we're not likely to find that out, either.

I was actually reading a no-nonsense (i.e. non-posh, like they often are) book about wine the other day, and it said how e.g. water is historically responsible for more deaths than wine or any alcoholic drink ever There's some perspective for you, or anyone. (i.e water has in the past usually contained bacteria, while alcoholic drinks are & have been mostly free of those.) Also, it mentioned how health authorities (at least where I live) just love to talk about and exaggerate the "devils" i.e. health costs of alcohol, while they are curiously silent about other bigger costs, e.g. those caused by stress and mental unwellness at work, which are double those caused by alcohol (again, at least where I live)...

Also, a good point in the book was how drinking wine (or beer, or any other drink you enjoy) contributes to pleasure & enjoyment of life, which contribute to general happiness, which is only a good thing, also for your health. My stance exactly, thus I really cannot understand or agree with the generally negative, totalitarian attitudes towards those drinks. If they don't contribute to someone's happiness, fine, but please don't try to deny that for other people! Anyway, just wanted to point these out; seeing how I feel about the issue, and seeing this topic was basically of an opposite view regarding alcoholic drinks, it's probably better I sign off from this discussion.

[anunitu]

Re: Demon of Alcohol

it was known as the green fairy

https://www.alandia.de/green-fairy

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do not ask how I know this