Alcohol is overrated 

Is there anything in the world more overrated than alcohol? As I sit on the train en route to work, I wonder why I bother giving it the time of day. I guess it is inevitable to consume in a social setting, but why is it so appealing?


I slept in today, wasting the first few hours that I like to use to be productive each morning. And the hours I am awake I will no doubt feel like crap as my body suffers the after-effects of the poison. 

And I can’t even use music as a distraction as I don’t know where my earphones are. Another blow is that my iPhone is charging at a slower and slower pace, to the point that an overnight charge gives it around 30% battery life. This is a repercussion of dropping it in water at a party a few months back. Yep, alcohol at it again.

And the crazy thing is, alcohol is something we pay for! 

‘Excuse me bartender, I was wondering if you could take my earphones and drop my phone into water and then make me get an expensive taxi home and I’ll give you lots of money to do so. Oh, and a water thanks.’

At least then I would avoid the hangover.

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61 thoughts on “Alcohol is overrated ”

    1. Just tell me how great you feel as a result of not drinking alcohol… If I could recall how healthy I feel when I have been away from it for a long time, I would resist drinking a lot more! :p

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    1. Is that your routine? Maybe if I had a set routine it would prevent me from going too far… I rarely drink bourbon or scotch, if I started drinking alcohol that I appreciated instead of just for the sake of getting drunk, I would probably enjoy it a lot more.

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      2. Oh, in that case I’m an idiot, apologies for not getting the reference! I just Youtube’d the song, this is one of those songs that I have always known (I guess everyone has heard it) however I never knew the song title or listened to the lyrics. Before my time, but I still have no excuse! Thanks for the reminder.

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    1. Yes, water is key! I have noticed that in New South Wales (with the strict alcohol laws) they have water jugs available all the time, so I try to make the most of that. I am sure four Advil helps too xD

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    1. The hangovers are really boring now… Sometimes medication can be a blessing in disguise I guess, if it keeps you away from the things you don’t want to do anyway. As long as it doesn’t prevent you from doing the things you want to do, that is.

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  5. I hope you drink lots of water. I don’t typically drink anymore. If I do, I make sure my drinks are watered down with ice too. I am getting too old for shenanigans so I have cut down majorly. Hope you have a speedy recovery!

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    1. I feel grand today thankfully! Which I am pleased about as it is 40 degrees outside, no weather for a hangover. I have a full bottle of water with me as I try to drink as much as I can daily, although on a night out can be a little difficult!

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  7. Love this post! Although I have the occasional drink now, I have been long periods being completely alcohol, caffeine and all other stimulants/drugs free, and the hardest part was other people’s attitudes. That and watching people at a pary get drunker and louder and more stupid, as it appears when you are sober! No one ever achieved enlightenment with alcohol, and I often think why are alcohol and tobacco the drugs that are legal, when they don’t really do much that is positive and are so bad for you! It’s easier for me as I am older and happy to go for walks, eat out etc, not that fussed re pubs etc. Young people I know who don’t drink say they find it really hard socially. But it is good to hear a young person questioning a society’s love of alcohol. That was one of the many things I loved about Marrakech, being somewhere where alcohol isn’t the social norm. By the way, this comment is meant to be ‘observey not judgy’ (a quote from Xander in Buffy….)

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    1. I agree with you completely, working in hospitality has meant that I see the ugly side of alcohol, and knowing that I am probably that same mess when drunk is really off putting. I also agree that it is funny which drugs we consider to be legal and illegal, maybe it is because no one achieved enlightenment through alcohol those in power were happy to keep it in the public’s hands! It is the drugs that open our minds that they have to worry about 😉

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    2. So relate to you Sadie … great post by Sam here and I plan to respond to her direct in a moment. But I loved your reply to the main post. I’ll often go days and days with no drinks. Husband wanted us to relax yesterday and have a couple. He bought a bottle of gin. I had some vodka left in our cupboard. He drank half the bottle across four glasses with tonic. I had two vodka and cokes. I hate gin. We did relax. Then he slept for 3 hours (and I read my book – result!!). Funny how extremists ‘use’ alcohol…. hmmmm
      I’d happily go without all the time I think, yet I love a pimms in the summer or a port in the winter

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  9. I think for some people it may be a convenient excuse to lower inhibitions and act in ways they normally wouldn’t. For others, it’s a nice numbing agent/relaxant that works faster and is easier than aromatherapy or yoga. Others still simply like the taste (I fall in this category when it comes to certain wines and whiskeys. Shoutout to Aussie wines at this juncture!).

    My nana’s advice was to treat it like chocolate: too much will make you sick, and you wouldn’t shovel cheap candy you don’t even like into your mouth by the handful, so why do it with watery beer?
    But enjoy a good glass of wine like you would a bite of Belgian chocolate, and you’re on the right track. In this case, the wine is even healthier 🙂
    Personally, I also like whiskey toddy on a freezing winter night. Same effect as hot cocoa, but tastes better. A (small) shot of liquor for a tummy ache also works better than Pepto in many cases.
    Haven’t had a hangover in 20 years (and that last one was St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, so it technically doesn’t count) so nana must have been on to something 😉

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    1. Of course your last hangover was in Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day haha, it is justified on this date 🙂
      I agree, less is better. Everything in moderation including moderation, I think a glass of wine and block of Belgian chocolate is well deserved every now and then. It sounds much more enjoyable if it is once in a while instead of regularly too. Sadly, people do use alcohol for the wrong reasons, or turn into monsters when they do, it is not a lifestyle anyone should aim for. If they just chilled with a small amount I am sure they would find it much more satisfying.
      Your nana has wise advice, thanks for sharing with us!

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  12. Alcohol is overrated. It’s fine now and then, and I admit I’ve been into trying different beers, but it’s not the aim to get drunk that I do it for. Alcohol makes us do stupid things, and we never learn from those nasty hangovers

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    1. It really is. I like to try and drink in moderation, the problem is the more you drink, the more you forget what moderation is! A beer or glass of wine during a meal is something I will try to limit myself to from now on.

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      1. Yes sadly that is a factor! Limiting yourself to one or two drinks is hard to do sometimes, but doing it that way prevents you from doing stupid dumb things while drunk, and also, from just getting drunk.

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  14. Love the post, Sam. I can honestly say that this is one of the only vices that I have that I really enjoy. I don’t go out as much as I used to. I prefer to stay at home where as I former waitress and bartender, I can make my own drinks. I stick to either Jack Daniels or Patron. As I get older, I realize that going out and getting a hangover is very overrated . I wouldn’t say alcohol is though, that’s just my opinion .

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    1. Thank you for your input, it is interesting to see the other side of the coin and a positive view of alcohol 🙂 I guess if it is consumed at home and I am assuming consumed at a slower pace (?) it is more enjoyable that way.

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  16. I myself drank a bit too much at a reunion with an old time friends last night. Hadn’t drunk that much since late 2016, so it was weird. Alcohol tends to help make nights more interesting, although I haave great nights even without it. For me, it actually depends on who I’m with…

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    1. It is excused if it has been so long I would say, if you are with old friends, go for it! Sometimes it is a good ice breaker, especially if with people you haven’t seen for a while or on a date. I admit I can go a bit wild with my old time friends…

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  18. I think attitudes to alcohol depend on how you feel the next day! I’m not a heavy drinker, and don’t do it often- but when I do, I like to drink quite a lot, lose my inhibitions and have a great time! Why I’d do it again is because I’m one of those lucky people who doesn’t really experience hangovers (yet) haha, don’t hate me!! I do get your point though, we spend money on something that makes us do things which are going to end up costing us more money! Human logic aye 😂

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    1. Thanks for your honest opinion, we all like a drink for different reasons it seems. I didn’t really get hangovers when I was younger, but that was probably because I was able to sleep in and not have to wake up early for work!
      I hope you can avoid hangovers for many more years to come 🙂

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  21. I guess it depends what alcohol brings to you – do you consider it your partner or your life? It is your partner if it accompanies your meal whether it be a steak or otherwise, if you are drinking with friends and family, celebrating, if you are watching a sports match. Basically, it is there “with you” during your happy moments. But I think that is the danger point because dependency can be easily built and peer pressure doesn’t help either. (Some friends rarely take no for an answer when you say you’re not drinking.)

    Unfortunately for me (or perhaps fortunately? Because I’m sure I’m not missing out), my body hates alcohol. I am an eczema/psoriasis sufferer and my skin is incredibly sensitive to alcohol. It can go super red almost immediately, my skin can go patchy and it can offset potential flare-ups BAD. I am not so bad with cocktails or mixers but these are only once in a blue moon so I allow myself the 1 or 2 drinks. Otherwise, for me, alcohol really is poison.

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    1. My reasons vary, however I am trying to wind down and only have a glass with steak or one or two whilst watching a game. I am sorry to read of the conditions you have, I think it is certainly best to see the positives in that you have to refrain from alcohol. I am sure your body benefits greatly from not having to fight off that poison on a regular basis!

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  22. I know my comment here is so out of date, you’ve probably forgotten your post now! But it was and still is a good post. I hate being hungover now I’m in my 40s .. I appear to age another 5 years each time I do it to myself!!

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    1. It’s never too late to comment! I try to look through all my comments and enjoy looking at the ones I have published previously. It helps me to not repost a similar post by accident! Haha.

      I’ve found hangovers get worse with age, so I can relate. Ageing is probably one of the many, many negative effects of alcohol 🙂

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