“I Drink Beer for the High”- Reflections on the Drinking Experience

I drink beer for the high…

I drink it for many reasons. I love how it tastes and enjoy the camaraderie that can come with it. But first and foremost, I like how drinking beer makes me feel.

I drink beer for the high…

And even though the industry hardly references “mood enhancement” as one of drinking’s most attractive qualities, it is for me – and I suspect I’m not alone in this.

I drink beer for the high…

The one or two beers that I drink nightly can be rewarding as well as relaxing and helps to transition me beyond my work day into a space where I’m more at ease and more reflective.

I drink beer for the high…

And I think it’s bullshit to not admit this – to act like we’re all drinking beer primarily for the refreshment or for the way that it tastes. I’m not saying that these aren’t important aspects of the drinking experience – because we all know that they are – I’m just saying that they’re not the crucial part of the drinking experience.

I drink beer for the high…

And I’m grateful that alcohol is not my demon – I’ve had to address many weaknesses in my life, but alcohol abuse has thankfully not been one of them. I’ve friends and family who are alcoholics – some who no longer drink – and others who’ve never successfully quit. And they, like me, started drinking because they too enjoyed how it made them feel. But unlike me, they were dealt a hand that left them vulnerable to the pleasures and susceptible to the pull. Some of us got lucky – others are not – but that still doesn’t change the reason why I drink.

I drink beer for the high…

As people have for centuries. From the earliest of times, civilizations have memorialized their cultures by drinking together. The communal drinking experience has been enshrined on tomb walls and tapestries, in the arts, and in song. And like it or not, one of the primary things being celebrated is the communal mood enhancement that everyone is enjoying together.

I drink beer for the high…

And it’s beer that I’m primarily drawn to… I don’t love how I feel on wine or hard alcohol. It’s just a different head for me and not one that I enjoy as much.

I drink beer for the high…

And please don’t think that I’m endorsing drunkenness…Like any high, there is such a thing as “too much of a good thing” and getting loaded is not only problematic but can also be downright dangerous. Yes, I’ve let myself become drunk in the past, and while it’s a very bad look, it’s also not as pleasurable.

I drink beer for the high…

And even though that’s the truth, some of you reading this are judging me…Admitting to finding pleasure in the high that comes with drinking is something that many in polite society would prefer to not talk about – even though it’s intrinsic to the experience, and the primary reason why so many of us drink.

I drink beer for the high…

And I know that I’m not the only one out there who does…