Alcohol and martial arts

[JimmyNewton]

i guess a few cold ones also didnt stop the drunken master

[RDsynMBZ]

well i think that to drink socially is not a problem and it seems that it can lead to new friendships if u meet at a bar or somethin the thing i disagree with is drinkin to have fun and to get drunk thats just stupid and i detest the taste cuz i havnt acquired a taste yet but its not a bad thing to share a drink with some friends

[Makoto]

drinkin to have fun and to get drunk thats just stupid

How and why is that stupid? What is it about being drunk you do not like? Also, if you drink, do you not think at least one time you are going to get drunk?

I would love for you to explain how that is "just stupid"??

[Meguro]

The practice of drinking alcohol is as old as civilization. Some anthropologists believe that hunter gatherers became farmers just to grow the grains used in the production of beer.

Drinking alcohol, whether it be in a pint of beer, glass of wine, or shot is not a bad thing. Alcohol abuse, like abuse of any kind, is bad and shouldn't be tolerated. A drink or two after class does not constitute alcohol abuse. However, a drink or two with breakfast may be a warning sign.

[ivette_green]

Peoples non-drinking affects drinkers as well!Because non-drinkers who espouse on and on about the evils of drink are frigging BORING. I put them on par with people who try to convert you to their religion. If their advice about the demon drink was wanted it would be asked for.

You're lumping together people who happen to not go out and get smashed every weekend with fanatical religous groups. Just because I choose to seldom drink doesn't mean I go on and on about how no one should drink and you're all evil. I've never met anyone ( or heard of anyone) who's ever said anything about people drinking at all or too much. Maybe you secretly live next to a town full of Amish people.

Drinking to get drunk and drinking to enjoy your drink are quite different. The former I shun, but the latter is what it should be about.

[White Warlock]

An overemphasis on alcohol, or on the need to utilize it as a social tool is an indicator of a dependency... an addiction. Taking offense to someone stating it is unhealthy is taking a 'factual' statement as something personal, which also indicates an unhealthy association with alcohol. Now, if the persons stating it is unhealthy go overboard and start preaching, yes... there's a reason to be offended, for to preach is to say someone else is wrong, while they are right.

I don't drink anymore, nor did i drink all that much in the past. That is my choice, but i am aware of the problems associated with even casual drinking and have watched friends die or become injured due to their drinking while driving, or in combination with certain medications. I mentioned earlier that i've been struck on multiple occasions by drunk drivers.

As to the topic of drinking and martial arts, there is no association. If someone comes to class intoxicated, i will respectfully direct them out and then recommend them to alcoholics anonymous, some other alcohol treatment program, or to one of the counselors i have on my list. If they refuse, i will indicate that coming to the class intoxicated is an endangerment to the other students, and shows that the person has a problem which should be addressed. If they refuse to acknowledge that, then it is on their head and i will direct them out of the class every time i notice they are intoxicated. If one day they become belligerent, they will not be allowed back in class until they can prove having undergone treatment.

Drinking outside of the training hall is entirely up to the individual and i will not pose judgements on them for doing so. Indeed, i have gone to bars on 'several' occasions with students, instructors, and friends while they order alcoholic beverages and i order sodas. No skin off my back and we all have a good time. Granted, if it looks like one of them is acting irresponsibly when it comes time to go home, i'll be taking the keys and doing the driving.

In fact, having 'non-drinkers' with you should be considered a boon, not a bane and i am in conflict with Shotochick's earlier statements. Non-drinkers aren't boring, at least not all. On the contrary, many overindulging drinkers aren't fun. Oh, they think they're fun, but there's nothing fun about flashing your boobies to strangers when you're with your date or boyfriend, or dancing on tables and knocking everyone's drink on their laps, or starting fights. That's merely utilizing alcohol as a means to initiate conflict. An excuse.

[JimmyNewton]

who in their right mind would come to class intoxicated?

[Ego Assassin]

Alcohol is a depressant, so if you are prone to depression then this is very bad. If you are a competitor then no alcohol one month before.

I grapple on the professional level and do so almost once a month so it is good for since I never allow myself the opportunity to drink. There are more constructive things to do, but I am not against it, in moderation.

[White Warlock]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/White_Warlock/alcohol.gif

Information provided by Virginia Tech

Very few things can compare to the amount of lives lost, or injuries received, due to persons impaired by alcohol. And while it is more likely someone will die due to alcohol-associated accidents than from alcohol ingestion, excess ingestion alone has taken many a life.

It is a 'recreational' drug, which means that alcohol isn't all fun and games. There is an inherent risk associated with it, a spiraling risk. Claiming to drink responsibly is a tough claim, especially considering how judgement is exponentially impaired by the level of alcohol intake. I.e., the more you drink, the less you are 'capable' of being responsible.

No, this is not a tangent. I think it is directly related to these discussions. Alcohol, like any other recreational drug, seems harmless. But when you 'see' what happens to those who were harmed, you gain a little insight into what 'exactly' it is... a drug.

[DKizzle]

Okay, i have been struck by drunk drivers on the road many times. Eleven times, in fact. The worst situation was in 1983 while i was on motorbike riding in the bicycle lane just to be safe, as it was a two-way single lane road, and two drunk drivers took up both lanes as they raced their way to college. I was struck, dragged forty feet, and run over. The two drunkards got out of their cars and got into an argument about having bumped each other's cars and about the damage my body had done to the front of one of the cars. In the meantime, i lay on the floor bleeding and unconscious, possibly dead for all they cared.

I have little sympathy for the arguments presented that being inebriated is all in good fun. It isn't. It hampers judgement and causes people to do dumb things... repeatedly. If you drink, drink responsibly. If you can't do that, don't drink. And definitely do not drink and say you're responsible when you clearly are not. Stepping behind the wheel, starting a fight, insulting someone, using alcohol as an excuse to do and say things that you would normally not say.... all of this is inexcuseable.

I used to drink, and have gotten drunk on many an occasion in the past. But one thing i never did was behave in ways that i would not normally behave as. Alcohol was never an excuse for me to say or do things, it was merely an intoxicating drink. It was fun, i enjoyed it, but i also recognized what others did and how they just didn't have the 'honesty' to present their true selves without getting blasted and blaming their inappropriateness on the bottle.

Okay, that said... i don't have an issue with people drinking. I have an issue with people.

You are definitely my favorite user here. I completely agree.

That being said, I completely despise alcohol, marijuana, or any kind of drug at all. My Master, Jim Clapp, told a story at a Promotion Ceremony once about a good friend of his. He was an excellent martial artist, and also enjoyed the occasional beer. Master Jim also did at that time. However, one evening, his friend had been drinking (he wasn't drunk or anything, probably in the first stage on that chart above. He was walking home, and was mugged. He tried to defend himself, but being impaired, ended up dead. Master Jim has not drank since then, and that is why I do not nor will I ever drink.