I’ve completely given up on drinking alcohol after around 15 years of extremely heavy drinking. It became a huge issue for me, and so I decided it wasn’t right for me and I quit. The changes in my mental and physical well-being have been phenomenally for the better. Also stopped smoking as I only smoked when I drank. I’d love to be able to drink and not get drunk and turn into a belligerent asshole but I can’t so now I don’t touch the stuff.

Thanks. I am impressed by my invention though, it's a tasty combo, and Cointreau jumps right to my top 3 favourite spirits, it's not too harsh compared to most.

This is what I need to do. Quit. I drank throughout my life, but used to binge drink a few times a month, mostly on weekends. I became a heavy drinker, and full-blown alchy late in life. Don't know how common that is. What happened was, and I think this was/is a big part of how it became a problem, is that I stopped getting sick from it. One of the absolute worst things about over-drinking was the hangovers. The brutal, awful headaches, puking, moaning, sick all day hangovers. Getting sick helped keep me in check. Once the immediate issue of sickness was removed, I became unhinged. Won't even say how much I have been dinking, or can drink, but it's up there.

And good for you dude. Keep it up.

Cheers fella, you too! I recognise everything you say as well. Same as you I didn’t really get hangovers - none of the headache/sick etc effects of drinking. As you say, towards the end, yes - I became and was acting totally unhinged. 

I’m so glad to be free of that vicious cycle. I’m not anti-alcohol and the people who can drink it and enjoy themselves and not ruin their lives, I say have one for me. But alcohol and me do not mix well at all, and so the decision to not drink is right for myself and others.

Man, this lockdown is threatening to turn me into a damn alcoholic haha, so damn bored all the time I'm constantly tempted to drink just for the sensation and stimulation. I'm trying to limit myself to only drinking during my fortnightly zoom hangouts with work friends, for the sake of my liver.

Has anyone here tried Strong Zero/-196/Double Lemon? It's this Japanese drink that's recently come out in Australia where they deep freeze a lemon to -196 Celsius then crush it and mix it with vodka and rice liquor. It's freaking amazing.

I partied some in my teens. In my early to mid-twenties, I really partied. Then after that, it was on again, off again until finally, I just gave it up altogether. It's fun when it's done right, but I found that it's rarely done right--at least in my case. I was spending too much time feeling like crap. Plus, there was this constant, nagging voice in the back of my head that sooner or later, I was going to pay for what I was doing with my health and being the hypochondriac that I am, I didn't feel that added worry was to my benefit.

It's funny that I saw this thread though, because just today, my smart phone reminded me that as of August 31st, I have been on the wagon exactly three years to the day. 

Yes, from my experience living in Japan I know full well how awesome Strong Zeroes are.

I'm jealous that they are available in Australia now. Wish we had em here in the states. Though I doubt Americans could handle such a strong cheap drink.

Occasional drinker. I like whisky, wine, vodka, spiced rum....

Just not a big beer drinker.

Are there any other flavours? I can see a watermelon tasting great frozen in liquid nitrogen lol

Whoah! Kind of shocked at all these people who don't drink. I honestly can't even think of a single person I know who doesn't drink.

Anyway,

I love whisky from Northerly countries... I mean, mostly Scotland, but my favourites are all from the North. I have only had one Scotch I've ever disliked, and it was a blend (the Famous Grouse, or something like that... maybe two if you include JW Red). A lot of that Rye whisky is vile... but it's the gems within that I'm talking about; for example, there's a brand called Alberta Premium, which is like the toffee-nectar of the gods.

Talisker 10 is the greatest drink humans have ever produced. Just what do they do in Scotland to make their whisky so great? And not just great, but to make like every conceivable flavour great?

The only northerly country I have trouble finding something I like is Ireland, but that's mainly because everytime I get Irish "whiskey" it's Jameson, which might be my least favourite kind of whisky... well, except Jack Daniels... sorry, I know many love Jack Daniels and Jamison... fuck those "whiskeys" :D
Maybe the whisky with the "ey" is a different kind of drink and I just haven't taken the three minutes to investigate in all my years at any point over the last 20 years or so since I first had whisky. I'll stick to my willful-ignorance, if they are a different thing, I like whisky and hate whiskey.