> > So why do people drink? The same reason they smoke, I suppose. They are trying to look cool and impress others. That mostly applies to young people, because older people who become alcoholics sometimes drink to relieve pain, or the pain of failure. As a solution, it ranks right up there with Russian roulette.
>
> I have to agree with Stephen's assessment 100% on this one, Howard. If you meant "So why do people drink to excess and become alcoholics?" your argument makes sense. But saying everybody who ever has a glass of wine with their spaghetti is only doing it to look cool, or to flee their horrible personal problems, is one of the most far-fetched things I've ever heard.
>
> Describing Kelly as a "risk-taker" because he occasionally drinks something other than fruit juice is bordering on being pretty rude, in my humble opinion.
>
> I don't drink alcohol myself, because I don't like the taste much. I don't smoke for the same reason ("not liking the smell" is short for "would hurl myself through a plate glass window out of a seventeen-storey building onto a moving truck full of porcupines if it was the only way to escape the smell", which is more accurate.) However, I DO indulge in a lot of risk-taking activities which are well-known to be potentially fatal, such as eating food, driving, having sex, talking to people on the internet and so on.* You can't do ANYTHING in life which is without risk. Does that make me a risk-taker? If so, you could equally well say nobody should eat any form of food, in any quantities, lest they risk a diet-related fatal illness. Equating the potential risks of a behaviour with ALL instances of that behaviour doesn't make sense.
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> Like all those other things I mentioned, alcohol can be dangerous or fatal in certain circumstances, and neutral or beneficial in others. I don't get paranoid and guilt-ridden about eating a huge block of chocolate every now and then, and I don't see drinking as any different from that.
>
>
> *Not all at the same time.

I tasted some wine once. It was in a little frozen apetizer that they served on a cruise ship.
It tasted like rotten fruit to me. Yuk!

Risk is a part of life. You face risks from the moment you are born until one of the risks finally catches up with you. I don't try to totally avoid risks, but rather take them in moderation. I've explored caves and ridden old-fashioned motor scooters with only rear wheel brakes. I've flown in all kinds of aircraft including one without a motor. I've ridden sleds and bicycles and hiked in bear country. I've shot rapids in a canoe. I've even been to New York and Miami! But to me, alcohol is poison, and just a little too much of a risk. We all have to make our own decisions about such things. Some people make a choice to do very risky stuff because they find risk exciting. They are risk takers. They mix risks like driving, smoking, and telephoning all at the same time. I guess that is more exciting than taking risks one at a time like most of us do.

You might want to read my reply to Stephen to understand my viewpoint a little better. I expected to take a few blasts when I wrote that original post, and Stephen really blasted me!

It's not the worst thing about it, but yes, smoking really stinks.
Howard