What's so wrong with drinking early in the day?

Whenever I fancy a beer, I get one. I don't drink that much but when I do want one I'll have one regardless of the time. This morning I fancied the bottle of Bishops Finger ale I had in the fridge, which has been in there for about a week. I don't have any lectures or seminars today so I decided I'd have an ale, it was 8:40 AM and I'd been awake for three hours. One of my housemates was quite literally horrified by this and said I shouldn't drink this early, now this is coming from a woman who comes in the early hours of the morning puking her guts up every other day of the week - I pointed this hypocrisy out and she said "it's not the same thing". So, I'm wondering why is it socially unacceptable to enjoy a nice refreshing beer in the morning but perfectly okay to frequently drink till you drop (provided, of course, you do this after 6pm)?

Reply 1

py0alb

3

It's a bit of a slippery slope, isn't it? Soon you'll be putting gin on your cornflakes. Alcohol is designed to help you unwind and forget about the pressures of the day so that you can actually relax, socialise and have a good night's sleep. Why would you want to do that at 8:40am?

Reply 2

MancStudent098

13

Drinking early can be a sign of alcoholism. Moreover there's an obvious risk to starting the day pissed. There's nothing medically wrong though with a beer at 8.40 (as far as I know) if that's what you want. Not personally sure I could handle drinking that early.

Reply 3

Pheylan

Original post by py0alb

Soon you'll be putting gin on your cornflakes.

... what a load of arse

Reply 4

Budgie

12

Original post by Einheri

Whenever I fancy a beer, I get one. I don't drink that much but when I do want one I'll have one regardless of the time. This morning I fancied the bottle of Bishops Finger ale I had in the fridge, which has been in there for about a week. I don't have any lectures or seminars today so I decided I'd have an ale, it was 8:40 AM and I'd been awake for three hours. One of my housemates was quite literally horrified by this and said I shouldn't drink this early, now this is coming from a woman who comes in the early hours of the morning puking her guts up every other day of the week - I pointed this hypocrisy out and she said "it's not the same thing". So, I'm wondering why is it socially unacceptable to enjoy a nice refreshing beer in the morning but perfectly okay to frequently drink till you drop (provided, of course, you do this after 6pm)?

You keep your ale in the fridge!?

But I see your point. I think it's generally a bit taboo due to the slippery slope argument / people having to work during the day and alcohol inhibiting that. But if it's not a problem for you and it fits with your lifestyle, why not?

Reply 5

py0alb

3

Original post by Pheylan

... what a load of arse

Ever heard of hyperbole? No? Nevermind.

Reply 6

loz957

9

I would say your flatmate has more of a drink problem than you do. I wouldn't recommend drinking that early in the day, but it is far more unhealthy to drink until you vomit.

Reply 7

py0alb

3

Original post by loz957

I would say your flatmate has more of a drink problem than you do. I wouldn't recommend drinking that early in the day, but it is far more unhealthy to drink until you vomit.

Different types of drink problems here: one is binge drinking (a social phenomenon), the other is alcoholism (a physiological addiction).

The reason that it seems so shocking to see someone drinking first thing in the morning is not that the act in itself is so terribly bad for you, but simply the fact that almost no-one ever does that unless they have a very severe addiction, and so the two things get connected in our heads.

If OP wants to drink at 8:40am that's his decision, but I wouldn't because it would almost inevitably result in a completely unproductive day, and I think most people would agree with that. 565ml of 5% beer is going to make you vaguely hazy at least until lunch time.