You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

[Doggett]

I don't drink and I'm pretty sure I was being looked down on in college.
And that includes my tutors.

[Newt]

I don't drink and I'm pretty sure I was being looked down on in college.
And that includes my tutors.

Indeed.  Whyever would you think so?

[JaseSF]

I've never drinked in my entire life but I never let it stop me from going out to dances if I wanted. Most places nowadays do serve alternatives to booze. It does get uncomfortable at times when you are stone cold sober and everyone else seems to be acting like idiots but I just try my best to avoid them and continue with my own good time. I usually drink bottled water although I wish more places had juice options. I actually love dances and going out to concerts the few rare occasions I get but I honestly prefer the all-ages stuff where alcohol isn't even a factor more oft than not.

But at the same time, I get where these guys are coming from...there has been for a long time now push in society the idea that you cannot have fun without such aids which is completely untrue. Beer and other drinking marketing campaigns have weaved their way into the unconsciousness of society I suspect to make many believe this is the behaviour required to gain social acceptance..of course it means more business and money for said companies but it also gives society as an whole the wrong impression.

[Flick James]

I've never drinked in my entire life but I never let it stop me from going out to dances if I wanted. Most places nowadays do serve alternatives to booze. It does get uncomfortable at times when you are stone cold sober and everyone else seems to be acting like idiots but I just try my best to avoid them and continue with my own good time. I usually drink bottled water although I wish more places had juice options. I actually love dances and going out to concerts the few rare occasions I get but I honestly prefer the all-ages stuff where alcohol isn't even a factor more oft than not.

But at the same time, I get where these guys are coming from...there has been for a long time now push in society the idea that you cannot have fun without such aids which is completely untrue. Beer and other drinking marketing campaigns have weaved their way into the unconsciousness of society I suspect to make many believe this is the behaviour required to gain social acceptance..of course it means more business and money for said companies but it also gives society as an whole the wrong impression.

Well, the drunks are easier to tolerate if you're drunk yourself. It's a self-perpetuating cycle. I tend to drink regularly, but usually in very moderate amounts. I enjoy a drink, I enjoy the taste, I enjoy the relaxation it brings, I'm not a hard-partying kind of guy, except very occasionally, like a two or three times a year, and when I do I find the other drunks tolerable because I'm drunk. I'm sure if I were sober I'd be annoyed to some extent too, or I'd just make fun of them. These things just don't bother people in Europe. Whenever I visit Ireland, for example, it's just a thing where you drink or you don't drink, who cares? Contrary to the stereotype, there are plenty of teetotallers in Ireland, and yes, plenty of drinkers as well. Everybody is responsible for their own behavior, for the most part, and while I've seen some belligerence in bars on occasion, it's just a part of life and nobody gets too annoyed by it. Nobody is pressured to drink, you either do or you don't. We have a stigma about drinking on this side of the pond, just as we have a stigma about lots of things that may be fun because of our puritanical roots, which is why, in my opinion, we've go so many damned hangups.

[Olivia Bauer]

You know what really grinds my gears? When the cogs are too tight.

*BU-DUM-CHING*

[Mr. DS]

I used to enjoy the sensation of being drunk in my early 20s but after puking in multiple sinks, buckets, toilets, etc it lost it's appeal.  The final straw came at my wifes aunt's wedding where I went way beyond where I should have.  That night I sprained my ankle, puked all over myself and had all to do to get to work the next day. 

So in turn, I don't drink to get drunk any more.   I may enjoy a cold one out a bar or dinner but thats because I really enjoy the taste of beer. 

With kids around its hard to sleep off anyhow. 

[Flick James]

I used to enjoy the sensation of being drunk in my early 20s but after puking in multiple sinks, buckets, toilets, etc it lost it's appeal.  The final straw came at my wifes aunt's wedding where I went way beyond where I should have.  That night I sprained my ankle, puked all over myself and had all to do to get to work the next day. 

So in turn, I don't drink to get drunk any more.   I may enjoy a cold one out a bar or dinner but thats because I really enjoy the taste of beer. 

With kids around its hard to sleep off anyhow. 

That's definately one reason I'm moderate, the kids. Even without them, however, I'd probably still be fairly moderate, just a maybe a little less so.

[Kaseykockroach]

Am I the only teenager that doesn't own a cell phone (nor do I want one)? No Ipods either. Even if I was given a cell phone, I don't think I'd ever use it.
But of course, I'm thus considered a lunatic by others. =p

[Paquita]

I've never been drunk and only recently drank a whole cup of wine, but before that I never had more than a sip.  It used to really aggravate me when people would try to pressure me into drinking.  There was one guy I went on a couple of dates with.. he kept mentioning that we should go to a bar or a party  or something but I'd suggest something fun like mini golf and ice cream.. and when he came for a 3rd date, he got up while we were talking, scolded and lectured me about my immaturity and then stormed off.   I was so shocked and confused by it and I felt really ashamed.  When my friend came home, I was really upset and I told her about it and she said "You dork! He's just mad because he can't get you drunk and screw you!" so I never saw him again.

[Flick James]

Am I the only teenager that doesn't own a cell phone (nor do I want one)? No Ipods either. Even if I was given a cell phone, I don't think I'd ever use it.
But of course, I'm thus considered a lunatic by others. =p

I live life by the following very small set of principles: do what makes me happy and allows me to stick to my principles and satisfy my responsibilities. I do use all the technology, but I'm finding more and more that in some ways I would love to just drop out of the rat race "Jeremiah Johnson" style. It's not that I have a problem with all the technology, not at all, I just see the problem with such dependence on it, and sometimes try to imagine what would happen to most Americans if all of their digital tecnology was suddenly taken away from them:

They wouldn't know how to get anywhere because they no longer own any maps.
They wouldn't be able to call 9-1-1 because they don't have a land line.
They wouldn't be able to call ANYONE because they wouldn't know the number.
They wouldn't be able to buy anything because they don't have access to any money.
They wouldn't be able to tell the time because they don't wear wristwatches.
They wouldn't be able to entertain themselves because they have no books, video games, etc.

The list can go on indefinately but those were the first few to come to mind.

You're probably in a slim minority when it comes to teenagers, but there are people who reject the dependence on technology, or even reject it altogether. Jesse Eisenberg, ironically enough the guy who portrayed Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network reported that he doesn't own a computer or a tv. I guess my main problem is the inability to function without the technology. That's where society is heading.

[SPazzo]

Am I the only teenager that doesn't own a cell phone (nor do I want one)? No Ipods either. Even if I was given a cell phone, I don't think I'd ever use it.
But of course, I'm thus considered a lunatic by others. =p

I don't own a cell phone or an iPod either.  I'm an 18 year old University student.  People think I'm crazy for it!

I do have a laptop, but that's for school, so I don't think it counts.

[Doggett]

I don't drink and I'm pretty sure I was being looked down on in college.
And that includes my tutors.

Indeed.  Whyever would you think so?

Some times after class and on weekends there were bands and get togethers at clubs and pubs that we'd all go to and the look of disdain on their faces when I said I didn't drink alcohol was of pure shock and an almost-what-on-earth-is-wrong-with-you stare.

As I was studying film-making, I needed these people to edit (I can't use editing software to save my life) and help produce my student films. So I had to try and fit in the group, but it just too much hassle.

I ended up quitting the course.

I end up qitting sixth form too because the tutors thought I was smuggling drugs into high school.

I mean, oh brother...
It's like after years of being with these people, they really didn't know me at all. I was so angry at their lack of faith, I just had enough. Although, on that case, I did have the students on my side.   

[Nightowl]

Am I the only teenager that doesn't own a cell phone (nor do I want one)? No Ipods either. Even if I was given a cell phone, I don't think I'd ever use it.
But of course, I'm thus considered a lunatic by others. =p

I hate cell phones. I like not being able to be reached.

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

I've never been drunk and only recently drank a whole cup of wine, but before that I never had more than a sip.  It used to really aggravate me when people would try to pressure me into drinking.  There was one guy I went on a couple of dates with.. he kept mentioning that we should go to a bar or a party  or something but I'd suggest something fun like mini golf and ice cream.. and when he came for a 3rd date, he got up while we were talking, scolded and lectured me about my immaturity and then stormed off.   I was so shocked and confused by it and I felt really ashamed.  When my friend came home, I was really upset and I told her about it and she said "You dork! He's just mad because he can't get you drunk and screw you!" so I never saw him again.

Nothing wrong with not wanting to get drunk, Paquita.  I'm not a drinker. As an adult child of an alcoholic parent, I can tell you that while not evil itself, alcohol can turn people into real monsters.

I also had the peer pressure to drink when I used to go to the clubs back in the 80's, and never gave in to it. I was drinking cranberry\club soda or diet Pepsi while everyone else was plastered. 

I used to love to watch my friends get sloshed while I was sober. It was fun (and sometimes scary) hearing some of their feelings when they were drunk and even more fun to be the fly on the wall in these situations.  I even learned what some of them thought about me... 

We made a deal-I would drive them home when they were drunk, and on several occasions I made quite a bit of money as I charged each one of them 5 bucks.  AND, some of the girls  were quite grateful in.....other ways as well.  Fun days.

[ghouck]

I've never been drunk and only recently drank a whole cup of wine, but before that I never had more than a sip.  It used to really aggravate me when people would try to pressure me into drinking.  There was one guy I went on a couple of dates with.. he kept mentioning that we should go to a bar or a party  or something but I'd suggest something fun like mini golf and ice cream.. and when he came for a 3rd date, he got up while we were talking, scolded and lectured me about my immaturity and then stormed off.   I was so shocked and confused by it and I felt really ashamed.  When my friend came home, I was really upset and I told her about it and she said "You dork! He's just mad because he can't get you drunk and screw you!" so I never saw him again.

That's something I never understood: The whole banging a drunk chick thing. As much of a pie-hound as I used to be, I have NEVER banged a chick for the first time after either of us had been drinking. After you've been going out and screwing a bunch, sure, you do it drunk, but having alcohol be a possible contributing factor to an initial hookup is not cool IMO. Perhaps my ego needs fed more than others', but to bang a chick because she's drunk rather than because she wants me to do it just isn't my thing.

Of course, that's an easy position to take when you're as good looking as I am. . .