[SoftBoiledLife]

Is it right that I was dependent on a partially buzzed state to carry a conversation? Granted before I entered a group of mostly strangers I was accompanied by an extroverted friend and was assisted partly by a vow to try to participate in some of the group discussions going on. But it seems like the beer that was available helped artificially boost my interest in others.


Is this a good thing or bad thing? I'd rather not have to depend on alcohol to survive social situations!

 

[niss]

I've never drank alcohol and I would be uncomfortable having a drink if I felt that it changed my behavior.

 

[nightowl]

i dont mind have a drink ( plus being responsible and all that comes with it). The danger is when you become dependant on it to have courage or be extroverted. Its a fine line to walk!

 

[SoftBoiledLife]

i dont mind have a drink ( plus being responsible and all that comes with it). The danger is when you become dependant on it to have courage or be extroverted. Its a fine line to walk!

That's my fear. I don't want to become dependent on it. I want to gain my own initiative!

But I must say that it was quite interesting(not my first time, but just an observation I made for the first time nonetheless). While slightly buzzed, I was able to understand the mind of the extroverted. All my inhibitions were released. I had little fear of saying anything dumb, which I never ended up doing anyway. My interest in the topics was artificially boosted tenfold.

Problem is while I got to engage in conversations, my ISTJ self in post-buzz reflection felt it was superficial, which isn't surprising at all. Extroverted people don't put much as weight to close, meaningful relationships with a small group of friends.

 

[Hardstyler]

drinking makes me more extroverted

 

[lakamind]

When I drank alcohol I would become extroverted, sometimes to much, if you know what I mean:wink: . Since I don't drink anymore, 22 years, I have had periods of being extroverted, weeks even months at a time.

 

[Elysia]

I've never been tipsy/drunk before so I wouldn't really know. I do recall an incidence where I had had a small amount of alcohol and due to the context of the situation I found myself slightly less 'closed off' and had slightly less inhibitions, I was told later on that I seemed to be having more fun (as opposed to my normal 'boring' self) :crazy: though I myself felt that I did have more fun, mainly because I didn't care as much about how other people might perceive me. I did not find myself wanting to socialise with random people/acquaintances, in fact I found myself focusing on just my friends.

 

[Sela]

Ugh, the devil of booze. It DOES lower your inhibitions. I've found that at parties it has made more MUCH more talkative. No one else seemed to mind at all (a bunch of extroverts).

* Note: I am required to attend these parties; I belong to a fan club organization and we have these parties twice a year to raise money for various charities. For instance, one year we raised over $900 for the Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors Holocaust Museum.

 

[curious0610]

Be careful. At first I thought the buzzed feeling empowered me to carry on a conversation. but then I realized that alcohol never has the same effect on you - sometimes it will be positive. Other times, it can be completely opposite and just bring you down.

 

[SoftBoiledLife]

Be careful. At first I thought the buzzed feeling empowered me to carry on a conversation. but then I realized that alcohol never has the same effect on you - sometimes it will be positive. Other times, it can be completely opposite and just bring you down.

Strange. Every single time I got the buzz, I became extremely talkative. Not necessarily excited, but just more willing to talk.

I better be careful.

 

[curious0610]

To clarify -Certain types of alcohol have always made me more talkative, extroverted and feeling empowered to carry on a good conversation. But other types of alcohol - not so much. I always make sure to stop at that buzzed feeling because after that, i don't know if it'll go UP or DOWN.

 

[SoftBoiledLife]

I've never been tipsy/drunk before so I wouldn't really know. I do recall an incidence where I had had a small amount of alcohol and due to the context of the situation I found myself slightly less 'closed off' and had slightly less inhibitions, I was told later on that I seemed to be having more fun (as opposed to my normal 'boring' self) :crazy: though I myself felt that I did have more fun, mainly because I didn't care as much about how other people might perceive me. I did not find myself wanting to socialise with random people/acquaintances, in fact I found myself focusing on just my friends.

Sounds exactly like me. I didn't get tipsy or drunk either. Whatever alcohol I had just pulled off my personal reservations and made me more willing to talk to people around me. I didn't necessarily feel like meeting talking to new people, but if they approached me and introduced themselves, I obliged myself to continue the conversation.

I'm going to attend more of the same club's events if they have them and see how things go. If I can just get to know a few people there and make a few friends, that'd be awesome. What would be even cooler is if I could accomplish both without depending on alcohol.


I'll do my best. Root for me!!!! :crazy:

 

[OmarFW]

alchohol, weed, caffeine. It doesn't really matter what substance you use to cope. What matters is whether or not you have the ability to become dependent on it.

If you don't form dependencies, I don't really see any danger with utilizing third party substances ( in moderation of course) to unlock certain aspects of your personality until you gain the ability to do so naturally.

 

[SoftBoiledLife]

alchohol, weed, caffeine. It doesn't really matter what substance you use to cope. What matters is whether or not you have the ability to become dependent on it.

If you don't form dependencies, I don't really see any danger with utilizing third party substances ( in moderation of course) to unlock certain aspects of your personality until you gain the ability to do so naturally.

What I'm afraid of is that I won't be able to do it without alcohol. Imagine accumulating a high level of tolerance and requiring more and more alcohol just to get me going. At some point, I'd have to stop.


AFAIK, I'm not a jackass in public. I'm just really quiet, shy, and boring.

I've also noticed that having a good extroverted friend joining in a 3-man conversation really makes things easier.

 

[Elysia]

What I'm afraid of is that I won't be able to do it without alcohol. Imagine accumulating a high level of tolerance and requiring more and more alcohol just to get me going. At some point, I'd have to stop.

AFAIK, I'm not a jackass in public. I'm just really quiet, shy, and boring.

I've also noticed that having a good extroverted friend joining in a 3-man conversation really makes things easier.

I'd say just don't rely on alcohol at all simply because in certain situations you aren't going to be able to have access to alcohol so you might as well use your time to practice socialising without alcohol.

Random tangent:
What is up with the use of all these long acronyms that I've never heard of? It's quite prevalent among the various forums. I've had to Google the meanings of at least 5 acronyms so far :crazy:

I'd describe first impressions of myself as quiet, shy and boring too. I guess a way of combating 'boring-ness' could perhaps be in showing interest in the other person such as asking questions (without seeming like you're interrogating them). I love talking about myself to people I know well, but if it's with people I don't really know I tend to 'hide' many things and come off as 'boring'.

Having an extroverted friend joining in does make it easier, but I find that it usually ends up in me getting lost and staying silent.

 

[Namaste]

I wouldn't say drinking makes me more extroverted, but it does make me more relaxed and 'fun-loving'. I'm not a huge drinker though; I can live without it. I really only get drunk when I have a free weekend and I want to act crazy with some close friends, but that doesn't happen often.

 

[SoftBoiledLife]

I'd say just don't rely on alcohol at all simply because in certain situations you aren't going to be able to have access to alcohol so you might as well use your time to practice socialising without alcohol.

Random tangent:
What is up with the use of all these long acronyms that I've never heard of? It's quite prevalent among the various forums. I've had to Google the meanings of at least 5 acronyms so far :crazy:

I'd describe first impressions of myself as quiet, shy and boring too. I guess a way of combating 'boring-ness' could perhaps be in showing interest in the other person such as asking questions (without seeming like you're interrogating them). I love talking about myself to people I know well, but if it's with people I don't really know I tend to 'hide' many things and come off as 'boring'.

Having an extroverted friend joining in does make it easier, but I find that it usually ends up in me getting lost and staying silent.

Yeah. That one's a real toss-up. I can totally relate. In the best scenarios, the two discuss a topic you know something about, so it becomes a game of 3-way poker. But other times, you're left out, and it's just them two going back and forth.

 

[SoftBoiledLife]

I wouldn't say drinking makes me more extroverted, but it does make me more relaxed and 'fun-loving'. I'm not a huge drinker though; I can live without it. I really only get drunk when I have a free weekend and I want to act crazy with some close friends, but that doesn't happen often.

Yeah. The club doesn't sponsor events more than once a week, so I can rest assured for now knowing I won't be needing it too often.

 

[Rhee]

Fascinating.

I like observing/hearing about the effects of alochol ingestion in people, precisely because I can't drink. Something genetic in the body processing alcohol - my Dad can't drink, and I can't.

The last time I really got drunk, I found myself grinning like a maniac and flirting shamelessly with the woman I was with. I remember being high and thinking 'So THIS is why people drink!! NICE.' After getting out of the bar I nearly passed out on the street, and only got up after two hours.
The unfortunate recipient of my earlier attentions had to nurse me back to health on a park bench... we were on our third or fourth date, but thankfully she didn't ditch me that night and we're still together. Yeah she's my GF, and yes I still get teased about it.

Needless to say I've decided that alcohol as a social booster is no longer an option for me.
I'll be rooting for ya zeth006. A follow-up report would be interesting.

 

[Mercer]

Is it right that I was dependent on a partially buzzed state to carry a conversation? Granted before I entered a group of mostly strangers I was accompanied by an extroverted friend and was assisted partly by a vow to try to participate in some of the group discussions going on. But it seems like the beer that was available helped artificially boost my interest in others.


Is this a good thing or bad thing? I'd rather not have to depend on alcohol to survive social situations!

using alcohol to subside my introversion has had disasterous concequences.