Is being drug/alcohol free a noble and achievable goal?

It depends on how much you believe in yourself. I told myself that I wasn’t going to drink until I turned 21. And you know what? I was successful. Because I have the self control to know better. Sometimes I’m tempted, but instead, I will go get a glass of water. I don’t smoke pot. Cause I tried it once, and well, I don’t like being so paranoid.
Do you truly believe you can do it? Your smart, you know what you want. Don’t let peer pressure take over.

@shego I’ve never given in to peer pressure, and I do believe I can do it. I’m also curious if other people think they could do it, given the chance.

No, it just pretty ordinary – I can’t how it qualifies as a goal. If you don’t want to do something – then don’t. There is nothing remarkable about it. I have never taken drugs and only drink moderately, but then no one in my family has ever used drugs or been a drunk – so what is unusual?

People seem to equate denying pleasure with morality. I believe this has its roots in christianity.

Either way, morality is relative. If you think its noble, then go for it. But first think of why you are doing it.

Either way it should be very attainable, I know a lot of people who didn’t drink before 21.

In today’s society which doesn’t seem to be able to celebrate anything from a kid’s birthday to whatever, without alcohol being present, it would be a huge achievement.

The experiences you might be missing would include such wonderful things as hangovers, arrest (if you get caught with illegal drugs or the legal drug alcohol if you are underage), no memory of what you did or said the night before, no substance fueled ability to solve the problems of your mates and the world, no ability to be the funniest comedian that ever existed. If you’re female you won’t have to worry about getting so drunk you don’t know if you were raped or not, if you’re male you won’t have to worry about whether you’re going to be accused of rape or wonder if you might have pursued too vigorously.

You would miss all those fun things.

Go for it my friend, show by your example that it is possible to be sociable, have fun and go through life without the assistance of the numbing and mind altering legal drug and social lubricant known booze or (insert your drug of choice).

I don’t know about noble, but if you have an addictive personality or come from a family of addicts (like I do), then it’s probably a good idea.

I’m more interested in practical considerations than trying to define “noble” (which is subjective).

It is even more noble and achievable if you avoid it right from the beginning.

“Peer pressure” is a load of bullshit.
People are going to offer you drugs, alcohol, etc. But they’re never going to force you to do it. That just means less of it for them.

I say go for being drug-free. If you’re really tempted to do something, though, don’t hold back thinking “OH I made a promise to myself 5 years ago”. Constantly re-assess the situation.
Generally speaking, I’m doing the same thing as you. But I have had a beer (yes, one single beer) as well as a few puffs of marijuana in my life time (Never done tobacco, not even hookah, and never done anything stronger than marijuana).

To be honest, it feels good to not need those things, while other people seem to completely depend on them for a fun time.

I agree with @Sarcasm, people won’t force you to do drugs, they will just offer you some. You can either take it and try it, or tell them no thanks. They aren’t going to beat you up because you refuse to take it.

It may be a noble goal for some people. It wasn’t for me. I chose to smoke at first just to try it. The only things I have done are marijuana, and some pills, and Nos. I have never smoked a ciggaret and don’t plan to. I can stop if I want to, but it’s my choice. And nobody forced me to do it. Sometimes you just have to enjoy the wonderful things that were given to us.

It is noble to put the feelings of others before your own.

It is noble to perform selfless, anonymous acts of kindness and generosity.

It is noble to pursue any goal that results in the betterment of mankind as a whole.

Deciding to not drink or do drugs is a lifestyle choice.

I think the answers above about the relative (non) nobility of drug use are great. So I’d like to answer your question about whether it would be better to experience a little bit of everything. rooeytoo is half-right: some of what you would be missing ain’t so great. Beer and weed take awhile to adjust to – it’s easy to drink way too much and smoke senselessly. But it’s my feeling that if you know yourself and your drugs well enough to self-regulate, there’s nothing inherently wrong about indulging. Some drug experiences, however, such as those involving hallucinogens, are absolutely incredible. I don’t think it’s a good thing to deny yourself such experiences because you are trying to hold youself to an arbitrary moral principle. I’ll echo others and say it’s best to go with what you genuinely want to do at the time.

I never got hi and I have been drunk once and drink very rarely. The last drink I had was probably 10 years ago, I have tasted a drink here and there if someone one wanted me to try. I don’t think of myself as noble. Or, that it has to do with morality or anything like that. I think I just do what I want to do. I also think using alcohol and drugs is a bad habit to get into.

I think it depends on your environment. If you live in a place where everyone is a drunk and a drug addict, then yes it is. If your family is filled with drunks and drug addicts, then yes it is.

I think it is a noble goal quite certainly. The idea of not putting poisons or mind-altering substances in your body is honorable for many reasons. Peer pressure is tough so make sure your reasoning is sound and you are strong enough to withhold it. Myself and hubby made the same choice when we were 19–20 and it has been years since we partook in any of the activities you listed. We lost a lot of friends when we made our choice but it was worth it. On top of the physical and mental benefits we can now uphold our traditional cultural values more appropriately.

There is absolutely zero advantage to using alcohol or any drugs that your medical provider has not recommended/prescribed.

If you wish to optimize your health throughout your life, that is indeed a noble goal.

@YARNLADY
How do you define advantage? If being more sociable and enjoying yourself is an advantage, then no, there aren’t zero advantages.

There are zero times when you need to use alcohol or drugs to enjoy yourself.

@YARNLADY But it does make things more fun

@YARNLADY There are zero times when you need to use alcohol or drugs to enjoy yourself.

There might be zero times when you need alcohol (I am not a drug user) but there are many times when it is pleasurable and relaxing to do so. Our lives are not dictated by our needs, our “wants” have some input as well.

Alcohol is a drug, a legal one, but nonetheless a DRUG!

@rooeytoo Alcohol is a drug, a legal one, but nonetheless a DRUG!

Alcohol is an organic compound and a depressant. Drugs – of the kind that I am referring to here, are something taken for their stimulant effect.

@DarkScribe I’m not sure if you mean to say that drugs are stimulants because there are many drugs that are depressants. Alcohol being just one of them.

@DarkScribe
There are plenty of drugs that are depressants.

Didn’t you take DARE? They pounded into our heads that alcohol is a drug, I think to tie in with those already negative connotations.

@RedPowerLady _

The question was regarding “alcohol and drugs to enjoy yourself”. Such drugs are not usually depressants.

I am beginning to feel that fluther has a subset known as the “Pedantic Sisterhood.” Do you think that might be true?

There are zero times when you need to use alcohol or drugs to enjoy yourself.

This is the comment, but when I respond to it, I am reminded that alcohol is a drug. You don’t see the incongruity in such a response?

@DarkScribe – Sounds like semantics to me, the Mac dictionary says a drug is…

“a substance that has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body, etc.”

Alcohol is a drug, but you apparently prefer to call it something else because you don’t use drugs yet you use alcohol.

Is it a drug if someone else uses it to excess or to drown their troubles or numb their demons or become more easily sociable?

@DarkScribe All I’m saying is that many people use downers for fun, ie to enjoy themselves or why else would they be sold on the street by the huge numbers?

I am not getting into the actual argument itself, just that alcohol is a drug that people use to enjoy themselves.

However having just looked up the meaning of the word pedantic I may concede that it did describe my response. :)

@rooeytoo Sounds like semantics to me, the Mac dictionary says a drug is

I responded to yarnlady’s comment using yarnlady’s terminology.

I do know what alcohol is, I also know what common conceptions of recreational substances are. Drugs and alcohol are invariably differentiated – regardless of chemical or physiological classification.

Most party drugs in common usage both in my day and now are not depressants.

@RedPowerLady I may concede that it did describe my response. :)

Thank you – that was very gracious.

you guys are all totally killing my buzz. . .

@Blondesjon you guys are all totally killing my buzz. . .

Sorry ‘bout that. Light another one… ;)

You folks smoke beer in Australia?!?!

@Blondesjon (You folks smoke beer in Australia?!?!)

Sure.

(If you want a good investment tip – buy shares in the Federal Match company – beers are very hard to light.)

If you think they’re hard to light you should try and keep ‘em goin’.

is what some guy told me. . .

. . .stay in school kids.

@DarkScribe “This is the comment, but when I respond to it, I am reminded that alcohol is a drug. You don’t see the incongruity in such a response?”

I see the incongruity. That was a funny little exchange you guys had up there.

I would like to point out that it’s possible to expand your mental category for the word “drug.” I tend to think that what YARNLADY was referring to in her word choice was, in fact, more than non-alcohol stimulants, but also depressants. Most people are taught that “drug” encompasses both stimulants and depressants. C21H30O2, for example, is an organic compound and a depressant. And a notable party drug. So is C13H16ClNO, C4H8O3, and C18H21NO4 – not to mention good old C21H23NO5.

Sorry for all the links. I started it to be mildly snarky but it got fun and interesting cause I’m a nerd. Cool to see how all those things are made up of different combinations of the same elements.

The priority of whatever dreams and aspirations you have now may change to the drug or alcohol of your choice.
Read that again.
It is NOT worth it. If your family has a history of addictive personalities…beware. You only get one life – why f*** it up?

Yes and Yes. I commend anyone who’s never been curious or tempted or felt a need or has been able to resist drugs and alcohol. It’s not brought much positive in my life that I haven’t been able to enjoy without those things.

@Facade sorry to be so late responding, I’m ‘on the road for two weeks your answer: it does make things more fun is a fallacy that many people believe. It is a temporary illusion, but the damage done is unseen, and not apparent until a much later time.

From my experience, people who believe they are having ‘more fun’ when they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol are actually simply overriding their own better judgement, and their own best interest.

To achieve a goal of the best possible healthy outcome, avoiding all recreational use of drugs and alcohol is a worthy goal.

@YARNLADY I’m with you on this one.

I think so. I have never smoked anything in my life. I also never drank until I was about 24 or so. Then I went through a horrible divorce and drank alot. But through counseling and getting through the divorce I was able to stop. I’ve seen many people who have ruined their lives through addiction. Most if not all of them would give it up if they could. I grew up in a home that neither of my parents drank. But the majority of my relatives were drinkers if not full blown alcoholics. Seeing how they operated made me never want to be like them, and for the most part it stuck. For the vast majority of my life, and I’m now 49, I’ve been clean and sober except for about 1–2 years. But I have seen enough people that I know “but for the Grace of God, there go I” It is very easy to slip into the other side. But I do feel it is a choice.

I think the term “drug free” is a misnomer. Being “alcohol-less” is a risk factor for poorer health and earlier death. That’s because drinking in moderation is associated with better health and longer life than is either abstaining from alcohol or abusing it. That’s the consensus of scientific medical opinion.

P.S. No living person is really “alcohol free.” That’s because every person produces up to an ounce of absolute alcohol every day. It’s called endogenous ethanol production.

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/AlcoholAndHealth.html