Mental State

Since we're talking about drinking, we're also talking about one's mental state, which is itself hard to get an accurate grip on generally, no less so because of the infusion of alcohol.  So, what is your mental state when drinking and drunk?  What is your mental state when sober, and the vital link, how does drinking change your normal mental state--does it exacerbate certain themes that don't quite swim to the surface typically, or does it reveal untethered personality traits, novel and jolting?  The answers are not explicit, and you shouldn't expect them to be, despite what I'm sure is a high desire for dependable definitions and succinctly cut categories.  One aspect of this relationship is that it changes over time--.  And that, as a good friend once said, it is a relationship, and not something lacking multiple dimensions, which is precisely the reason that you must, as a potential alcohol abuser (or that I have and attempt constant efforts) think about the relationship your sober self has to your drunk self, and how alcohol changes that black box over time as you or I gain experience with
drinking more regularly and more or less socially. Watch out for people that point out drinking as a simple activity, one that comes with no or little strings attached.  And, however much you desire to drink because it makes you more comfortable, watch out if your relationships  with other people start or end in a bottle.  I'm speaking here about romantic relationships as well, which I'll touch on briefly right now.  Booze may provide you at times superhuman abilities in the sack (at least you may think so), or the ability to charm endlessly, but that chimera will fade over time, and you'll need to be able to face the person you may or may not be physically, mentally, or emotionally entangled with both when you shine and when you're dull, when there's silence, when you disagree publicly, decide that certain friends are not worthy of attention, or when you feel neglected or alone.  I'm not saying that there's no place for a beer or a bottle of wine in relationships--not at all.  What  I'm getting at, though, is fundamentally based on how your relationship with alcohol can translate or be exported to your relationships overall, particularly if and when it is involved in the beginning stages of courtship or romance.  There's a reason not to drink, if you are looking.