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Drinking alcohol tends to be a large part of many traveler’s itineraries.
Ok, maybe not ‘itineraries,’ per se, but checking out a local pub or expat bar usually plays into the travel experience.
Sometimes, drinking is taken entirely too far, and ruins a trip or friendships. Other times, it simply creates too many missed hikes or day trips because of those gosh-darn hangovers that make you want to hurl at the thought of rolling out of that uncomfortable hostel bed.
So here we go with a new study that lets us know if you don’t drink alcohol, you’re more than likely to be depressed. Even more so than a heavy drinker, apparently. Alrighty, then.
And it’s not just depression, no no. It’s also anxiety disorders.
When they try and break down the “why,” it seems that most people who completely abstain from alcohol either have some extreme illness like chronic fatigue, or are former alcoholics, both of which are more prone toward “melancholy.”
Added to that is “the most powerful explanation”:
…It seems to be that abstainers have fewer close friends than drinkers, even though they tend to participate more often in organized social activities. Abstainers seem to have a harder time making strong friendship bonds, perhaps because they don’t have alcohol to lubricate their social interactions.
Yes, alcohol is a lubricant. When traveling, this can be especially helpful in sliding your way into a new situation where you don’t know anyone (especially when traveling alone). But really, abstainers have a harder time making strong friendship bonds? We clearly can’t be trusted to connect without a little tequila (or vodka, or red wine…).
I wonder if this is more an issue of self-acceptance and self-determination more than anything else. Not to say I don’t ever partake in a little drinky-drinky myself…
Do you think alcohol is a necessary social lubricant while traveling? Share your thoughts below.
Christine Garvin
Christine Garvin is a certified Nutrition Educator and holds a MA in Holistic Health Education. She is the founder/editor of Living Holistically...with a sense of humor and co-founder of Confronting Love. When she is not out traveling the world, she is busy writing, doing yoga, and performing hip-hop and bhangra. She also likes to pretend living in her hippie town of Fairfax, CA is like being on vacation.
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I haven’t had a drink for 5 years, and I traveled for 2 years. I love going out to clubs and bars, and most people don’t seem to notice I’m not drinking. All of the people I’ve met traveling that I’ve kept in contact with I’ve met in a guesthouse, on a bus, et cetera, and then go out with them afterward. I don’t recall meeting anyone that’s remained in my life long-term at a bar while I’ve been traveling.
Not only that, but I save a ton of money from not drinking. I may buy one Red Bull (or its equivalent) when I go out and that’s it. I get to travel longer and have to save less than my drinking counterparts. My non drinking hasn’t been a hindrance so far, and I don’t think my stories are any more or less boring than someone who does drink. I lived a crazy life before my decision to stop drinking, and I think I’m more entertaining now
To Turner’s comment…
Not trying to start an argument here but I disagree with what you said. There is no “invisible line” when you turn down a drink. There’s only you and taking your own actions. So what if they think they think you got a problem. If its for your health then why not turn it down. If they’re really you’re “boys” as you say then they wouldn’t have any problems with you turning down a drink. Simple as that. Again, there’s no moral superiority here. You know that drinks don’t make you a better person then why bother with them.
Valodneice: You go to dance clubs for conversation instead of pubs?
I drink because it makes me awesome at everything.
P.S. You’re all virgins.
Personally, I think alcohol plays a large part in understanding culture and history.
A trip to Italy without tasting a real Chianti?
A summer in France without partaking in their Bordeaux?
A study-abroad in Czech Republic without throwing back a pilsner?
Japan without sake?
Korea without soju?
When you’re tired of the temples or galleries or monuments, the place to keep the cultural exchange going, whether with others or not, is in the pub.
The only time someone cares about what’s in your glass is when they have a problem themselves. If you like booze, drink it, some of it is delicious, if you don’t, don’t. Problems only arise when people get all judgey about it. Go to a pub and have a coke, fine, but don’t sit there and leer at the people drinking a beer or think they’re inferior. If you’re drinking, don’t constantly be the ass who’s, well a drunken ass. In the end who really cares if you’re drinking or not? Just don’t be an overbearing idiot about whatever choice you make.
Alcohol is awesome at helping you let go and just relax and be more open….
but far from necessary. As I said, it is awesome at helping you -relax- and be -more open-
alcohol is unecessary if you already are completely relaxed, open and joyful. that is, as you say, if you are completely self-determined and comfortable.
i have experienced awesome moments socially, both with and without alcohol. nothing beats being in completely harmony with yourself, and transmitting that awesome energy to others…. it always bounces back.
with or without booze, being in good company and feeling good about yourself is the key to successful bonding.