Episode: 3251
Title: HPR3251: Opposing Views on Alcohol
Source: https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/ccdn.php?filename=/eps/hpr3251/hpr3251.mp3
Transcribed: 2025-10-24 19:43:43

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This is Haka Public Radio Episode 3251 for Monday 18th of January 2021.
Today's show is entitled, Opposing Human Alcohol.
It is hosted by Windigo and is about 31 minutes long and carries an explicit flag.
The summary is, Windigo and Mrs. Haka, and you'll discuss a view on alcohol.
This episode of HPR is brought to you by archive.org.
Support universal access to all knowledge by heading over to archive.org forward slash donate.
Hello, Haka Public Radio.
This is Windigo and I'm with Mrs. Honeyhume.
And we're going to talk about how we can't agree on things.
Actually, we're going to be talking about how we have very different opinions on certain subjects, many of which.
But today, we're going to talk about alcohol in particular.
Would you like to state your position for the record?
I am pro-alcohol.
That sounds awful.
Do you want to elaborate a little bit?
I believe you should be able to partake in libations responsibly.
That sounds better.
And I think alcohol is pants.
I hate it.
I don't understand why anyone would drink it or imbibe it or whatever.
I understand like it has practical uses and I understand the process of making it sounds fun.
I have no qualms about making alcohol, but I have never been drunk, never really drunk,
just abstain in every form.
I have not.
I have been drunk and I drink alcohol periodically.
Yeah.
And just so we're clear, like we are opposite ends of the viewpoint spectrum.
But you don't...
No, I'm not an alcoholic.
You're not an alcoholic.
You rarely drink.
No, yes.
But, you know, in college.
Yeah.
Every weekend.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Sometimes on Thursdays.
Sometimes on Thursdays.
Yeah.
I don't know if that's good or not, but it doesn't sound bad.
It's normal.
Mm-hmm.
No, I've seen you in ebraid and that's another thing.
I don't only dislike drinking or getting drunk myself, I am not fond of inebriated people
or people inviting near me.
It's just the whole thing.
The whole circumstance I dislike.
But that's also because you haven't been in it.
You haven't felt it and the freedom and liberation, I guess that comes with liquid courage,
if you will.
Yeah.
Well, none of that appeals to me.
I don't feel like I need any extra freedom, like chemically induced.
I feel perfectly free of it is.
I don't need any alterations to my personality or my perceptions.
You don't think it would help with like social anxiety or social situations to kind of have
an edge taken off?
Maybe.
It also might help you kill a man.
It doesn't mean I'm looking for that kind of edge.
I'm not saying to get wasted and kill someone.
I'm saying.
No, that was a facetious like extreme example for sure.
I'm saying to have a drink and enjoy that beverage and it's delicious flavors.
And the little bit of like warmness you get in your cheeks and that little bit of like,
I can do almost anything because it's good.
Well, so except for that last point, this is another thing that baffles me.
None of those related to alcohol except for the dropping of your inhibitions.
And that part I hate.
I hate the thought that I could drink a beverage and all of a sudden I'm okay with doing something
that's stone cold sober.
I would not ever do like dancing.
Stay tuned Hacker Public Radio.
No, it's you're right.
Maybe I would be more interested in dancing if I was drunk.
Maybe.
I just I don't know.
None of that appeals to me.
I don't want my inhibitions lowered.
I have taken a lifetime to raise them exactly where they are.
But you're also missing out on flavors.
Kind of.
They have non-alcoholic drinks and often people will say, you have to try this alcoholic
drink.
It tastes just like this non-alcoholic thing that you like.
It's like, I'll just eat it.
I don't know.
I have no example right now.
I'll eat a s'more if they had a s'more drink.
I don't know if they have a s'more drink.
But like wine, there's nothing else that tastes quite like wine.
Like we drink sparkling apple cider and we've had sparkling grape juice and they're very
good.
Yeah, but they're fruity.
But they're fruity.
They're not the same as having a wine.
And I feel like that's, or rum, you know, there's, I love a spiced rum and there is nothing
else that tastes even remotely close to that.
Suppose, I know my grandmother makes rum balls and I love those.
And up until a couple of years ago, I was under the impression that she cooked the rum
alcohol content out.
That might not be the case.
And they might have just been keeping the kids quiet at Christmas.
So you might have consumed alcohol without realizing it?
Oh, I'm sure I've consumed alcohol before, but I've never, as to my knowledge, I've never
consumed alcohol to the point where it would have any of the fancy, dancing effects that
people seem to like.
Like what, besides the rum balls, what else have you had?
Um, this is going to be super silly, but I have had a caloua and milk mixed drink once.
When was this?
It was on Christmas Eve with my mother.
How old were you?
Um, legally, I was 21.
Okay.
Um, I, I don't remember when, but, um, it was a long time ago.
And, um, it's like, I didn't feel any effects.
I don't even remember how it tasted.
Is it cool or coffee?
Yeah.
Yeah.
So it probably tastes like chocolate.
So it's like a, okay.
So it probably tasted like I was drinking a mocha for something when it's paired with
chocolate.
I, when it's paired with, um, I think half and half, it's a white Russian, mm-hmm,
like in the Big Lebowski.
Yes.
Yeah.
I don't really know if that was a collouin, no, but I guess that makes sense.
Yeah.
No, but it's like, I don't think coffee and liqueur tastes like coffee.
Okay.
It tastes like sugary, sweet, better than coffee flavor.
With, you know, some aftertaste.
I guess.
I don't, so I don't know.
It could be that there's this whole world of flavor that I'm missing out on.
But I have coffee.
I have all the other delicious foods out in the world.
I don't think, and there's, um, cooking wines and things, I'm sure I've had those
flavors in meals, if not, like just a glass.
Maybe, maybe you have, yeah, I don't know.
I don't know.
It's been a long time since I've gotten inebriated and being the age that we are, it's different
when you're older, the hangovers, much more intense and almost not worth it.
Yeah.
You're young, you can kind of bounce back and go to work the next day, but when you
get old, it's like, you've got a plan for the whole next day to be sick, and that's not
worth it anymore.
No.
And I'm, so I'm sure that that's an experience when you're younger.
I don't think anyone would argue that I'm losing out by not getting plastered.
No.
No.
No.
So I think our differences are just, you feel that like on special occasions.
Yeah.
And when the moment strikes, you like to have a drink.
Yes.
And I have never had a point in time where I thought, I wish I had a drink for this, or...
Well, I think it's like one of those activities where you come together and experience.
Like, when we taste test food, you know, you taste the food, I taste the food, we experience
it, we have a different, you know, interpretation and some you like and some you don't, and it's
like that, but in a different flavor profile, alcohol.
And so it's like, when you, it's like, people go wine tasting, people go whiskey tasting,
and they develop a sense of understanding the subtleties and the mixes and the flavors
and things like that.
And it's like an experience that people do together.
And that's not an experience that we have together.
Yeah, that's true.
We've never shared a drink.
No.
And I do know that there are several people.
There's some HVR contributors.
I have a co-worker who loves whiskey and is very, very particular about the, I don't know
how to describe anything.
So like, mouth feel is that a thing?
Yeah.
He has like flavor notes and all those fancy words to describe the alcohols he enjoyed.
I just, I have no interest, not, not one bit.
Well, and that's it.
I think there's a bit of like, like I had a glass of wine the other night and it was so
good.
And I know that this tastes so good and this is a great experience and it's enhancing,
you know, this evening.
And you're not even going to try that or participate in that.
Yeah.
Because it has alcohol in it, but like, that's like your line, you won't cross.
And I'm like, this wine is so good, you need to try this, you need to taste this and
you're like, nope.
Well, a part of it I think is because I'm worried I will like it because I have a very
addictive personality and I drink, you know, we make a pot of coffee a day and you have
a cup.
And I have the rest.
I tried Minecraft once, 10 years ago, and I've played it almost every single day since.
And I have never played an online massively multiplayer game because I wouldn't stop.
So I feel like there's a part of me that doesn't know if I would handle taking a drink,
like a real drink and feeling the effects.
It should be noted that I couldn't be with you if that happened.
Like I grew up with an alcoholic and I could not like live with one again by choice.
So yeah, for sure.
I support you.
I just don't necessarily understand it.
Yeah.
No, you're not twisting my armor.
No.
And I should say not many people have, like there are people who've been baffled and especially
when I went to England for Ogcamp, the first two.
People were just downright perplexed.
That was a thing.
It was like, just did not occur to people.
Which is fine.
But it's kind of a kind of a decision to understand each other.
Oh, well, it's, you know, it's in my head, so I don't think there is like, I get it, you
know, I'm sure there's other people who just abstained from that kind of thing.
Yeah.
And some people have like genetic dispositions that they're worried about and some people
are allergic.
Well, that's it.
D, if he has any alcohol because he had his liver replaced when he was so young, he
cannot.
He cannot have it.
Yeah.
And when you say young, it was when he was a baby.
Yeah.
When he was a baby.
Yeah.
He didn't try drinking a lot.
No, no, no.
He's not even a baby yet.
But he knows in his mind that that is not anything that's going to be able to be part
of his life.
Yeah.
Because of that.
So there are people that don't really have a choice.
And speaking of age, I often wonder if it's our culture in the, in the US because the
drinking ages 21 and it's something a lot of kids do is as a rebellious phase in, when
they're in high school.
We had prohibition in our country for a long time where it was illegal to sell or, I don't
know if it was illegal to drink alcohol, but it was definitely illegal to sell it.
Yeah.
So I wonder if I'm just reacting to those statements.
Well, and when I was young, my parents would let us taste what they had.
And we were never interested in it because mostly it was beer.
And I don't drink beer as an adult.
I don't find any interest in it.
I know it's an acquired taste, but I don't want to take the time to acquire it.
So I only drink the things that I think are tasty.
And I didn't drink until I was 21.
Yeah.
I was a rule follower.
Goody two shoes.
For sure.
I was like, I'm not going to, it wasn't worth the risk, you know?
Yeah.
And now as an adult, I know that the brain isn't done like forming until at least 25.
So introducing any substances that are not natural, such as, you know, drugs or alcohol
before your brain is fully formed, you never know the life long, like, damage that
I do.
That's true.
Which is what I preach to my students because, you know, I try to tell that to them.
Like, you don't know the long-term effects of the things that you are choosing to do
now.
So, like, just don't do it.
It's stupid.
Yeah.
You know, part of it, part of me makes me question whether it was cultural or not.
Like, if we were in Italy and wine was served at every meal for young and old like, maybe
you would be.
No.
Oh, like, if I was born in Italy, you raised there.
So I don't know because alcohol was a big part of my family and not like in a problematic
way.
I mean, sure.
Some of them.
And that they make their own wine?
Yeah.
I have a very Italian family in the Paris-Gondolas.
They make their own wine every summer.
I would love to go down and do that.
And that's one of the best receptions to me not drink that I've ever gotten.
My mother was talking to our cousin and they said, you should come down and make wine
with us.
Bring your son.
And my mother said, oh, he doesn't drink.
And they stopped for, like, maybe a split second and said, well, he's designated driver
then.
But you also don't enjoy being around and liberated people.
Yeah.
I really don't.
And that might also be family-wise because my family enjoyed drinking.
My grandfather was a liquor distributor.
One of my grandmother always had a martini and my mother, after he had passed away, realized
that when she smelled her father, he had a very distinct smell and it turned out that
smell was gin.
Yeah.
And she realized it afterwards.
And he wasn't like, if he was drunk, it didn't affect him in any way that I could detect.
He was always just grandpa.
It's interesting because I, because of growing up with an alcoholic, know that day after
smell on people, like, if you had beer the night before, there's a certain smell that people
have next day.
And it's like, I can tell what you were doing the other night.
I don't think it's something that the average person could probably just pick up on.
But if you're used to it, you know, like your mother and the gin, you just get it.
You associate it and you understand.
Yeah.
So, yeah, I do not enjoy people in there and they breed it.
And part of that was because I got mostly exposed when I was younger, not like, you know,
when I was a child, but when I was a teenager and my friends were drinking and everyone
was being stupid.
And it just, there's a level of anxiety that comes up when I'm around people who are
drunk because I don't know who they are anymore or what they're going to do.
Yeah.
I don't know what people are capable of and that I think I'm very interested in control.
I like to control my surroundings, preaching to the choir a bit.
Listen, I know how to relax sometimes though, but no, there's this, I, okay, when drinking
alcohol, there's this point, right?
It's like, oh, this is good.
And then there's the warm fuzzies and then there's a tipping point when you're like, you
feel really good and you can do anything.
And then you go over the hill and you get sloppy and you don't remember and you think you're
talking quiet and you're actually talking loud or, you know, your speech is starting to
slur and you don't necessarily realize it.
But there's this, it's almost like a peak like you get up to this point and when you're
not that point, it feels really good.
Like that's when that level of like before you lose control, I guess, is really intoxicating.
Oh, yeah.
I, none of that sounds appealing, not, not any of it.
Okay.
Well, it also depends on who you are because there's like, in my opinion, different kinds
of drugs, you know, there's anger.
Angry drugs.
There's happy drugs.
There's the people that think they can dance.
There's the people who suddenly love everybody, you know, and like, we played in college
a lot of games and it would seem I was getting better at the games when I was like getting
up that peak almost, you know, I was like, like I said, on top of the world and like feeling
brave and like saying things to people and just super friendly.
So yeah, there's different types of drugs.
And it's funny that you mentioned that because I've slowly become more tolerant of being
around people who have been drinking and I think it's partially because all of the people
I've been around have been more mature and maturing.
But you know, maybe I'm getting better, I don't know.
But the first time that I realized I was getting better, it was when we were playing
settlers of Catan and our, would they be house guests?
Our hosts?
Our hosts were drinking and they were a husband and wife and the wife was very drunk.
And I did not realize it because this was the first time I had met her and you told
me later how funny that was because she does not get that way around people.
And the only thing that happened was she got very giggly and was very okay with trades.
And her husband was taking advantage of it because he's a monster.
Yeah.
No.
And you want to trade me some lumber?
Sure.
Sure.
Yeah.
No, she's a happy like congenial person anyway.
Especially when she has alcohol and she's not, she's a mother of three children and a
special ed teacher and not someone that let's go a lot because she's often taken care
of others.
So to see her that way, it was like maybe the second time I had ever seen her like that
in my life.
And I was like so surprised.
And I thought it was hilarious because I was like, I can't believe she let herself go
like that.
She had so much fun.
It was a great time and it was really kind of cool to see.
And then you were like, what?
I didn't realize that at all.
Yeah.
I mean, she was obviously being very silly, but this is the first time I met her.
So she could have just always been that way.
No, she's a silly drunk.
Mm-hmm.
You know, some people get aggressive.
I mean, everyone has their own reaction.
And I think that experience of getting inebriated and finding out that kind of side of yourself
is, I don't know, I'm not saying it's essential.
It's just something that I think writes a right of passage or almost, you know, that people
go through.
Nope.
No thanks.
So as the person sitting inside of my head all the time, I am perfectly okay keeping some
doors closed.
It's like, I don't like, what if I'm a vile, hateful drunk person who just goes after
people for no reason.
I don't want to do that.
But living in what ifs is like lame.
I agree.
So let's shut that down right now.
No.
There's no what if.
Okay.
Mm-hmm.
I'm just saying, if you're in like a comfortable place with people that you trust.
Well that's it.
They would be the people I would not want to expose to that person.
No thanks.
I guess.
I don't know.
No.
Maybe if I was locked in a bunker.
By yourself?
Sure.
No.
If you think drunk by yourself is sad.
I wouldn't be doing it every weekend or anything.
Just a one time experience.
Yeah.
I guess.
I don't like that.
You wouldn't know how you were.
We recorded on a videotape that I could destroy later.
Hmm.
You don't have a concrete bunker.
Do you?
No.
But someone out there might.
They might offer it up at the end of this.
And.
This is not what I thought was going to happen during this episode.
You brought it up.
If we get.
Like comments offering an undisclosed location.
Good grief.
Yeah.
I just think it's a piece of the puzzle.
An experience to being an adult, I guess.
That I feel like you're missing out on.
And it's something that we don't get to participate in together.
Yeah.
Well, we've.
So we've had differences in opinions on experiences in general before.
Yes.
Like I.
More episodes.
More episodes.
I argued that I didn't think.
Live music was that pick of a deal.
And you have you've pulled me over on that one.
Yeah.
Okay.
I'm going to add to the list.
No.
We don't need a bigger list.
Oh.
You're actually keeping a list.
Yes.
A little list.
Mrs. Honey Hume just turned her iPhone around and showed me the list.
And there's seven items on it, I think.
So.
Yeah.
I thought that was a.
Expression.
But no, you have a text file.
A literal text file.
Yes.
So yeah, scratch music.
That's fine.
Okay.
But I.
Yeah.
I don't think I value experiences as a whole as much as you do.
I wonder if there's anything to do with like the senses.
Oh, like back to how you can.
You can smell when someone's been drunk.
Yeah.
Because you just have a very heightened sense of smell.
Unfortunately for you.
Yeah.
But like an alcohol is an experience in flavor.
And in like.
It's a whole body thing.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
And drinking just.
You drink water.
You drink coffee.
Like drinking feels like a natural way to get things in your body.
So this is just a way to get something in your body that makes you feel more fuzzy.
Yeah.
But I don't.
I wouldn't.
Like the method of getting it into me isn't what's holding me up.
It's the reaction that your brain will have.
It's the reaction it might have.
Yeah.
I don't like the possibilities.
I don't like what I've seen of certain people on their drunk.
And some people are just fine when they're drunk.
But.
No.
And especially my family has a very mixed possibilities.
Like you mentioned there's some people that angry and some people that get friendly.
Yeah.
They're drunk.
There's I have a pair of cousins who are brothers who are one of one of them is each of those.
And they're like jekyll and hide.
So that one of them's kind of rough and angry when he's sober.
And then is the nicest guy in the world when he drinks.
And then one of them is the nicest guy in the world when he's sober.
And you get the picture.
Yeah.
Oh.
Okay.
I think this is just one of those things that's going to be agreed to disagree.
Oh, I would be very surprised if any of these episodes ends with, you know what, Mrs. Honey?
You're right.
Or, you know, when to go?
You've got a point.
No.
I think this is just-
We've been together 16 years.
Yeah.
These are the awkward bricks that fit together just right enough to make our foundation strong.
I think that that friction keeps us interesting.
You know, we're not-
Yes.
You know, we're not just a personality that are melding together.
We have these things that are just we feel strongly in one way or the other.
And I think that keeps, I don't know.
Oh, yeah.
I think I'd be of the opinion that if we didn't have these differences, one or both of us would get bored.
I would.
Yes.
I don't know if I would get bored or if I feel like my personality would push over you.
Mm-hmm.
Because I'm not someone who would have it the other way.
Yeah.
So.
Or I could see that.
Yeah.
No, I like that you kind of bump up against a grain a little bit.
Mm-hmm.
Which is good.
For the long term.
Well, until I get aggravated.
And then you lap in my aggravated face.
And that makes me more frustrated.
And that makes me more frustrated.
Yeah.
Is-
Is the fact that you're angry funny.
No.
It is not.
You're laughing right about it.
It's not funny.
Okay.
Okay.
Don't you feel like what you think of me?
The creed to disagree.
Oh my goodness.
Yeah.
So do we have anything else to talk about for alcohol?
Mm-hmm.
Don't drink and drive.
Oh, yeah.
There's no question about that.
I know, but like whether you like alcohol or not do responsibly, of course.
Of course.
Everything in moderation.
Yeah, but no.
Seriously, don't drink and drive.
Right.
Like it's not worth it for you or others. Yeah, we can find you a concrete bunker if you want.
Or like a taxi. Sure. Yeah. Uber if you want. Oh, that's not a thing. I don't drive.
Yeah, that'll be another episode. So I don't have any problems if I do drink alcohol. Yeah.
There you go. Why I can't drink. I'm the eternal designated driver. Listen, I put on a train once.
Okay, public transportation is okay too.
Is there a warrant out in Boston that I should know that? No, that was a real embarrassing night.
That's another thing. Alcohol makes good stories. No, it makes good bad stories. Okay, but yeah,
everyone loves telling a good this time. I got drunk story. I've got plenty of good stories about
other people being drunk. There you go. There's another reason I don't drink because
my friends that did drink got in a knife fight and ended up in my apartment two in the morning. So
I'm sure that the people of HPR have awesome stories of things that happened when they had alcohol.
Yeah, and if they do, they should record them and send them in as an episode. So I can listen to them.
Oh, that'd be awesome. I listen to all of them. Totally. And I would connect with them. I'd be like,
oh, yeah, I've been there. I've done that. Oh, yep. And you'd be like, this is stupid. Never, never me.
We're good. Okay, well, I think that's all we have to say. What is? Do you have anything you want to
say in closing? Happy New Year. Happy New Year. It's the day after Christmas. When we're recording this,
I don't know when it will go out, but I'm so excited. 2020's coming to an end. Yes. If I ever
was going to drink, it was going to be this year. But everybody have a good New Year's New Year's
Eve show if you make it. And we will see you later. Bye.
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