Do you drink alcohol at all? (yes, it's firearms-related)

Do you drink alcohol at all?

  • Yes, I do.

    Votes: 100 69.0%

  • No, I do not.

    Votes: 45 31.0%
  • Total voters
    145
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jlbraun

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I have seen several members here saying that they do not drink at all, with the implication that it's related to their firearms ownership:

"I don't drink, because if I were ever in a defensive situation, I don't want to be forced to admit on the stand that I was drunk when I shot the home invader - because even if I'm in the right they'll still put me away"

"I carry everywhere, so I don't drink at all"

etc.

Note that "no" means "I totally abstain from alcohol even when I am not around firearms", not "I don't drink when I'm using firearms".

(ETA: Please, no bashing of another's choice to drink or abstain. We can all agree than drinking and handling firearms is a no-no, right?)
 
I don't drink or take drugs anymore because they nearly killed me. But it's nice to know that now that I am a gun owner/entusiast, it's one less thing to worry about...
 
Somehow I doubt that shooting someone who has broken into your home will suddenly become a crime, just because you had a beer in your own home.

Now if you get rip-roaring drunk, lots of bad things can happen to you, in general. People break their necks falling downstairs. That's the chance you take. And some people are addicted to alcohol. That's not a path I'd want to go down, and if I believed I was at risk, I wouldn't touch the stuff.

But I have a hard time seeing the off chance of a home invasion as a reason to forego having a drink if you want one. People sure seem to dig hard to find things to worry about.
 
I do not drink by personal choice. Has nothing to do with firearms. Still, that is another good reason not to. Lots of folks do. As long as they do not do it while handling firearms or driving, I say live and let live. If they do while handling firearms, I will not be anywhere in the vicinity for very long.
 
You can drink alcoholic beverages and own guns etc. Drinking while carrying is a big no-no. You just have to be responsible in your choices.
 
"I don't drink, because if I were ever in a defensive situation, I don't want to be forced to admit on the stand that I was drunk when I shot the home invader - because even if I'm in the right they'll still put me away"
Click to expand...

Well, I do drink alcoholic beverages, but doing so does not equate with drunkeness.

Perhaps I am fortunate in that I was raised in Italian-American household. Wine drinking was accepted as a normal part of the family dinner experience. It's hard to remember ever seeing a family member (parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents) abusing alcohol. It took me until college to abuse alcohol, and it took me to maturity to put it back into its proper place.
 
No I don't drink at all. Nothing to do with firearms though. I have had most of my friends have job, marital, and life ending problems directly related to alcoholism. So I stopped drinking learning from their mistakes.
 
I typically have a relaxing drink in the evening at home, and frequently have a beer or two with dinner when going out to eat.

I never handle firearms when I have been drinking. I do not drink to the point where I cannot handle simple actions requiring basic dexterity or reasonable judgement. "Drunk" is a term that has a legal definition, but also a subjective meaning.

I don't carry a handgun ( no CCW here ) but I do drive after having a beer or two, and this is safe and legal. Is it AS SAFE as driving with zero alcohol? That's a point to be debated by folks who like to try to argue how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. A car is just as big a responsibility as a firearm, and a small amount of alcohol for someone who is not overly sensitive to it (people's sensitivity to substances does vary) doesn't necessarily make one incompetent at either.

I'm not about to become a teetotaler, neither am I going to toss out all my firearms. There is a middle ground to be safely and legally walked (in most jurisdictions), where one can enjoy the benefits of both.
 
Oops, guess I should have read all of the question first. I DON'T drink alcohol at all when I go out shooting. Period. I do drink occasionally though when I home with my wife (usually wine with dinner on a weekend evening).
 
One cannot/should not let the fact that they are prepared to defend home, self, family and/or others with a firearm consume them to the point that every thing they do takes into account said firearms.

That said: I never drink when carrying outside the home - ever! But at home I will imbibe the occasional beer or two, sometimes maybe 3, or a glass of wine and that's about it. But those levels are a personal choice because though I enjoy the tase of a good beer or wine I do not enjoy the buzz one gets from the alcohol.

Is my judgement impacted by that little alcohol - undoubtedly - alcohol is a depressant after all - but so what? If someone breaks into my home with evil intent in OK I have the legal right to assume they are there to do me and mine bodily harm. If they happen to get dead when I am taking the necessary action to stop them then my mental condition is/should be irrelevant under most (stress most) conditions.

A good shoot is a good shoot!
 
Yes, I do. Our family loves a good glass of wine with dinner, or a beer (hotdogs and merlot are not my idea of a good time) as called for. I occasionally drink "hard stuff", although it is a rare thing for me to ever have more than two glasses of wine, two beers, or two of anything else in a long evening. My innards tend to not love me the next day if I do.

I don't get drunk. I don't lose control. I don't worry about it as regards my gun ownership at all.

Springmom

ETA:

I drink because people post threads like this one.
Click to expand...

I'll drink to that!
 
I find this offensive, in the extreme.
You bet your a** I drink alcoholic beverages. Every night with dinner I consume about six ounces of dark red wine. If you have a problem with that you'd go ballistic if you saw my cabinet shop with all the dangerous power tools.
:evil:
 
I don't drink. Not because I hav any issues with it in moderation. Its just that with kids, work, hobbies, etc. Why bother?
 
Um, Marty, nobody's indulging in personal attacks. Might be best if you weren't the one to start.

(By the way, I found a great Sangiovese at HEB yesterday. I'll let you know how it turns out ;))

Springmom
 
Well I don't drink simply because I give a damn about my right to bear arms WAY more than I do about alcohol. I can live with soft drinks. In fact, I like them better.

Some call me a wimp. I call it being responsible. I've seen how people act when they're drunk, I don't need that in my life causing big mistakes.
 
Yes. Carrying or not...and I always carry.
Think the same ol' arguments will come up? Heh heh...

Biker
 
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