History UsefulNotes / Alcohol

* BoozeBasedBuff: Generally, in RealLife, alcohol would be considered a "debuff" so to speak - it is a sedative, lessens intellectual capacity, makes fine motor skills far more difficult and so on. That said, as the article notes, chronic alcoholics often perform ''better'' while intoxicated enough to hold off withdrawals. For those who suffer from crippling anxiety or phobias (or several other mental conditions) a drink can provide some degree of temporary relief - and would therefore enhance their ability to publicly speak, publicly perform, experience sexual responses, or any number of other things, as well as easing a panic attack or such. This is ''why'' such individuals must be careful with such self-medication, because it can easily become alcoholism - but at the same time, it is roughly on the same level as taking an "as needed" prescribed medication for such. Whether you find a drink or a Valium/Klonopin/Xanax/etc (though [[ArtisticLicensePharmacology NOT]] BOTH!) better for relief from such conditions is an individual decision, but both require the same level of care to avoid addiction.

According to Wiki/TheOtherWiki, it is one of the world's oldest psychoactive substances (alongside cannabis and various fungi from ergot to cubensis). It is traditionally found in the form of a beverage such as beer, wine, or liquor, although in some contexts it can be inhaled to produce similar intoxication, and [[DeathSeeker some]] people prefer [[AssShove another way]] [[YouDoNOTWantToKnow of consuming beverage-form alcohol.]]

*** Quite a few of the ''other'' intoxication tests (such as reciting the English alphabet backwards, counting in a certain number as far as you can, or standing/hopping on one foot), though, are ''intentionally made to be failed,'' and even sober people can and will fail them. The general rule to protect yourself legally is ''not to do'' these tests, because your doing them on camera can be more evidence against you in court - and your right to silence and not to self-incriminate, if they are conducted post arrest in the US, covers the right to refuse them. A false-positive breathalyzer test can be thrown out in court - a false-positive breathalyzer plus stumbling over the alphabet backwards or falling when you try to hop on one foot just provides ''more'' "proof" for the prosecution, but then ''again'', [[{{Geek}} some]] [[{{Nerd}} types]] '''can''' do that first "other" test with ease.

[[caption-width-right:400:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons To alcohol! The cause of...and solution to...all of life's problems.]]]]

** How does excessive alcohol actually affect a driver? It has several effects, none of them good. See above under BoozeBasedBuff. It makes a driver sleepy and confused, as well as reducing their skills at actually operating the vehicle, while at the same time giving them false confidence in their ability to drive and heightening emotion. A drunk driver, may, for example, drive way too fast thinking he or she is going too slow. He or she may not be able to keep his or her car on the road or within lanes on the road. He or she may overestimate or underestimate a "safe" lane change or take a curve at the wrong distance or speed. He or she may not have the reaction time to make a sudden emergency stop or swerve to avoid danger. That most drunk drivers don't get into fatal accidents immediately as per the trope is NOT a reason to drive drunk - it is simply luck, and any time one chooses to drive drunk can be the time one is not lucky. Getting behind the wheel drunk is RussianRoulette that can not only kill you but others as well.