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I Need a Freaking Drink
aka: I Need A Drink

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A drink to help you think!
"In victory, you deserve champagne; in defeat, you need it."

Ever just have one of those days? Where things just go From Bad to Worse? Everything that could go wrong does go wrong? Does the entire universe have it in for you? Or have you just had enough of being the Only Sane Employee / Only Sane Person Surrounded by Idiots?

That's when you just say to yourself (or whoever happens to overhear)... "I need a freaking drink."

This comes in one of three flavors:

While this is similar to Drowning My Sorrows, this is only a temporary solution. If the situation is especially bad, the drink can incite the same reaction as the Beergasm. Once they have the freaking drink, they're back on their feet with their head securely attached and ready to get back to business. Someone who needs a freaking drink will never have a Beard of Sorrow, either. If they need nicotine to go with their alcohol they may opt for a Cigarette of Anxiety.

Like with a Precision F-Strike for a character that rarely swears, seeing The Teetotaler or a likewise Straight Edge person engaging in this kind of behavior is a surefire sign that things have gotten really serious.

Contrast No More for Me and Liquid Courage. Also see Gigantic Gulp. Occasionally, the drink might be milk or tea for Brits.


Examples:

    open/close all folders 

    Advertising 
  • After the exercise equipment company Peloton released an infamous ad, titled "The Gift That Gives Back", that seemed to imply that a woman's husband was forcing her to work out of dissatisfaction with her weight (and presenting this as heartwarming), Ryan Reynolds, co-owner of the liquor company Aviation Gin, responded with an ad of his own, "The Gift That Doesn't Give Back". In it, the actress who played the woman in the Peloton ad is seen at a bar with two of her friends getting plastered on gin, clearly trying to suppress her memory of the whole experience.

    Anime & Manga 
  • Haida in Aggretsuko resorts to drinking during his roughest points. At one point in the Christmas Special, a bartender hands him a bottle of whisky and he downs half of it in less than thirty seconds.
  • In Attack on Titan, there are few situations that warrant a drink more than being in the grip of a Titan. To emphasize the cruelty of the series, one guy who is in this situation finds a bottle of good wine and tries to have one last drink...but the bottle is empty.
  • El-Hazard: The Magnificent World: From the OVA, Fujisawa-sensei has a moment like this when he realizes that he and his student Makoto aren't at Shininome High School anymore and scrambles for both a cigarette and a nip from his handy flask:
    Fujisawa-sensei: You saw him, too? I thought I had the DTs. I need a cigarette... Everything's fine, relax, stay cool... [takes a long drag] That's it, a drink! That'll calm my nerves. Where is it? Ahh... [sees empty flask] Ahh, gone! No drink?! I need a drink! I can't live without it!
    Makoto: Sensei...
    [woman heard screaming off-camera]
    Makoto: Hey!
    Fujisawa-sensei: Oh, shit! Someone else is out of alcohol!
  • In The Familiar of Zero, Louise sees her familiar/servant/friend/love interest/(It's complicated!), Saito in a hot bath (heavily improvised, late at night, and out in school grounds) she angrily stormed off (all the while making herself even angrier by insisting to herself she had no reason to be angry) and grabbed a drink about to be ingested by another student. Through a long series of events (irrelevant to this example), the drink was spiked with a love potion (that also seriously altered her personality, apparently...) and only made the issue worse... for everyone.
  • Hero Union BBS:
    • One thread is about a kogal (in this case, an airheaded one) and a samurai who are paired together and given guns in poor condition in order to fight the dark lord. In response to the duo's ignorant actions with the firearms, one hero, a serious assassin, finally breaks down and says, "Screw it, I'm drinking! I can't handle this!"
    • Oracle Hero was so fed up with the way his adventure was turning out that he made a rant thread titled, "I can't keep this up without drinking", got completely drunk, then spammed his thread so much that it crashed the entire board.
    • A Running Gag involving Shrine Maiden Princess has her claiming to need her "restoratives" whenever she gets sufficiently stressed out or bewildered by the contents of the current thread. If she does actually leave to get them, she will always return totally hammered.
  • Non-alcoholic example in Kaguya-sama: Love Is War where Maki asked Ishigami for a full pot of herbal tea after being told by her unrequited crush, Tsubasa that Kashiwagi has gotten pregnant with his baby.
  • Project Ako: Captain Napolipolita was such a nervous wreck her bottle ran dry before her spaceship arrived on Earth. The dub employs the trope without the F-word while the original Japanese had her screaming for sake. Her situation does not appear to improve much after her ship becomes stranded on Earth.
  • Puella Magi Madoka Magica: From the latter half of Episode 6, from Madoka's mom, when Madoka talks to her about her problems, and how it's harder to recover from mistakes as an adult:
    Madoka's mom: It's always hard being a grown-up. That's what alcohol's for.
  • This is Reika's response to the Zombie Apocalypse in Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, constantly getting drunk so she doesn't have to think about it. This leaves her addled and unable to defend herself when a Zombie Infectee approaches her, leading to her infection.

    Card Games 
  • Magic: The Gathering gives us Fleeting Image. It starts out as No More for Me. But when the floating thing comes back, he decides trying to sober up didn't help.
    Horas swore off drinking, but after meeting the creature a second time he decided he'd better start again.

    Comedy 
  • Dr. Conway (known as Uncle Kage) was talking about his woes with the "ABC" Security Company — then he slipped and said the company's real name (ADT). While he usually sips wine from a glass throughout his show, after that goof he chugged straight from the bottle, much to the amusement of the audience.
  • Kathy Griffin's mother's reaction to hearing that Kathy would be going on a cruise with lesbians and their children: "I need a drink!" *click*

    Comic Books 
  • The guidance counsellor in Archie Comics does this in response to the students' crazy personalities/aspirations. This being Archie of course, he goes to Generic Pepto-Bismol to deal with the stomach ulcers caused by the stress rather than alcohol. He's typically downing an entire bottle of the stuff by the end of one of his stories, if not by the middle.
  • In Atomic Robo: The Shadow Beyond Time, this is Carl Sagan's response to encountering an Eldritch Abomination:
    Sagan: I require a stiff drink. Several of them, in fact. Enough to paralyze a cow.
  • In the PSmIth arc of Buck Godot: Zap Gun for Hire, Der Rock the Destroyer ends up making a big order at the bar after getting Out-Gambitted by the hero.
    Der Rock: You. Get me a drink. Make it large, strong, to go and put it on Godot's tab.
  • Firefly: The Sting: When Inara is faced with the task of seducing Logar, she mutters that she's going to need a glass of champagne, adding in her thoughts, "Or twelve. I prefer choosing my own clients, not being used as an accessory."
  • The Flash: Captain Cold needs a damn beer.
  • Hellfire Gala: After reading Captain America's mind and discovering she reminds him of his mother, who was born at least a hundred years ago, Emma Frost has the appropriate response:
    Emma: I need a drink.
    Kate: You have one.
    Emma: I need another!
  • Infinity Wars: After saving Adam Warlock from (yet another) death, Dr. Strange feels the best reaction to seeing what it was they just saw is have a drink.
  • Iron Man:
    • A great inversion of this during the original "Armor Wars" story arc: "Even though I've never wanted a drink more... I've never needed one less."
    • During Fear Itself, the Grey Gargoyle's slaughter of Paris forces him back into alcoholism, not helped by enabling dwarves and endless amounts of mead.
  • Nextwave: "My robot brain needs beer."
  • Red Sonja is frequently shown arriving in town, heading to the nearest bar, and drinking just to deal with the difficulties of getting to the town. She lands the trope line when she arrives in New York and starts wandering Harlem trying to figure out what a modern tavern looks like.
  • Revival has a scene where Wayne and Ken converse in Ken's living room. Diane offers Wayne a beer, which he refuses. She violently demonstrates that she is a reviver and he accepts the drink.
  • In The Simpsons Charlie and the Chocolate Parody, Krusty starts his promotional tour of his new merchandise factory (after initially forgetting about it and sleeping in) with a look at a cyborg monkey-run assembly line.
    Barney: Is there anything to drink?
    Krusty: You bet, and I'm going to need it after this death march.
  • The Simpsons Futurama Crossover Crisis: When every fictional character from every book comes to life in the second miniseries and are about to cause lots of trouble in New New York:
    Bender: Who's up for getting so drunk we don't care about the danger!
    Homer: [raising his hand] I AM!
    Fry: [raising his hand as well] YO!
  • In Superman crossover Escape from the Phantom Zone, when Supergirl says she needs her help to break into a black ops facility, Batgirl decides she needs coffee to get through that conversation.
  • Tintin:
  • Walter Melon: Unlike his father, Achille Talon usually avoids heavy drinking. However, in Le TrĂ©sor de Virgule, after finding out his fiancĂ©e had bought several (fake) shrunken heads as souvenirs, Achille grabs Arthur de Glouswallow's whiskey bottle and gets promptly plastered.
    Achille: I'll never understand either Platopabo or women!
  • Wonder Woman: Dead Earth: After bringing Diana to the Batcave and placing her in the healing pod, Bruce, already dying from radiation poisoning, sits for a drink on a couch overlooking the ruins of Gotham, the same couch his corpse is found on centuries later.
  • X-Factor (2006): Theresa is a recovering alcoholic. Throughout the series, she is subjected to a great deal of stress and trauma including the death of her baby and finally gives into temptation after an encounter with the Morrigan. She is only stopped by the ghost of her dead father.
  • In Young Justice Secret Origins 80-Page Giant, Arowette's story, "Shafted", ends with her guidance counselor recording that her advice inadvertently encouraged Cissie to continue being Arrowette to spite her mom, and she's unable to do anything about it without breaking confidentiality. She is holding a very large glass of wine.

    Comic Strips 
  • Bloom County: A harried Opus is the new Bloom Picayune "Ombudsman." After frantically answering phone calls from irate subscribers, we find out why he's called that:
    Opus: SOMEBODY POUR ME A BUD!
  • Calvin and Hobbes: Calvin's teacher Miss Wormwood has done this at least once. She also variously downs antiacid medicine, coffee, and large quantities of cigarettes. But with Calvin in front of her for several hours every day, who wouldn't...
    Calvin: Does her doctor know she mixes all those medicines?
  • Liō: When Lio's dad sees his son running around with mutant toasts, he begins pouring booze into his #1 Dad coffee mug.

    Films — Animation 
  • In Fun and Fancy Free, Jiminy Cricket, of all people, on hearing Edgar Bergen's description of the giant, declares, "That calls for a drink!". He promptly drains an entire cocktail glass through a straw, then hiccups.
  • In Ralph Breaks the Internet, Felix orders his first ever root beer from Tapper's after adopting the Sugar Rush racers when their game was unplugged. Woefully unprepared for managing fifteen hyperactive and chaotic children left him the most stressed he'd ever been in his life.
  • In The Simpsons Movie, as the dome is being lowered on Springfield, congregants of the local church see it and run into Moe's Tavern. Meanwhile, those in Moe's Tavern run into the church.

    Music 
  • "Seven Days" by Sting is about the singer trying to beat a dumb but strong guy for a girl. The second verse ends like this:
    My rival is Neanderthal, it makes me think
    Perhaps I need a drink
    IQ is no problem here
    We won't be playing scrabble for her hand I fear
    I need that beer
  • "Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota" by "Weird Al" Yankovic
    I was just so overwhelmed by its sheer immensity
    I had to pop myself a beer
  • "Beer in the Bar" by Basshunter is about needing to drink in order to keep posting music online.
  • Very many Country Music songs about Drowning My Sorrows, far too many to count, will also have the narrator explaining this in some way.
  • "Teenage Daughters" by Martina McBride, however, is a non-Drowning My Sorrows example (it's, obviously, about the highs and lows of raising teenage daughters). The first and last stanza of the song is:
    I ain't complaining, but I'm tired, so I'm just saying what I think
    And if we're being honest, then honestly, I think I need a drink
  • Also, there's Terri Clark's "The World Needs a Drink", where she fantasizes about gathering all the world powers together for a drink at the bar to forget their troubles.
  • The Drive By Truckers song "Daddy Needs a Drink".
  • "Smoke Break" by Carrie Underwood is about people who feel stressed out by everyday lives and express this phrase:
    ''She said, I don't drink
    But sometimes I need a stiff drink
    Sipping from a high, full glass
    Let the world fade away
    She said, I don't smoke
    But sometimes I need a long drag
    Yeah, I know it might sound bad
    But sometimes I need a smoke break
  • The Halestorm song "Here's To Us."
    Here's to you, fill the glass,
    'Cause the last few days have kicked my ass.''
  • The Joan Jett song Too Bad On Your Birthday is about consoling someone whose boyfriend just left her on her birthday and has a line that goes "if you need a drink babe, I'm buying."
  • The video for Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweat's song S.O.B. begins with Rateliff hiding in a building surrounded by police, causing him to rub his face and declare "Goddamn, I need a drink." This is said a few times in the song itself, as the song is about a person trying to quit booze and going through a particularly harrowing detox.
  • A common theme in the works of Jimmy Buffett, but his most famous example is a tropical tourist who's "wasting away again" in "Margaritaville":
    I blew out my flip flop
    Stepped on a pop top
    Cut my heel, had to cruise on back home
    But there's booze in the blender
    And soon it will render
    That frozen concoction that helps me hang on.
  • In the song "Wear A Mask", a parody of "Be Our Guest", the singer mentions needing a flask after hearing the belligerent excuses of people who refuse to wear masks for the COVID-19 Pandemic.
    Stop the lies, stop the fights!
    No one's taking away your rights!
    All this speculation makes me need a flask!

    Pro Wrestling 
  • After he and Tommy Dreamer lost to The Dudley Boys in the main event of (the first) ECW One Night Stand, The Sandman called for a beer.
  • At World-1's August 2005 Return Show, Sumie Sakai wandered to the bar, took a seat, and grabbed an unattended drink after being knocked out of the ring by Alere Little Feather.
  • In the main event of ROH FIFTH YEAR FESTIVAL: FINALE, which was thought to be Samoa Joe's final ROH match at the time, he wound up walking away after being thrown from the ring by Homicide and getting a beer.
  • While running from Christina Von Eerie during their non-tournament match at Beyond Tournament for Tomorrow II, November 17, 2013, Allysin Kay shouted, "I need a drink!". She got the drink, but then Christina chopped her, causing her to spit it out.
  • In the Blooper Reel Easter Egg on WWE's WWE Divas South of the Border DVD (2004), one of the clips is Torrie Wilson saying, "I think I need a drink."

    Podcasts 
  • Played straight on the online Test Cricket radio station Test Match Sofa, frequently admits to being run on booze; so much so that a running jingle says "Won't Someone, anyone, fix me a drink""
  • True Capitalist: Ghost often invokes this trope by name after a particularly effective set of trolls.
  • In Welcome to Night Vale, this is encouraged by the Sheriff's Secret Police.
    "Remember, if you see something, say nothing, and drink to forget."
  • In the D&D podcast The Lucky Die, after a series of split-party episodes, the team reunites and fill each other in on what they've learned. This includes the fact that the host of the social club they're staying at is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who are the sons of Baba Yaga. There's a pause, followed by laughter and "Yeah, you might wanna take that drink."

    Puppet Shows 
  • The Muppet Show: In one episode set in a train station because the theater is being fumigated, Miss Piggy opens a Veterinarian's Hospital sketch by attempting to extract a bottle of wine from a nearby box.

    Radio 
  • Bleak Expectations: After a harrowing encounter with his archnemesis possessing someone at a sĂ©ance, Pip Bin returns home to have a stiff drink, only to find his wife and sister have joined the temperance movement out of boredom and spite, and set about destroying every glass in the house. He and his brother in-law are forced to take to the streets of London to find a pub, to similarly poor luck. Later on, the Big Bad abducts Pip's wife and sister, and Pippa states that they are unharmed but "notwithstanding our recent stance on the issue, I could really do with a drink."
  • In the Cabin Pressure episode "Gdansk", when MJN Air is transporting an orchestra, Carolyn is confronted with a list of special requirements compiled by the conductor, who clearly finds many of them as absurd as she does ("The harpist will ignore you unless your aura is orange, there is nothing you can do to make your aura more orange"). Immediately after "The tubist must on no account be given alcohol" comes "The conductor must at all times be given alcohol".
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
    • When it's established that (due to the effects of the Infinite Improbability Drive) Ford and Trillian are the only two members of the core cast who haven't coincidentally met before:
      Zaphod: Oh, god. [rapidly] Ford, this is Trillian, Hi. Trillian, this is my semi-cousin Ford who shares three of the same mothers as me. Hi. [...] Zaphod Beeblebrox, this is a very large drink. Hi.
    • Earlier in the story, Ford pulls Arthur away from his sit down against a bulldozer and takes him to the Red Lion Pub to explain that (a) he's really an alien and (b) the Earth is going to be destroyed.
      Arthur: But can we trust them?
      Ford: Myself, I'd trust them to the end of the Earth.
      Arthur: Yes but how far is that?
      Ford: About twenty minutes away. Come on, I need a drink.
  • In The Men from the Ministry, after finding out that they've not only accidentally destroyed Sir Gregory's new house, but also put a Victorian Era convenience in its place, what's Lennox-Brown's reaction?
    Lennox-Brown: Get the brandy from the first aid cabinet.

    Roleplay 
  • It's not alcoholic, but the version of Kyle Rayner in DC Nation frequently "needs a sketchpad" in the aftermath of shit hitting fan.

    Theatre 
  • Near the end of 1776, John Hancock reverses his position on rum in the Congressional chamber after Rutledge and the South walk out over the anti-slavery clause. Not as funny as it sounds, as it's basically the Darkest Hour in the debate.
  • In The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), Romeo is about the drink the poison, kiss Juliet and die. As both characters are played by men, the actor playing Romeo takes another swig of the "poison" before kissing the man lying before him, as if hoping that the stuff will deaden his senses.
  • Hamilton:
    • After the infamous duel, Burr sings:
      I strike him right between his ribs
      I walk towards him, but I am ushered away
      They row him back across the Hudson
      I get a drink
    • In the "Laurens Interlude" number, Lafayette and Mulligan react mutely to the news of Laurens' death. Lafayette falls to his knees and weeps. Mulligan takes a pull from a hip flask.
  • Several productions of Les MisĂ©rables (including the 2012 film) have Fantine take a swig of something just before she makes her decision to be a prostitute.
  • The Moon is Blue:
    Patty: [suddenly] I'd like a drink.
    David: [promptly] Good idea.
    Don: I thought you considered it high school to drink unless you actually craved it.
    Patty: [defiantly] Well, I crave it now.
  • On yet another Shakesperian note, in Macbeth Lady Macbeth gets Duncan's guards drunk so that her husband can murder him. She needs a swig of wine afterwards to cope with what she's done.
  • On another Shakespearian note, in Romeo and Juliet, when the Nurse believes Juliet to be dead, she cries out for "aqua vitae" an archaic term for distilled spirits.
  • In Spamalot, the Lady of the Lake sings this in "Diva's Lament":
    I'm with a bunch of British Knights
    Prancing 'round in wooly tights
    I might as well go to the pub
  • Tosca: As Scarpia writes the letter of safe conduct before he can proceed with the Scarpia Ultimatum, the libretto calls for Tosca, who is on the receiving end, to chug the glass of wine he poured for her earlier, to help her endure what's to follow. And in doing so, she spots the knife...

    Video Games 
  • In Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel, returning character Cocona is often seen mentioning her need for a drink whenever you end up building some of the more reality-breaking items in the game, such as a floating tablet... out of spare parts.
  • Assassin's Creed Syndicate: Shaun Hastings, who runs the in-game database, is implied to have a moment like this, as relayed by Rebecca Crane. One of the characters who receives a bio is Mary-Anne Disraeli's pet corgy, Desmond. Desmond also happens to be the modern-day progaonist of I through III, who was Shaun's best friend and died in a Heroic Sacrifice. Shaun doesn't take it well.
    Shaun: Not funny, universe. Not funny at all.
    Rebecca: Jeez, what'd you find in there? Shaun's locked himself in his room, I can't find the whiskey, and I think I hear crying.
  • Implied in Bastion, which features a distillery where various types of alcohol can be equipped like normal equipment to provide passive bonuses. The further along the game goes, the more the Kid levels up and the more booze he can equip at once, which also coincides with the increasing level of terrible crap the Kid experiences in a post-apocalyptic hellhole.
  • In the Blood series, "I sure could use a drink." is one of the lines that's uttered by Caleb. After all he's been through, like being turned into a zombie and having his god desert him, you can't blame him.
  • In Bully, Galloway says "I need a drink!" if you annoy him by repeatedly writing gibberish in English class.
  • In Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly, Hyde enters the cafĂ© to see Lua and Baileys either exchanging sweet compliments or arguing over Lua "seeing everything as conflict". Either way, Hyde needs a spicy drink to wash it all down.
  • One of the disgruntled Motor World pedestrians in Crash Tag Team Racing exasperatedly shouts "I need a drink! That's an understatement."
  • Drinking at the Bar in the Inn is one of the many ways that heroes can relieve their Stress at the Hamlet in Darkest Dungeon.
  • The player dwarves of Deep Rock Galactic need no encouragement to drink—they are only too happy to drink before a mission, after a mission, or even vaguely contemplating a mission. On the other hand, Mission Control is the Straight Man and Only Sane Employee trying to keep a lid on the idiotic antics of the players, and the achievements strongly imply that the vagaries of player stupidity regularly drives them to the bottle.
    Achievement unlocked: Foreign Objects in the Launch Bay. You kicked every barrel into the launch bay. You are why Mission Control drinks.
  • James proposes this to his colleagues at the end of the bonus chapter of Detectives United III: Timeless Voyage. They're all extremely shaken by everything that's just happened to them, so he suggests that they "go have a glass of wine at the closest pub." The game's closing scene shows the three of them doing just that, collected around a table and enjoying drinks and each other's company.
  • In Disco Elysium, you have the option to react like this if you fail to brave the stench of the corpse while trying to get near it. Kim, knowing full well that Harry is a severe alcoholic, will sternly disapprove.
  • Dragon Age:
    • In Dragon Age: Origins, if you discuss Alistair becoming king and marrying Queen Anora with him and Arl Eamon at Arl Eamon's estate, Alistair will say, in a shaky voice, "I think I need a drink. Or ten."
      • Once Arl Howe explains that he hired the Antivan Crows to assassinate the surviving Wardens, Loghain turns away and drains his goblet.
      • In the Warden's Keep DLC, Levi will react this way after the encounter with the demon-possessed Sophia Dryden.
      Levi Dryden: I can't believe my great-great-grandmother was still alive! Well, sort of alive. Sort of... dead. I need a drink.
    • In Dragon Age II, Hawke can invite Varric to share a drink at the Hanged Man after dealing with Bartrand being warped by the lyrium idol in Act II of the game.
    • In Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian says this after a nasty confrontation with his father.
      Dorian: Now it's time to drink myself into a stupor. It's been that sort of day.
    • According to The World of Thedas, Vol. 2, King Cailan and Queen Anora — back when he was Ferelden's crown prince and she was his betrothed — went on a quest to deal with a giant which was plaguing part of the countryside. They were successful, but according to a companion who was with them for part of the quest, Anora summed up the experience by saying that "We're going to go have a drink. A lot of drinks. Maybe all the drinks." Neither of them was ever willing to discuss the details with anyone.
  • Overheard in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, in a conversation between Captain Lonely-Gale in Windhelm and a server in the local tavern. He lists a few things which are plaguing him, the last being an Abhorrent Admirer who "won't leave me alone." The server asks if he would like a drink, and the good captain replies, "Oh, very much so."
  • Fallen London has an entire side quest started by and devoted to one of these moments, though mostly caused by the fact the usual beer offered just isn't stiff enough. Plus, one of the ways to deal with your Nightmares is to invoke this with Laudanum instead of anything alcoholic or to go to the Carnival and start guzzling hot wine, never mind the fact your reputation'll be stained by being caught that drunk. Thus, many player characters live by this trope, witnessing awful stuff and reacting by drinking like maniacs.
    • Mr Wines 'is' this trope. Fairs fair, it does have a lot it wants to forget.
  • In Half-Life 2, the phrase "Huugh... I need a drink, who's with me?" is said by a Rebel Base Commander after surviving a raid by a Combine Hunter-Chopper.
  • One Gerudo woman in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild named Deltan can be found at the Noble Canteen drunkenly hunched over a table sobbing over all the men who have rejected her.
  • A non-alcoholic version happens in Live A Live. Colonel Darthe requests Cube to brew him a cup of coffee both as a sign that he's learn to appreciate Cube (as he refused the coffee at the beginning of the Distant Future Chapter) and that he needs to unwind after everything that's happened regarding OD-10 and the Behemoth.
  • In Mass Effect, a Renegade Shepard can destroy businessman Lorik Qui'in's career for being reluctant to testify against a corrupt Administrator. When he finds out, the poor guy's reaction is, "Excuse me, please. I feel the need to order more drinks while I can still afford them."
    • In Mass Effect 3: Citadel, this will be Jack's response to the suggestion that her and Miranda's mutual antagonism is actually Belligerent Sexual Tension and they should Get a Room!. Miranda concurs.
    • Also in Citadel, when infiltrating the social gathering at the casino, Shepard can run into a Spoiled Brat socialite. Then, up the stairs, is her father, who's busy getting drunk after dealing with her "self-indulgent phase" all day. When Shepard says that they've met the daughter, the father asks if they need a ryncol.
    • In Lair of the Shadow Broker, it turns out that Admiral/Councillor Anderson a) watches a lot of material that obviously annoys him (such as a documentary aimed at exonerating the bad guy of the first game) and b) buys a lot of expensive alcohol, usually immediately after watching said material. The inference is obvious, especially given that most of the time where that isn't happening, his work involves Ambassador Udina and/or the Citadel council, which would drive anyone to drink.
  • In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, one of Snake's radio support members Para-Medic, who has the job of telling him how to maintain his health and what animals and plants are okay for him to eat, informs him of a certain type of mushroom he has procured that should never be combined with alcohol. Para-Medic, being the good physician she is, explains that the mushroom inhibits the body's natural ability to absorb and break down alcohol so if you were to go drinking after eating it you would get a hangover from hell. Snake finds this fascinating but he takes Para-Medic's words as an insult, asking if she honestly thinks he would risk compromising the mission at hand by drinking alcohol, Para-Medic responds by saying that she is popping back a shot right now as they speak and says that Snake should join her and loosen up. Snake is flabbergasted by Para-Medic and grunts in disgust, who then says that she was only joking, which in frustration causes Snake to mutter under his breath, "Uh... I need a drink.", before ending the conversation.
  • In The Punisher video game, after you complete the Stark Enterprises level, a cutscene with Iron Man appears where he looks at the mess you made and, visibly shocked, says "I need a drink."
  • Resident Evil Village: After watching her phone call to Mother Miranda play out, you can enter the room Lady Dimitrescu just vacated and read a diary entry she left laying nearby. At the very end of the entry (which notes her frustration at being treated as if she's not superior to the other Mutant Lords despite seemingly being Miranda's favorite) she says the trope name almost verbatim.
  • Streets of Rogue: Beat the game as a bartender, he'll make a grand speech about his new cushy job as Mayor, when suddenly he's interrupted by the crowd demanding drinks just because he's rambling behind a podium that uses the same materials as a bar. Then he says, "I need a freaking drink."
  • In the original Japanese release of Super Mario Kart, Bowser and Peach down the bottle of champagne they receive when either of them wins in first place. Peach is even shown visibily tipsy after having done so.
  • More or less implied in a few Tales Series games. One case that leaps to mind is from Tales of the Abyss when the party briefly disbands in Grand Chokmah. You have to relocate a few of your party members. Jade Curtiss is in the bar.
  • During Episodes 3, 4, and 5 of The Walking Dead (Telltale), Kenny has this reaction to most events (after Duck and Katja have died, Kenny will be unable to refuse any bottles of Whiskey he finds) . Crista also falls prey to this despite being pregnant and Lee has the option to drink with Kenny and Chuck on several occasions.
    • Played With in a humourous way in Season 2 Episode 1, when Clementine has a juice box with her when she has to fix a wound on her arm. The player can invoke the trope by having her sip from the juice box before each step in the process.
  • Malvolio Portius requires a glass of Something Expensive before talking about WildStar's Chua.
  • In The Witcher, the phrase is uttered by Shani if you are on the Neutral path during chapter 5. As a doctor, she sets up a field hospital in the middle of a battlefield between the Order and the Scoia'tael and is treating both sides indiscriminately. Scoia'tael members barge in her hospital and, after seeing that she is treating humans, try to kill them and her. After Geralt disposes of them, members of the Order enter the hospital. Shani tells them that they are late and that their help is no longer needed, only for them to start attacking her and her non-human patients when they realize she is helping non-humans. Once again, Geralt deals with them, leaving behind a bloody mess in the middle of the hospital. At this point, a very shaken and distraught Shani says she needs a drink.
  • In a World of Warcraft cinematic trailer, two warriors locked in a life-or-death struggle were soundly defeated by a Pandaren. A later cinematic showed the two of them getting drunk while trying to come to terms with being beaten by a "bear".

    Web Animation 
  • Vegeta in Ducktalez 5, as a result of watching Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties with Scrooge in Ducktalez 4.
  • Helluva Boss: Stolas in "The Circus" falls into this trope so he can deal with Stella's constant remarks about their Awful Wedded Life in her not-divorced anniversary party. It becomes readily apparent when he demands absinthe in place of wine and starts drinking it by the bottle.
  • RWBY: Qrow's default response when things don't go his way is to resort to drinking. He's introduced getting drunk because he's preparing for a confrontation over General Ironwood's behaviour towards Professor Ozpin. When he has a tense meeting with his estranged sister, he asks the barmaid for another round. When his meeting with Professor Lionheart isn't as helpful as he hoped, he ditches the kids to find a bar. However, when he finally learns the truth that Professor Ozpin has been hiding, he's so devastated that he moves from this trope to Drowning My Sorrows by spending the whole of Volume 6 in a drunken stupor, leaving the kids to try and figure things out alone.
  • Zero Punctuation has Yahtzee doing this in the DayZ review.
    Yahtzee: So I started my first game, spawned on the shores of a mysterious land, made for the nearest visible building, and was immediately beaten to death by six squawking working-class zombies in flat caps. Then I paused to have a little drinkienote .
    • His avatar does this pretty frequently whenever he refers to having to psyche himself up for playing a game he's fairly certain he's going to hate.

    Webcomics 
  • In The Adventures of Dr. McNinja, the titular Doctor goes out to a bar after arguing with his parents. He orders a bottle of Jose Cuervo tequila and downs the entire bottle in the time it takes the bartender to turn around and get him a shot glass.
    Dr. McNinja: It disappeared! Oh my God! Jose Cuervo must have been a ninja too! HAHAHAHA! *thud*
  • Awful Hospital: After all she's been through, Fern is only too happy to follow Balmer, Methanyll, and Hyde when she finds out they have booze.
  • In what is likely an homage to Airplane!, at one point in Bob and George, Zero mentions "I picked the wrong week to stop snorting Energon cubes.
  • Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures:
  • Dead Winter:
  • Dork Tower:
    • Ken responds to a badly mangled takeoff of O. Henry's Gifts of the Magi:
      Ken: If anyone needs me, I'll be seeking the Spirit of Christmas Spirits. 98 proof.
    • Bill also gets in on the act.
      Carson: Isn't it premature for Bill to be hitting the celebratory champagne? Oh, never mind, that's vodka.
  • El Goonish Shive:
  • In one of the Erf World summer updates, Parson gets into a discussion with Jack and Maggie about the nature of time in Erfworld. At some point, he realizes that he is either too drunk or not drunk enough to participate in the conversation. Having no way to sober up, he gambles on the latter, and downs a wineskin.
  • Errant Story: Jon needs lots of freaking drinks after he, Sarine and Meji get away from the Giant Magic Potato. Of course, the next Oh, Crap! moment, just minutes later, leaves him Suddenly Sober. (Predictably, Sarine is stone sober throughout.)
  • Freefall: Winston Thurmad suspects he'll need one due to an upcoming discussion with Dvorak and Qwerty.
  • Friendship is Dragons: Three times so far:
    • Twilight Sparkle in the Nightmare Moon story arc at Pinkie's surprise party:
      Twilight: Well, yes, but... Why...? Ugh, I need a drink!
      DM: In-character or out-of-character?
      Twilight: BOTH!
    • The Dungeon Master in the "Dragonshy" story arc when a major plot hole is pointed out by the players.
    • Both Applejack and Twilight Sparkle when confronted by Pinkie Sense in the "Feeling Pinkie Keen" story arc.
  • Get Medieval: here
    Sir Gerard: Now, I just need a bath and a drink. A long bath, and a big drink.
    Eleanor: How long and how big?
    Sir Gerard: Could we just fill the tub with Ale?
  • Girl Genius:
    • Considering the week/months in comic time that the cast of has been having by this point, it's amazing that Wooster is the first to invoke this trope and that it took so long for him to feel the need to imbibe a little.
    • After seeing their rather unflattering portrayal in an act based on Agatha's adventures thus far, Gil and Tarvek declare in unison that they need a drink, and then go together to drink and commiserate.
    • When Bang, ah, assumes command of an airship in a rather bad situation, she calls for a meeting of the ship's senior crew once they're out of immediate danger, and adds that "somebody had better have rum!"
    • When Tarvek returns from talking with Othar Tryggvasen (GENTLEMAN ADVENTURER!), Gil is holding a glass of wine, which he hands to him:
      Gil: I'll bet you need this more than I do.
      Tarvek: This, and a troop of its little friends.
  • Grrl Power: Arianna sees a sudden surge of social media hits about the Mighty Halo on her computer. She glances at a bottle of roast coffee rum under a cloche, then takes a deep breath and follows the media alert. Upon seeing a picture of Sydney apparently kissing a demon (when she's actually him giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation) and the flood of social media messages to that affect, she pours herself that drink.
  • In Hark! A Vagrant, this is how Jane Austen reacts to Sense and Sensibility and Mister Darcy and Sharks in Space Riding Motorcycles Plus There Is a Time Machine.
  • Homestuck:
    • Roxy does this at the end of one conversation.
    • Early in Hivebent, Eridan does this while pondering his relationship with Feferi. Simultaneously, Feferi does the same thing for the same reason.
      Another emotionally exhausting conversation. Too many FEELINGS AND PROBLEMS. It couldn't be any clearer to you. You and this sea princess have splashed down hard into the moirail zone, and now you don't know which way's upward. Perhaps tonight you will reveal your true feelings toward her, and end these exaggerated emotional theatrics once and for all, one way or another.
      You need a stiff drink.
  • JL8 uses a child's version: "Root beer float. Make it a double."
  • JoJopolis has an example of I Need a Freaking Toke. After their encounter with Wolfman Jack, Jordan takes a puff of marijuana to unwind. Although Sonny calls him out for smoking right in front of him, a police officer, he shortly after asks him to pass the joint.
  • Lackadaisy: After an encounter with a ghostly duck, Wick is seen pouring himself a shot of whiskey with a helpless expression on his face.
  • Leaving the Cradle: After Mark helps bring the unconscious alien to their house, the very next thing he does right after that is take out a bottle of alcohol from the cabinet and start drinking.
  • Nodwick: After Piffany essentially out-lawyers a pair of devils, one of them proclaims,
    Devil: I do so need a three-martini lunch right now.
  • The Order of the Stick:
    • Variation in On the Origin of PCs; when Elan insists that you have to recruit adventurers in a tavern, Roy asks "Why? I need adventurers, not a drink. ...Well, not JUST a drink."
    • Played straight with the Cliffport Police Chief in "C.P.P.D. Blues".
      Da Chief: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing pixie dust.
    • Upon being "out-logicked" by Elan regarding General Tarquin's trustworthiness, an already-drunk Haley reaches out for Durkon's tankard.
      Durkon: Lass! Dinnae ye think ye've drank enough?
      Haley: Depends. Am I drunk enough yet that later, I won't remember getting out-logicked by Elan?
      Durkon: Och! Na. Ye'll need at least two more pints fer tha.
    • Durkon combines it with Brain Bleach in "The Comics Must Flow".
      Durkon: Och, it's times like this, I wish I had a 500-foot-tall bottle o' tequila!
      Roy: I don't think that would work to drown the worm.
      Durkon: Who said anythin' aboot tha worm? I jus' wanna get too blitzed ta remmemb'r this!
    • In the prequel story How the Paladin Got His Scar, after O-Chul and Hinjo (who is underage) are told the secret lore of the Sapphire Guard, we next see them at a bar.
      O-Chul: [pouring a shot] Here.
      Hinjo: I'm too—
      O-Chul: The day you learn you will be responsible for containing a god-eating horror that lives under our feet is the day you come of age. Drink.
  • Out There: Miriam always needs a freaking drink. Sherry, Araceli, Rebecca, et. al. sometimes need a freaking drink. Clayton never needs one, but he'll have one anyway, thank you.
  • Questionable Content:
  • Rusty and Co.: This is Robespierre's reaction to learning that he's part of the group embarked in a mission to save multiple universes.
    Robespierre: Robespierre is going to drink away his retirement fund.
  • Schlock Mercenary:
    • Kevyn orders multiple strong drinks, with carbonation so it hits his bloodstream fast enough to overpower his Super-Soldier boosts, after seeing General Xinchub's clone naked, and taking three amnesia pills.
    • The complications of sergeant Schlock's trial for assaulting a police officer lead Massey to declare he's having an olives-and-ethanol lunch.
  • Team Fortress 2:
    • Miss Pauling and the crew track down Sniper's parents, who turn out to be parodies of Jor-El and Lara. On learning that they used pretty much all the Australium left in the world to paint a bunch of space rockets that exploded, Miss Pauling gets handed a full wineglass and drains it.
    • Lar-Nah, in particular, dove into this trope to cope with her husband's sheer incompetence.
      Lar-Nah: ...and thanks to your father, everyone in New Zealand drowned, and we've been stuck in this sealed lab ever since.
      Bill-Bel: Where your mother has been trying to drown herself, one bottle of wine at a time.
  • Unsounded: As the monsterous living First Silver "weapon" and the inak revolutionaries converge on the city leaving a bloodbath in their wake Liro is seen hiding out under a table drinking, and reaching up to grab another drink as other characters discuss the carnage scratching at their sheild.
  • John Kossler of The Word Weary goes from The Teetotaler to this after a particularly bad day.

    Web Original 
  • Protectors of the Plot Continuum go through Bleeproducts like water, after most missions. Even before Bleeproducts are discovered: Intelligence Agent Architeuthis, while investigating a failed attempt at a humor fic, sees the self-insert and four hobbits going into the Prancing Pony. Of course, another (highly energetic) self-insert pops in, bounces off of Barliman, and glomps Frodo. In the scuffle, Architeuthis' drink is spilled.
    Architeuthis: I follow them in and order some good strong mead, as I've a feeling I'm going to need it before this job is through.
  • The sporkers of Das Sporking often get involved with this, taking advantage of the fact that most can summon drinks of their choice through various magical means. Mervin often makes use of this, with one memorable instance involving her drinking vodka in orange juice, getting increasingly exasperated with the work she was sporking (Twilight/New Moon) and as a result adding less and less orange juice to the vodka. By the end, she's drinking vodka with the orange juice added in with an eyedropper.

    Websites 
  • When the sporker of Conjugal Felicity decided to tackle the Maradonia Saga, he decides to ignore pointing out the countless spelling and grammar errors in favor of simply taking a drink for each one. When sporking the third book, upon reading a clumsily written part in which a character is raped, he tells his readers that "I am now drinking heavily to get that thought out of my head. I apologize if the rest of this sporking does not make any sense."
  • The Cracked column "7 Celebrity Animals: Where Are They Now? (A Drunk Column)" was supposed to just be a fun self-imposed drinking game for Soren, but ends with Soren doing this when he finds out that all his favorite and not so favorite Celebrity Animals are dead.
    Drink Count: Hard to say. I've been pouring out a lot of it and reevaluating some things.
  • Not Always Right:
  • SF Debris:
    • The review of Star Trek: Generations opens with what might be a fitting metaphor for the film: A bottle of booze!
      "Like the viewers' hopes, the bottle's dashed within the first few minutes."
    • One does not simply walk into VOY without rum. *sound of clinking ice*
    • In the re-release of "The 37's", Chuck says that whenever someone says "ancient" in Trek, he takes a drink. Not as a drinking game, but as a coping mechanism.
  • The end of the trivia section on Transformers Wiki article for the G1 episode "B.O.T." (widely considered to be the worst episode from any Transformers series):
    "Good God, I need a stiff drink."

    Web Videos 
  • The Angry Video Game Nerd does this quite a lot in response to always having to play such unforgivable games. His favorite seems to be Rolling Rock, and he apparently believes that the only thing better than Super Mario Bros. 3 is having a leprechaun bring him beer. The trope loses some of its impact due to the sheer amount of Rolling Rock he drinks. Sometimes, though, he'll break out some hard whiskey for when beer, alone, isn't enough for the occasion, such as when he revisited Dr. Jekell & Mr. Hyde.
  • Atop the Fourth Wall: Linkara has also done this by tossing back a bottle in a paper bag on occasion:
    • Every episode reviewing an issue of Marville opens with a drunk Linkara. Even when it's a holographic version of him! The very first review ends with this:
      Linkara: I'm not gonna review issue two next week. Why? Because if I'm gonna continue with Marville. I'M GONNA NEED A LOT OF ALCOHOL!
    • In Atop the Fourth Wall: The Movie, Linkara starts to write up his review of BloodGunn #1 and can barely make it past the first page before taking a swig from his flask.
  • The Autarch of Flame says this occasionally at the end of his countdowns. It becomes a Madness Mantra near the end of his "Top Ten Scariest Twin Peaks Moments"
  • Bad Movie Beatdown: In his review of Seven Pounds, Film Brain signs off with "...and I need a stiff drink."
  • GM Dave of Bannable Offenses is quite the heavy drinker, mostly due to the fact that he spends 8 hours a day (plus whatever he plays at home) often dealing with the dumbest members of Final Fantasy XI in existence, and will occasionally (read, very, very often) use this phrase or a variation thereof. Unsurprisingly, his most vicious (and therefore funniest) punishments come on the rare occasion when he runs out of Jack Daniels. Lord help you if you anger him then...
  • Subverted in The Batterys Down: Molly's cousin tells Dani that he's Irish which means he needs he "needs another fucking drink".
  • Bennett the Sage needed some strong stuff to get through reviewing Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie. He starts wondering why the hell it's not working before it kicks in and needs a stomach pump commercial break.
  • The Book Was Better: Krimson Rogue's reaction to the Adaptation Decay of the Percy Jackson movie is to get hammered. He ends the review by puking his guts out.
  • Bronies React: D.Notive's reaction to receiving the My Little Pony: Equestria Girls trailer is to go make himself a drink — before even watching a second of it.
  • Computerphile: The Problem with Time & Timezones. Tom Scott is describing a hypothetical programmer, who created a simple tool that takes two times, in two time zones, and calculates how far apart they are in seconds... and all the exceptions and rule-patches needed to make sure it's accurate. When someone in the Southern hemisphere calls up to tell this hypothetical programmer that they do Daylight Saving Time backwards compared to the Northern hemisphere, the programmer starts "looking longingly at their intoxicant of choice and wondering whether they should have a quick drink before keeping going". This happens at minute 3 of a 10-minute video.
  • Matt in The Cult of Scratchwood's Christmas Special, after he realizes Santa Claus is Real After All.
  • In one of the more gentler examples from Demo Reel, Nice Guy Uncle Yo immediately asks for some Guinness on tab when a drunken depressed Donnie hits on him with the Pocky tagline.
  • Dicebreaker, in a livestream of Johnny, Wheels and Lolies playing three-sided chess, ran into a situation where they couldn't, for the life of them, tell which direction a bishop was supposed to go when it ran into the middle part of the baffling hexagonal chessboard.
    Wheels: This piece here [indicates Lolies's bishop] could go like this [points through one of his own pawns], or it could go like this [points at Johnny's knight]
    Johnny: ...I'm getting a beer.
  • Lindsay Ellis:
    • The Nostalgia Chick is a full-blown Lady Drunk, and went straight for the bottle after watching The Christmas Shoes.
    • She did a video essay on the technical reasons for why The Phantom of the Opera (2004) sucked. She starts the video polishing off a bottle of wine (and is already tipsy at this point) and cycles between wine, whiskey, and beer for the rest of the video, accumulating at least a half dozen bottles.
    • She does it again during the second part of her "autopsy" on the notorious Game of Thrones Season 8 and series finale. Notably, she did the first part sober, and while we don't see her with a drink in hand until roughly 14 minutes into the second (hour and ten minutes long) video, there are a worryingly large amount of empty Corona bottles and Bloody Mary cans behind her. She brings out the Bacardi half-way through tearing into the Lannisters, by the time she gets to Cersei she's about as tipsy as she was at the start of the Phantom of the Opera videonote  and has another bottle of Corona for Daenerys.
  • The FanFiction Critic, during her review of legolas by laura: "It's five o'clock somewhere, right?" *swig*
  • Folding Ideas:
  • Game Theory: Discussed in "No Cowboy is Safe! Red Dead's Biggest THREAT!", when Austin Hourigan (of The SCIENCE!) points out a tidbit about drinking beer in the late 1800s in Red Dead Redemption 2:
    Austin: Arthur [Morgan] also drinks quite a bit, with an entire mission, easily the best part of the game, being dedicated to getting blackout drunk. This isn't an anomaly, and it in fact would be much more surprising if Arthur Morgan wasn't a bon vivant. In the 1800s, the average man [caption says, "Hi Jim!"] consumed seven gallons of ethanol (pure ethanol amounts, mind you!) per year, which translates into over four-and-a-half beers per day, or over 1,659 bottles of beer per year: over 155 gallons of beer per year! And you wonder why prohibition has existed!
  • The Nostalgia Critic does this fairly often:
    • In the review for Titanic: The Animated Movie, he pulls out progressively larger bottles of Jägermeister until he has one the size of himself. And when it's discovered there's another animated Titanic movie that's even worse, he shoves that off the desk and calls in one so large it has to be airlifted by three helicopters. And when he reviewed the even worse sequel to the second animated Titanic movie, he summons a bottle that's the size of a planet.
    • He delivers the line "Booze. I must have booze," in a traumatized monotone during Baby Geniuses, while staggering shell-shocked through a convention, before fishing out a silver flask....
    • Then there is Howard the Duck.
      Critic: Uh... how many more puns are there going to be in this movie where you simply insert the word "duck" into common, everyday phrases?...
      Caption: [1,358 more]
      Critic: Okay, I'm just gonna have [pulls out bottle] this on standby, I hope you don't mind.
      [later]
      Critic: Just to check, this, ah, idiotic waif isn't going to play any major part in this movie, is she?
      Caption: [LOVE INTEREST]
      Critic: Okay, bottoms up. [takes a shot]
      [slightly afterwards, he is seen chugging it straight from the bottle]
  • Pro Chefs React: Professional chefs Brian Tsao and Paul "Frenchie" Denamiel analyze Cooking With Jack's chili, in which he uses badly frostburned brisket.
    Brian: I've done a little research into this brisket of his, and it's fourteen months old.
    [Frenchie pauses, sighs, and reaches for his glass]
  • ProtonJon, during the Four-Player Battletoads race with Super Jeenius, NintendoCapriSun, and Pcull, says this after one particularly hard section of Rat Race. The achievement quotes the trope name.
    Jon: I'm just going to put down the controller at this point, and I'm going to drink something.
  • At the end of Saberspark's review for Eight Crazy Nights, he declares that he needs to do a lot of drinking to forget it. Quick cut to him demanding an eggnog from the bartender because he needs it for his next Christmas Crap review: Santa Inc..
  • Some More News: At the end of the episode "Joe Biden, Primary Donald Trump as a Republican", Cody the News Dude once again states that Joe Biden is closer to Republicans than to Democrats, and one of his evidence is "all these women and girls [Biden] touched inappropriately" — then he promptly apologizes for it being a cheap shot, but says we all could probably use one right now. So he grabs a shot of whisky and downs it, Visual Metaphor-style.
  • The Spoony Experiment: Spoony did this once. After seeing Breaking Dawn, part 1. For real. (For added points, he's not much of a drinker but he does keep a small stock in case of company, so he was dancing from rum to vodka to whisky, and also nursed a can of Diet Coke.) And since he didn't want to drink alone, he had a conference call with Linkara and JewWario while he expounded upon the outright terribleness of the movie. For an hour and a half.
  • Todd in the Shadows says "I need a stiff drink" in Suburban Knights when he finds out that Malachite's Hand is hidden in the field where they started. The rest of the team doesn't sound any better.
  • Super Power Beat Down: Wolverine mutters "I need a beer..." after defeating the Predator.
  • Super Therapy!: In the episode "Avengers Therapy!", Dr. Lynn Matthews ends up taking a swig from Tony Stark's flask at the end of a session spent trying to convince Iron Man, Captain America and Thor to lay off the drinking.
  • Warning! Readers Advisory!: Derek the Bard often finds himself in need of one, and often reaches for a crystal skull full of vodka.
  • In The Warp Zone's "Harry Potter: Hogwarts in 2020", Professor Snape's chosen means of coping with his lecture going online during the pandemic is to bring a Tequila Sunrise to its first session. Not only that, but his immediate response to Voldemort Zoom-bombing the class is to reach for his drink.
    Severus Snape: Welcome back to another magical year at Hogwarts. As you're all aware, the Muggle-born COVID pandemic has become so widespread that we in the Wizarding World can no longer ignore it. As such, we are taking a note from the Muggles and moving all our classes online this year. A terrible, terrible inconvenience, I'm aware but we all must find a way to cope.
    [Snape brings a large glass to his lips and takes a sip]
    Hermione Granger: Oh, what potion is that, Professor?
    Severus Snape: A Tequila Sunrise, Miss Granger, a very... advanced concoction.
  • The Webcomic Relief, a caustic webcomic critic, reacts this way after having to review Sonichu. But then again, can you really blame him?

    Western Animation 
  • Adventure Time:
    • In a children's cartoon example, Jake when he attends a really boring meeting disguised as Princess Bubblegum.
      Jake: Ugh. [turns to a prince] Buy a lady a drink?
    • In "Another Five Short Graybles", Jake Jr. pours herself some more "juice" in response to Finn and Jake being annoying.
    • "Bad Timing" has Princess Bubblegum pour herself what looks like whiskey after watching LSP cry.
  • American Dad!:
    • In the episode "Oedipal Panties", Roger has been trying to keep himself off of alcohol, only to go back to drinking when he sees Stan giving his mother a scrubbing in the bathtub.
    • In the episode "1600 Candles", Stan and Francine have been altering Steve's age with a serum to avoid dealing with the same puberty-induced violent mood swings they suffered through with Hayley's puberty. After Francine accidentally turns him five in a bid to keep him 14, Stan tries to instead age him to 21, happily musing about his plan to Francine after he gives Steve the serum. When Steve appears, aged all the way to 80-years-old, Fran simply groans "Oh my God" in disgusted resignation and downs both shots of whiskey that Stan had poured for him and Steve to share.
  • Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Crisis 23300 miles above the Earth!", has Martian Manhunter say he needs a cookie once Aquaman starts singing whale songs at the party the Justice League is hosting for the Justice Society. He was earlier shown eating a boxful out of nerves, and even pours the rest of another box into his mouth before joining the massive brawl breaking out between the two teams. So while it's more kid-friendly, the effect is the same. In the comics, it's explained that due to his physiology that Oreos are literally as addictive as drugs to him. So for him, it is a "drink".
  • Castlevania: Upon hearing that Dracula's Horde has been spotted near town, a man named Peter runs into the local pub demanding an ale. He downs his drink in one breath before telling the other patrons the news.
  • The Dover Boys at Pimento University; or, The Rivals of Roquefort Hall:
    Dan Backslide: Confound those Dover Boys! Oh, how I hate them! I hate Tom! I hate Dick! And I hate Larry! They drive me to drink!
    [blurs running over to the bar to pound down drinks at ludicrous speed, with the bartender taking a single drink in the middle; blurs back to original position]
    Dan Backslide: Confound them! HIC!
  • Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: In "World Wide Wabbit", after finding out that he's become an Internet celebrity thanks to a viral video, an angry Mr. Herriman announces he's going out for "a stall, stiff glass of carrot juice".
  • In the Hey Arnold! episode "Helga on the Couch", upon learning her daughter will be attending therapy, Miriam Pataki loudly announces, "I need a smoothie." If you watch enough of the show (and you're old enough) you know she really means something stronger.
  • King of the Hill:
    • After Hank gets into a fight with Peggy in a hotel room, he heads to the minibar, sighing and proclaiming, "I need me one of those eight-dollar beers..."
    • In the "Returning Japanese" two-parter, Hank and his Japanese half-brother Junichiro are wandering around a subway station looking for Cotton, who plans on spitting in the face of the emperor. They pause, and Hank sees a neon billboard advertising beer. He says he could go for a beer that size. Junichiro without hesitation goes to the nearest vending machine and buys both of them a beer.
      "Yep." "Hai."
    • During "Edu-macating Lucky" when Luanne announces she's pregnant with Lucky's child Peggy rather calmly sits down, and tell Bobby to get her "A cold towel, and a glass of bourbon."
  • Comes up in The Legend of Korra, where Korra, Asami, and a group of Earth Nation soldiers escape from the desert (and the giant burrowing land shark that tried to eat them) and find themselves at a town. One of them notices a... unique mount tied up outside the city.
    Soldier: Captain, have we been out in the desert too long, or is that a dragon over there?
    Captain: Ugh, come on. Let's go get a drink...
  • In Metalocalypse, an episode has the band awakening a lake troll. In the ensuing chaos, Nathan states he needs exactly one hundred beers. Cut to the Nathan and the band in a bar, asking for one hundred beers. Earlier, when Offdensen said that the troll was affecting their sales, Pickles also declared he needed a drink. A different drink, not the one currently in his hand.
  • A lighter version in Molly of Denali. In "Tooey's Hero," Tooey is slightly nervous about the visit of his hero, Eugene Pike. Molly suggests he drink hot chocolate to cool down.
  • My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fan works are full of these moments, but even the show itself has a few.
    • In the first episode, main character Twilight Sparkle pours herself a glass of what looks like booze while Pinkie Pie talks her ear off. It's actually hot sauce, much to Twilight's dismay. The scene has become a minor meme in the fandom in conjunction with the quote from The Dover Boys seen above.
    • Rarity takes a turn in "Sweet and Elite"; during an upper-crust garden party that her friends have just gatecrashed, she drains a glass of (what appears to be) punch in one shot.
    • Berry Punch is usually the one to do this in all fan works, especially so after her scene where she took a taste of the punch straight from the bowl. (Lauren Faust's name for her during the development process was Pinot Noir, for the drink that helped her get through the stress of coordinating a very spread-out team.)
  • At the end of the Popeye cartoon "College of Hard Knocks", Olive hands Popeye what he thinks is a diploma. It turns out to be a marriage license.
    Popeye: YEOWWW!! [to us, wearily] I needs me spinach!
  • The Simpsons:

    Real Life 
  • Several air forces (US and UK come to mind) would hand their pilots a shot of whiskey after returning from a mission during World War II and other wars.
    • Lost Moon, a memoir by Jim Lovell (the commander of spaceflight Apollo 13) recounted an incident from his military days, in which he had to land on a darkened aircraft carrier at night as part of a training exercise. First, his tracking beacon locked onto the wrong signal, putting him miles off course. Then, as he tried to find the carrier again, he accidentally shorted out the lights in his plane, leaving him unable to see his instruments. Ironically, this lights failure allowed Jim to see the glowing algae in the wake of the carrier, and so he found his ship, but his plane's lights were still out, meaning he was aiming at an unlit runway in the dark with only a penlight to view his instruments. His landing, as a consequence, was rougher than the norm. Upon exiting the cockpit, the ship's doctor offered him brandy, saying "Have a little medicine, on me." He downed most of it in one gulp.
    • Other airforces (USSR and Japan) pass around the liquor before the mission.
  • Ships of the United States Navy are officially dry, but submarines on war patrol during World War II generally carried a few bottles of strong whiskey, which was known as "depth-charge medicine" and distributed to all hands after close depth-chargings or other exceptionally harrowing experiences.
  • Schutzstaffel (SS) troopers working in 1941-2 to execute "undesirables" in Soviet Russia in WW2 (generally Jewish civilians) by shooting them at close range were provided with alcohol in the evenings. They partook heavily.
  • Truth in Television for a lot of people. Reasons for falling into this trope are usually from very high-stress environments, including but not limited to: academic pressure, corporate/work projects, dangerous jobs, struggles in one's personal life, or the birth of a newborn child.
  • Nobody is allowed to eat or drink anything — except perhaps water — in the British House of Commons chamber. There is one exception: the Chancellor of the Exchequer is allowed to have an alcoholic beverage while delivering the Budget speech. Considering how long (George Osborne's 2010 Budget speech lasted 55 minutes, and that's short; William Gladstone's 1853 Budget ran nearly five straight hours) and important the speech tends to be — to say nothing of all-too-likely Opposition heckling — the Chancellor are strongly encouraged to take advantage of that exception. Past chancellors have opted for:
  • While smoking and eating may be banned, the House of Commons does offer its members free snuff, a powdered form of tobacco that is inhaled. This is due to the smoking ban being implemented in 1693 when tobacco use was far more common.
  • After the historical Battle of Rorke's Drift the real Henry Hook — a teetotaler — stunned his companions by getting in line for the grog ration. "After all that," he explained, "I feel I need a little something."
  • When a person has low blood pressure (or other problems which have similar symptoms), one of the things that might help them temporarily is a bit of alcohol. Coffee and a few other things have similar results, but alcohol is also calming on their nerves. And it's faster to take a quick shot than sit with hot coffee.
  • Pi mnemonic: "How I need a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics." Count the letters. 3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9...
  • In 1995, orthopedic surgeon Angus Wallace had to treat a woman with tension pneumothorax — on an in-flight airplane. He first used cognac to sterilize his improvised surgical equipment (for example, a coat-hanger for a trocar) and, after the surgery was successful, the rest of it to calm his nerves.
  • The Royal Navy abolished the rum ration in 1970 but temporarily reauthorized it in 1982 because of the Falklands War.
  • A quote from a drug and alcohol counselor: "Do you know why people turn to alcohol? Because it works. People wouldn't drink if it didn't."
  • Bill Simmons's friend Daniel needed one when the two were watching the infamous "Game 162," in which the 2011 Red Sox blew a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 9th against the Baltimore Orioles and minutes later watch the Tampa Bay Rays come back from a 7-0 deficit and beat the New York Yankees 8-7 in extra innings, capping off the largest September collapse in baseball history (the Red Sox had a 9-game lead for the AL Wild Card on September 3rd). The line itself comes in at 8:45 PM PDT on Simmons's live blog of the games.
  • Mike Duncan, creator of The History of Rome and Revolutions, has noted that after finishing recording an episode of both of these series (a grueling process, involving insane amounts of reading, writing, editing, and then finally several takes recording the script), he has a large, stiff drink (usually a beer).
  • During World War I, the Italian army used to distribute extra rations of grappa before launching an attack.
  • As the pilots of United Flight 232 were trying to land a plane with no hydraulic systems, and therefore no control, one of the pilots in the cockpit told the captain they'd have a beer when this was all over. The captain responded, "Well, I don't drink, but I'll sure as shit have one."
  • Not always booze; the British National Grid's biggest ever power surge came after the national team lost a FIFA World Cup semi-final against Germany. The surge was caused by half the country needing a bloody cuppa and simultaneously turning on their kettles.
  • Jonny Wilkinson was known to be a teetotaler before he broke the habit following England's loss to South Africa in the 2007 Rugby World Cup final.
  • Legendary England footballer Sir Stanley Matthews, who played his last premiership game at the age of 50, was famously a teetotaller, having only knowingly drunk alcohol once... champagne out of the FA Cup in 1953.
  • People who investigate child molestation or child pornography often report knowing when the bars open, which is understandable given what they see on a regular basis.
  • Recalling the Troubled Production of The Wall, Gerald Scarfe stated that "I would find myself about 9 o'clock in the morning driving in my car with a bottle of Jack Daniels on the passenger seat. I'm not a heavy drinker, but I had to have a slug before I went in in the morning, because I knew what was coming up, and I knew I had to fortify myself in some way."
  • John Leguizamo revealed in his memoir that he and Bob Hoskins had such a miserable time making Super Mario Bros. (1993) that they both had to get drunk just to make it through a day's filming.
  • During the COVID-19 Pandemic-induced lockdowns of 2020, people started posting pictures of their "quarantinis" and other alcoholic beverages on social media from home quite early in the day in places like the US where it's considered vaguely taboo to drink during daylight hours. It's not surprising that alcohol sales went up during this period. According to government statistics released in 2023, US alcohol consumption during 2020-2022 increased more than it had increased for the previous 50 years.
  • Defied during the 2018 Hungarian GP, between Scuderia Ferrari's paddock crew and their driver Kimi Räikkönen, though this was justified due to problems regarding the water pump on his car:
    Räikkönen: You forgot to connect the drink through.
    Ferrari Radio: Yes, confirmed.
    Räikkönen: Is the drink, is it on now? Okay, I have no idea.
    Ferrari Radio: We forgot to connect, Kimi. You will not have the drink, sorry.
    Räikkönen: Is it on or not? The drink? Let me know.
    Ferrari Radio: No, Kimi. You will not have the-
    Räikkönen: No, no, no... Is the switch on or not?
    Ferrari Radio: You mean the slow button?
    Räikkönen: No, no... Is my Drinking... Is it emptying the bottle or not?
    Ferrari Radio:No. No, Kimi, no! You will not have the drink!
  • Charles Joughin, the Chief Baker aboard the RMS Titanic is another famous example of this. After giving up his assigned seat in a lifeboat, he spent the rest of the night helping people evacuate, throwing deck chairs overboard for people to use as flotation devices, and drinking. Bizarrely, he survived, despite apparently spending several hours in freezing cold water clinging to the overturned collapsible B. He turns up in Titanic, as the guy dressed in all white, drinking from a flask as the ship begins her final plunge.

 
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"0:00 in the sky somewhere."

Eleanor told Janet to prepare margaritas for when the experiment ends. Since Simone and John failed Michael's Secret Test of Character by not helping Brent out of the sinkhole and the experiment ended just as Brent was apologizing to Chidi, Eleanor forgoes the glass and goes for the pitcher.

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