Do we enjoy ourselves at bars or are we simply escaping reality?
When we think about how we hang out with our friends and family, it can help us figure out how we want to spend our time. The coronavirus made us stop and think about whether we want to go back to the way things were before.
For instance, a lot of people stopped driving in traffic to go to work and started working from home instead.
The pandemic changed how we hang out with our friends and family. Since places like bars and restaurants closed, a lot of people started chatting with loved ones on video calls or going for walks while staying far apart.
Zoom calls can be pretty boring, but let's think about whether hanging out with friends in person was that much more fun before the pandemic.
It's important to think about how we hang out with our friends and family. By asking ourselves some tough questions, we can make some changes as things start to get back to normal.
A Challenge to Stay Sober
What drives us to visit bars?
Believe it or not, a bunch of people like going to bars! A study from 2017 found that more than half of Americans between 21 and 26 years old go to a bar once a week. Millennials are next in line, with 42 percent hitting up bars regularly. Then there's Generation X, with 24 percent, and finally the boomers, with only 19 percent. So, it seems like younger folks are really into the bar scene!
Have you ever stopped to think about why we go to bars? Instead of just heading back to our usual spots or waiting in line to get in, it might be interesting to consider the true purpose of bars.
Bars and alcohol can be a cool way to find a boyfriend or girlfriend for some people. But not everyone at a bar is looking for love. Some just want to relax and have a good time.
That's fine, but is there more to it?
There's an easy way to figure it out.
I made a big decision two years ago to quit drinking. It's been great in a lot of ways, but one downside is that some things I used to enjoy just aren't as fun anymore. Going to a bar or club without drinking is pretty boring now.
Here's a cool trick to see if you like something: Do it without any drinks or drugs. If you only have fun when you're not sober, then it's probably the alcohol or drugs that you're enjoying, not the actual activity itself.
You can use this test for anything you do, even with your friends and crushes. Do you still have fun with them when you're not drinking or doing anything else? It's important to think about whether you really like something or if it's just an excuse to drink.
Watching sports can be pretty boring sometimes, right? Like, have you ever tried to sit through a whole baseball game without having a soda or something? Or watching golf without a snack? It's tough, man.
Some people enjoy all the details and rules of sports, and that's great for them! But I find it pretty boring.
I found out that I'm not the only one who likes to have a drink while watching sports. A study showed that 40 percent of people at baseball and football games are drinking alcohol. Another survey found that 8 out of 10 Americans enjoy watching sports on TV at home while sipping on a drink.
Lots of people feel like they can only dance when they've had a few drinks. People have been feeling self-conscious about dancing for a long time. Even way back in ancient Rome, a smart guy named Cicero said that hardly anyone dances without alcohol unless they're crazy.
Have you ever tried karaoke? It's so much fun! When was the last time you sang your heart out on stage without any liquid courage? Maybe you should give it a try and see what happens.
Sure, there's absolutely nothing wrong with doing any of these fun activities. I'm not trying to be a buzzkill or anything. Playing sports, dancing, and singing are all super awesome things to do, and we should do them as much as we can!
Why do we feel the need to drink when we're doing fun activities? It doesn't make sense to me.
Sometimes we drink because we want to escape from reality. The big companies that make alcohol want us to believe that drinking will make everything better, but it's just a trick. They make a lot of money by selling us this lie.
Pure Entertainment, or Denial of Truth?
Sometimes, even if something isn't super exciting when you're not under the influence, it can still be important. If you find out that something you thought was fun isn't enjoyable without any outside help, maybe there's another reason you're interested in it.
Maybe when you mix drinking with doing stuff, it's a way for you to escape from real life, take a break from your troubles, and do things you wouldn't normally do without alcohol.
Bars and alcohol companies love to give you a "happy drink." Bars are pretty dull if you're not drinking, which makes you want to keep sipping. There are so many tricks bars use to get people to keep drinking:
Dimming the lights makes us drink faster, according to research.
The music is blasting so loud that we can't even hear ourselves think, let alone talk to each other without yelling. It's like our ears are being attacked! And if we can't chat, what else is there to do but grab a drink and try to have some fun?
The way the bar is set up, like how high the counter is and what kind of seats there are, all make people want to come in and keep drinking.
Bars are designed to make it easy for us to drink a lot, but ultimately it's up to us to control how much we drink. People go to bars because it's a fun way to relax and have a good time with friends.
It's cool to explore different ways to change how you think and feel! People have been trying out different ways to do this for ages, like meditating, going to special ceremonies, praying, reading books, or even just watching TV.
It's cool to do something fun to take a break from your thoughts and escape reality for a bit. But let's be real about why we do it instead of pretending it's something it's not.
Pick a more exciting activity
Sometimes we do things just to escape from reality, rather than because we enjoy them. When this happens, we can stop and think about two important questions:
1) What is the purpose of needing this getaway?
When we feel like we need a break from reality, it's usually because we're trying to avoid a bad feeling inside. By figuring out what's making us feel that way, we can stop ourselves from trying to escape the problem instead of facing it.
Are you feeling super stressed from work this week and just need to let loose? Go for it!
Perhaps there's more to it than having a rough work week. It could be that your job hasn't been making you happy or fulfilled lately. If that's the case, going to a bar to forget about it won't fix the real issue.
Maybe it's time to do something about the problem instead of just ignoring it.
2) Is there a more efficient approach?
The pandemic has taught us that there are so many other fun and exciting things we can do instead of just going to the bar. There are endless possibilities out there waiting for us to explore!
Guess what? In May 2021, Yellowstone National Park had more visitors than ever before for that month! And it's not just Yellowstone - other national parks also had a lot more people visiting them too.
For a long time, everyone was stuck inside by themselves. But now, people are starting to remember that going outside can be a great way to get away from it all, without needing any extra help.
Next time you feel like heading to a bar without even thinking about it, why not try doing something different instead of just drinking?
Want to hang out with a friend and chat while walking around the park? Or how about joining a sports team to meet new people and have fun playing games instead of just watching TV all day? You could even try taking a dance class so you can show off your moves on the dance floor!
When we figure out why we do the things we do, we can make sure we're spending our time doing what we want to do. It's important to know our true motivations so we can live our lives the way we want.
