I know most people here talk about getting off of substances, so this is a bit different....

Quick background: I dont drink (though I have tried alcohol before), smoke, or do drugs. Drugs and smoking have never been a temptation and I have zero interest in ever doing either.

However, lately I have been thinking about why I dont drink and I sort of traced it back to a general uncomfortableness I have with alcohol for reasons I dont understand. Obviously part of dealing with inner game is mastery getting over uncomfortableness.

Just to be clear, I don't mean to use this as a means to improve my girl game. I've had some milestone accomplishments this year in terms of improving my inner game, and it seems like this would be one of the next steps.

With that said, I still have some doubts.

Thoughts?

Drinking is expensive and not the point of game. The only advantage to "being drunk" during night game is you are typically louder and more fun to be around. I don't drink anymore. Instead, I buy a Red Bull from the bar so i get that extra "zing" and it also appears that I am drinking so people don't try and buy me drinks.

Right I get all that, I'm talking about drinking as a means to overcome the uncomfortable. I dont have experience with a substance and just wondering if my frame of thought will cause more problems than it will solve

I can relate.

I am 33 now and I did not have my first drink until this past September. Yes, I went almost 33 full years without even a sip of alcohol.
My reasons for not drinking had to do with my family. My father is an alcoholic, so are many of my uncles. I grew up with the belief that alcohol was bad (for myself, not for others) and I didn't want to risk being an alcoholic. But, mostly, I didn't want to be my father. And I think the idea of "not being my father" came mostly from my mother.

Like you, alcohol was never a temptation for me in any way. I never had any interest and always swore I never would take a drink. But, after months of consideration, not about should I or shouldn't I drink, but about why I don't drink, I decided that "not being my father" was no longer a valid reason. I didn't want to be "not my father" anymore, I wanted to be me. And so I decided to go ahead and take a drink for the first time.

At first I was very cautious and uncomfortable with it. It was definitely out of my comfort zone and I was still afraid of becoming an alcoholic. After a while, I realized that I didn't feel any cravings, and that I had no problem not drinking, or passing up a drink. Now, I am comfortable with drinking, and do not have any fear of being an alcoholic. I do not drink to get drunk, I just have a few drunks, get a slight buzz and then stop. I know when I've had enough and I never feel tempted to continue drinking beyond that point. I also pace myself by drinking a lot of water while I'm out, too.

So, yes, I also understand that you want to be comfortable with things that you aren't comfortable with. Many times, the "uncomfortableness" is from some subconscious beliefs that you picked up as a kid, that you aren't even aware you picked up. Those beliefs have just always been there and you have never stopped to question why you believe that.
For instance, I had never been to a strip club until a couple years ago. I always said I had no interest in strip clubs, that I didn't want to give my money to some slut, and why would I pay to see titties if I can't even touch them and if I can just see them for free anyway. I always turned down every opportunity to go to a strip club. I absolutely refused to go.
Then, after I had been working on inner game and getting out of my comfort zone, I finally agreed to go to a strip club. I only went because I didn't want to. I accepted my reluctance to go to the strip club as a sign of an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and do something I had never done before. So, I went. And afterward, I kind of realized that it wasn't a big deal, and my uncomfortableness with strip clubs was just the result of these subconscious prejudices that I had about something I had never experienced first hand.

So, if your goal is to generally become more comfortable and OK with certain things, people, environments, etc., the only way to become comfortable is to put yourself around those people, in those environments, and do those things. Experience. Within reason, of course. I wouldn't go do any hard drugs or play russian roulette or anything stupid that could kill you or ruin your life.

However, if your intention is to use alcohol to make you feel comfortable, then that is a dependency and I strongly advise against that. Alcohol isn't really going to do that anyway, it is just going to kind of amplify how you are already feeling. If you are down, it's going to make you feel more down. If you are up, it will make you feel more up. However, since you are a non-drinker, I'm sure you have already experienced that euphoric feeling while being out with friends, while being completely sober. It is a mental thing, and that's it.

If you just want to be more comfortable with the uncomfortable, then drinking won't help you. As I said, the only way to become comfortable is to gain more experience in those areas. i.e. If you're not comfortable at house parties, then go to more house parties and get more experience going. If you've been to many house parties and are still uncomfortable, then you probably keep to yourself or to a few particular people and just need more experience mingling with other people at house parties.

But, if you drink to gain that comfort, then you'll find the discomfort will still be there while you are sober. Before I drank, I would still be out on the dance floor dancing and talking to girls and stuff. And I used to try to get people to come out to the dancefloor, or to go talk to a girl. And something I heard often was "I haven't had enough to drink yet." They were unable to do those things unless they had the alcohol. There is no benefit and no true comfort, if drinking is a pre-requisite.

Brilliant

I echo what you are saying about doing something to get over uncomfort. I know if I ever reach the point where drinking becomes a crutch to execute game then yeah I've gone too far and that is always in the back of my mind.

Since I've posted on this, I've sort of realized my fear was losing control, even though I know full well it's not as if one drink will making you an out of control mess

I've sort of hit another dilemma on this topic. Which revolves more around social conduct with social drinking to make others feel more comfortable. Cant figure out if social drinking is a sign of weakness and being too accommodating or it's a strength sacrificing your own comfort and what you want to do for the ease others

If anything, it's a weakness. I'm assuming you mean you are worried other people won't feel comfortable drinking around you if you aren't drinking? Believe me, its nothing to worry about. The only people that are going to feel uncomfortable around you are people who are insecure and have an inferiority complex.

If you are doing something simply because you want others to be more comfortable, then it is for the wrong reason. Do it only because you genuinely want to, and for no other reason. You are responsible for only your own comfort, not the comfort of other people. And other people are responsible only for their own comfort, not yours. Let other people handle themselves, and if they can't its their problem, not yours. Put yourself first, always.

I have gone out plenty of times since I've started drinking and had friends try to get me to keep drinking more than I wanted to. But, I simply will not. I stop drinking when I know I've had enough, and nothing anyone says or does can change my mind about that. That's the mentality you should have. Know your limit, and don't cross it. It's really not cool or socially acceptable to be drunk. That is the trademark of a loser who isn't mature or responsible enough to exhibit self-control. Normal functioning people drink to get a slight buzz, not to get drunk. If it only takes you 2 drinks to get buzzed, then only drink 2 drinks. Don't worry if other people can drink 6 drinks before getting a buzz, and don't try to compete with them. That's like going to the gym and trying to bench 350 lbs because you see someone else benching it. Know your limits.

Yep to the first part. I second what you are saying. I think at this point I need to just decide if I want to do it for myself and in the process make it easier for others, or just stay sober. If I do I'm very conscious about my limit. Much Appreciated again.