I think it's interesting that 99% of the replies are either an extreme (never or barely drank, don't intend to continue) or indifferent. While I have no right to be judgmental, and I hope it doesn't sound that way, if you are under the legal drinking age and the only exposure you have had to alcohol is from your family or other, underage friends, be prepared for your "never ever" attitude to change. For most people, it's not like you wake up one morning and just go "well herp derp, I think I'll buy a handle of vodka and drink the whole thing!" and then become an alcoholic and beat your kids. Yes, if alcoholism runs in your family you are more prone to addiction. But it takes YEARS to become physically addicted, and if you know that you have that history, you should also know you need to be cautious. It's certainly commendable if you have the notion you will never drink, but it's also incredibly unrealistic given western culture unless we're talking religious/medical reasons.
My TL;DR story:
After years of being uninterested in alcohol or drugs on grounds I considered a "personal choice", I started drinking when I was 17, moderately and always with just a few close friends every two or three weeks. My friends never pressured me into drinking. In fact, I didn't even care about drinking in excess with them and I can't recall a time we ever did until well after our graduation. Mostly we would split a bottle of something cheap and gross and play XBox for hours. After about 5-6 months, I started dating a guy older than me, who I would later realize was a complete enabler. I then began to drink heavily until around the beginning of this year. Mostly liquor, occasionally beer. At my worst (or best, depending how you look at it), I could put down 10 or more shots in 3 or so hours. I would do this several days a week. While I've only blacked out twice, I'm sure I've had alcohol poisoning on several occasions and I later figured my highest tolerance before throwing up/passing out was around a BAC of .35 (I've been told at .4, you are probably in a coma). Following high school and my first semester of college (community, and I lived at home), this was mostly by myself or with my boyfriend at the time and rarely in a social setting. Last year, I ran into some "legal trouble" with this...at which point, the story of my father's alcoholism came out. All of it started to make sense - why I had such a high tolerance, why I had difficulty judging when I should stop drinking...why I enjoyed it so much. If I had known about the genetic side of it, perhaps I would have made better choices. In the same light, the things I did and the way it worked out is not something I would ever trade. I gained three incredible people in my life, got promoted and received a raise, paid off my car, and am now getting ready to move out...not solely because of what happened, mind you, but they were all direct products of it.
I still drink. And sometimes, I'll slip and drink more than I probably should. I know if I keep alcohol in my house, it will not last...so I don't. But I also don't like spending $4 dollars on a mediocre beer or $7 on a weak mixed drink...because if I'm drinking to get hammered, $4 turns into $40 very quickly. It's become an elaborate balancing act of remembering not to get too full of myself when I go out...sure, I could crush you in car bombs or whatever and you'll never hear the end of it. Do I really want to? Secretly, no. I've already grown out of it. So shut up and quit pestering me, I just want to enjoy my drink and I am tired of feeling like I got run over by a truck when I wake up.
During my multi-year bender, the best advice I learned was this: if you go out, and especially if you want to go back, tip your bartender well. If you are rude, sloppy, loud or underage and you tip terribly, your bartender will not be your friend and will not give you strong drinks when you come back. If you are rude, sloppy, loud or underage and you tip like a champ, your bartender will look the other way when you go and throw up all over the only bathroom they have.
TL;DR over.
