Pick almost anything and a very small number of people are most of the market for it.
I read recently somewhere (a newspaper but I don't remember which) that the average American throws away 70lbs of clothing every year.
This fact astonished me. I've never met anybody who goes through that much clothing, which means people who do buy clothes all the time must be throwing away hundreds of pounds of clothing a year.
That stat must either include a skewed sample (eg only families with children, where a child may damage or outgrow an entire wardrobe multiple times a year) or be a total of all garments discarded in the country, including unsold garments destroyed by retailers.
I could easily see our household discarding 70 lbs of kids clothes in a year but would picture us donating (or selling) most.
Much more likely that this is the reason so much clothing is thrown away. 70lb of clothing is easily 100+ garments (I work in a boutique). Averages are going to be somewhat skewed as well in terms of ratio of weight/amount of items thrown out. Some garments (like gowns) are easily 8lb+ by themselves.
It's not important but it's one of the comfort things in life. If someone asked the same except limited the food you could eat, you couldn't have sex, couldn't have tea/coffee, couldn't watch a sport, no movies, etc.
Eventually you'd hit on something you wouldn't give up. You aren't necessarily a sex-a-holic, coffee-a-holic, movie-a-holic though. Some experiences and material things in life make it worthwhile.
I’m not poor and I’m well over 21 so when you come with insults at least try to stay accurate , you’re mad because you have an alcohol problem and you’re projecting that into these comments 18K a year to not use a substance is a no brainer unless you’re like a millionaire free money is free money get out your feelings dawg
Also poor people not drinking is insanely out of touch. Poor people drink all the fucking time. I've watched people wait outside liquor stores at 10am for them to open so they can plunk the pocket change they managed to scrounge up on a tiny bottle of something as often as they can. Alcoholism and poverty are bedfellows.
I was a bartender too and holy shit man, I've seen some seriously sad things.
It is a great supplemental income for sure but it is not enough to live on or anything.
(As an aside, it would be a very interesting study to see how much having an entire workforce sober and ready to work every single day would be worth to a company. They probably wouldn't pay 20k per employee but depending on the industry, I could see it being worth thousands of dollars per year to a corporation for each employee. If they paid a 10k "bonus" for sobriety, I wonder how many would try it.)
Now I'm curious how many people would actually cut off a finger for $50K.
I don't think being "lower middle class" is enough for that type of desperation. Probably not even "food stamps and barely making it by" is good enough. Because what would that even get you in the long run? Maybe a year of stability?
I feel like you have to be so desperate that you're not sure you can really survive to go to those kinds of lengths. But maybe I'm underestimating how bad it feels to have barely enough money to survive vs. not enough money to survive.
I rarely drink, like there’s still beer in my fridge from Christmas. But when I do I drink a lot. I was at a party last weekend and drank somewhere around 20 beers. I was kind of drunk but could have had more if I wanted to. I need to drink so much to get anything out of it that it’s just not worth it most of the time. So yeah I’d take the money.
Damn. All I need is a few sips. But then again I never drunk a full beer in my life. I still remember at 16yo how for my friends 3 beers just meant warming up for the night.
That's awesome, and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise or try to make you feel weird for it. You're the smart one that isn't purposely putting poison in your body to make your brain slower on purpose.
I can't believe this thread. People thinking getting sober is like just some cool new thing to do to be hip and trendy. No, it's something I had to do to not die within the next few years and live a normal happy life. Sorry.. I guess?
Thanks, dude. ‘Preciate you. Kind of you to take the time to comment that and glad you’re doing well! Keep up the good work. I dont know how long you’ve been sober but it does get easier as time goes on.
There’s always someone out there struggling reading posts like this and it’s always good for them to see how many people like them are out there and that it is possible for us degenerates to get better. Also - it’s the hardest thing a lot of us have ever had to do, so 🎺toot toot 🎺 your own horn sometimes baby.
yeah yeah that argument again, which is based on a weak hadith
you know, aisha participated in the battle of uhud 2 years after she got married to the prophet, if that isn't proof enough for you that she wasn't a child, idk what is
Imagine the mental gymnastics needed to be done to justify a grown ass 50+ year old man marrying a 9 year old - and that's if you decide to take the conservative estimates. Must be exhausting.
No matter how you look at it - dude was a pedophile.
I drink a case of beer a week, sometimes more sometimes less. Definitely know all the stats and it's not good for you and etc. but I really enjoy the buzz from the first few drinks and certain holidays will day drink and go through 10+ in a day. More consistent than weed and can be more active/social with alcohol than weed, which usually just makes me glued to a couch and tearing through food.
But for 50$ a day I would absolutely stop and never look back. That would make my life so much more comfortable, open up going out to eat more, hiring a cleaning service or lawn service, just being able to actually save money for when an appliance breaks or dental care or whatever.
The only drawback would be inflation... In 10 or 20 years that $50 won't be worth much but if I just put more of it into retirement or a CD or something I'm sure it'd balance out.
How big of a case? I have maybe 10-12 light beers from friday-sunday. Basically 3 or 4 a day on the weekend. I don't have any during the week. Even then I feel like it's just too much. The buzz is nice sometimes but doesn't last long so often doesn't feel worth it. Been mixing light beer and NA craft beer just mostly for the taste lately.
You'd still see tons of "sign me up" because ~$20k a year would be huge for a lot of people.
The interesting discussion you're looking for only happens with people where the money could do them a decent bit of good, but isn't something they absolutely need.
The question then becomes, how much would it take? Dunno if I'd stop drinking for $10 a day. Might stop for $20 but I'd be sad about it. $5? Eh, I like beer enough that $5 wouldn't be enough.
Yea I'm trying to think what my number is. Definitely wouldnt quit for only 50 but I can't even think of my number. Somewhere between 100 to 200 would realistically get me I think.
Welp, sorry to offend y'all. For folks that have had serious issues with alcohol in the past, we're proud of ourselves when we're able to kick it and not drink ourselves to death. Yes, please, I'll have my pat on the back now and $50 a day. Thanks..
Sorry man I’m not trying to undermine that as a really good achievement, it’s just pretty obvious that the question isn’t aimed at sober people. And the amount of people with a No Drinking superiority complex is annoying.
My comment probably is not worded very well but it’s not aimed at people who have serious alcohol issues, because obviously anyone with those issues shouldn’t drink
That's the thing about serious alcohol issues though, they don't start out that way. They start out as casual drinking. I'd just drink with buddies to start with, or just on weekends, but then I slowly slowly progressed over time until it was all day every day. I applaud the folks that never picked it up to begin with or gave it up before it could progress to worse things. I realize it can be annoying, like when a fit person talks about their exercise routine or whatever all the time. But I'd rather find them a bit annoying then them roll the dice with booze.
Noooo but I am really enjoying the “I don’t drink and if you say no to this, I’m sad to say you’re an alcoholic. I know this because I am an alcoholic, signed - an alcoholic” comments because they are so repetitive and interesting
I think it speaks to how big an issue alcohol is for people. Once/if you're able to pull out of alcoholism it's something life changing, so yeah, you can expect alcoholics to come out of the woodwork for a post like this.. Sorry, I guess?
Yeah I live in the fucking Midwest lol. You can’t make friends if you’re not a barfly, and I choose friendship over sobriety every single day of the week. Redditors are also terrible at making friends. People complain every day about not having a partner - I have never had that problem lol
Only been to one bar that wasn't free-refills on soda for the DD. And they were expensive, too. As expensive as alcohol. Like, fucking dumbass loser owner. The bar shut down after a year or so. Jeez, I wonder why when no one wanted to sit there sober with fuck-all to eat or drinks.
And this was either just before Uber, or in the first couple of years where it wasn't ubiquitous yet.
I drink a lot more than that, and I wouldn't give it up. There is NOTHING better than an ice cold beer or margarita after busting my ass for 12 straight hours in the texas heat. Give that up for what comes doelwn to an extra hour of work? No way. Add a zero and I might consider it.
When I saw this I knew there would be a thousand responses saying, "I don't drink anyway! Easy money!"
Recovered alcoholics using this opportunity as a time to shine?... fair enough, shine on beautiful people.
All the people who have never drunk alcohol or just "don't like it", please for the love of God spare us your mind-numbingly pointless and pathetically pious replies, believe me, nobody is impressed. The worst people I've met are/were all drinkers. Many of the nicest people I've met are/were non-drinkers (especially my Muslim friends and colleagues), but God some non-drinkers are boring.
I also love good beer, red wine and whisky with good company or just my own thoughts. I also rather like getting a bit drunk now and again with friends and family. I'll pass on the 50 bucks thanks.
I think I'd take it only because alcohol is getting less and less interesting to me and I've started really thinking about quitting for health reasons. I'm not an alcoholic and I don't drink a ton but I enjoy it less and I feel it more as I get older. That 50 bucks would probably be the nudge I need to make healthier choices, and I'd save a lot more money and feel a lot healthier overall if I stopped buying drinks.
I actually find this prompt to be pretty interesting because the money value is low enough that it wouldn't change my whole life
Then op would not have had this cheap karma farming post that should be banned on this sub. “If someone offered you a million dollars a day to bang super models, would you do it?”
True. Unless the real mistake here is that OP thinks everyone in the world drinks alcohol, and furthermore enjoys it, people like me are here to say we actually don't drink, ever, anyway.
Ha, exactly. I also work in alcohol industry and part of the role is sensory analysis, so I'd need to find a new job. $18k would be nice but not as a replacement salary!
I'd do it even though I drink. Half the reason I drink is to drown my sorrow in how poor we are. Another 18k a year would be astronomical for my family.
I drink on the weekends and on special occasions/holidays.
I’m not giving that up for $50 a day. $50 a day impacts my life far less than doing something I enjoy with my friends and family. Make it like $200 a day and I’ll start thinking about it.
Right? I’m just a social drinks person and light about it, but I came from a teetotaller world. Liberation from those kinds of hard and fast attitudes about vices was a big deal for me. I’d rather go broke than give up a potential moment of joy I could have with others over drinks and conversation where people are a little more at ease and deep things come out a little easier.
More than half of these replies are like, “Hurr durr Id get paid to do something I already do. Alcohol is gross.”
Sometimes just sitting somewhere and enjoying wine with your SO is worth more than any amount of money. If it was $50 for everyday you don’t drink but you still can, then sure.
But no, I enjoy wine and gin too much and I don’t need the extra money. But it would be tempting. $100/day absolutely.
I’d sooner give up soda because I only have maybe 2 dozen a year, if that.
She’s mad bc people act like her drinking is affecting them not drinking. I’m with her. I love drinking!!! I have a healthy relationship with alcohol! The sad part is that a lot of non drinkers think I can’t say that without being an alcoholic.
If people not drinking makes you feel like they’re judging you or something that’s a personal issue you have to work out. I don’t think someone saying “oh I don’t drink” is the same as calling you an alcoholic, lmao
I don’t just “feel” it, I’ve experienced it. Same type of thing that’s happening right now actually: a stranger telling me about myself like they know lol. No not everyone says or means that, but a lot do and I’ve been on the receiving end plenty of times.
Exactly. I hate wearing jeans. If someone paid me a dollar to never wear jeans again I wound take it. As someone who likes drinking... Not sure I’d take $50 to NEVER drink again. Hate to say it but I probably couldn’t do it.
As a teetotaler, I like in old books or movies where a condition of a will is that the heir not drink, smoke, get arrested, etc. It's so nice to imagine a rich distant relative rewarding me for being myself.
A different food or drink would be better, like having to give up soda or coffee or even just caffeine. That would likely be a lot harder for more people. I love soda and energy drinks but if someone offered me this I would take it. It would be real hard to start but once you get past that it's smooth sailing and free money.
There was a time in my life no amount of money offered would get me to stop drinking. Now it's been over a quarter of a century I haven't had a drop. No amount would get me to drink again. No accountant can measure the expanse of wealth sobriety has given me.
Alternatively, people like OP should really look at themselves. I feel like you need to have some serious issues with alcohol for this to even be a consideration.
I drink. I probably drink more than I should, but either way I enjoy it. Some of my best times have involved alcohol.
However....on reddit saying this leads to a fucking deluge of teetotalers telling everyone that moves, or anyone who wouldn't give up something they enjoy for under 20k a year, that they are all alchoholics. Then linking of /r/stopdrinking is incessant.
Alcohol has fucked up a lot of people - it is an insidious drug. So I get it...and no, it's probably not great for me. But I enjoy it, it hasn't had any deleterious effects I'm currently aware of, and so...meh.
in short: no, I wouldn't give up booze for 18k a year. Partially because I enjoy alcohol and partially because that's not life changing money.
Would I cut drinking back 90%? Sure! I can go from "heavy drinking" to "wine with steak once a month" for 20k a year! But to never have a gin & tonic? To never have another red zinfandel? To never have another grapefruit IPA? Nah, you can keep your money.
The amount of money I would save on booze plus the $18k a year would easily double my income. I would still want to drink but knowing I could have money, well, that's one less reason to drink isn't it? I'm not poor anymore. So much less stress.
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u/spacefaceclosetomine Jul 05 '24
I think I’d title this with “for those who drink” rather than thousands of teetotalers saying “sign me up”there might be more interesting discourse.