Noticed my book club debates got friendlier after we dropped the wine

Over the last six months, our group shifted from meeting at a loud bar to someone's quiet living room, and the fightiness just faded away... no more interrupting or personal digs during arguments. It hit me that the alcohol was fueling a lot of the tension, not really the opinions in the books. Has anyone else seen a change in discussion tone when you changed the setting or refreshments?

2 comments

2 Comments

faith_thomas1mo ago

Got a friend who runs a book club that used to meet at this dive bar with cheap drafts. She said once they switched to afternoon meetups with just tea and coffee, the group stopped having those weird heated fights about character motivations that went nowhere. Now they actually listen to each other instead of just waiting to talk over someone.

the_nina1mo ago

Yeah, that tracks! @faith_thomas your friend's experience makes total sense. Alcohol lowers inhibitions, sure, but it also kills your attention span and makes people more combative. Throw in some cheap drafts and suddenly everyone's a literary critic with a grudge. I've seen it happen in writing groups too. A few beers in and people start treating a discussion about symbolism like a fight to the death. The afternoon tea crowd sounds boring but at least they're actually having a conversation instead of a shouting match. Really makes you think about how much the setting and what you're drinking changes the whole vibe.