Allergic to alcohol lol Your own body produces it, you must be dead already.
I choose a substance free lifestyle, and enjoy the natural things around me like giant spiders, lovelly snakes and sometimes fireflies. There are sometimes mountain deer and often have eagles flying overhead. Ah bliss but then sometimes I have to travel to Taipei…
My wife and I are the only foreign members of a small church on Zhongxiao Fuxing. We attend the Wednesday night Bible class and Sunday morning service, both of which are open to anyone who walks in off the street. On Sunday there’s also a lunch cooked by church members, which is likewise freely available to anyone who comes. The services are all in Chinese (a couple of the songs are in Taiwanese), the only time English is used is when I’m speaking and someone is translating (though I do pray in Chinese when presenting congregational prayer). We sometimes get together for coffee or a meal somewhere, or visit each other, or go up to the mountains somewhere for tea and a chat and just to get out of the city. I ran a free hour and a half long English class on Thursday nights for two years, until numbers dwindled to three people. We went to Wulai on Sunday, and one of my (non-Christian), work colleagues joined us for the company.
Not that I know of.
It may be any number of medications but of course, the most popular is alcohol. Fortunately, I quite shun such beverages. I good pipe? Naw, never done that. Just too “presidential”. I would rather go to the mountains and sit in a hot tub, natural as I can get and, by the way, I would never, never, smoke or endulge in the alcohol viper. Just so everyone knows
I do drink in TW, but not as heavily as I do in the US. There is a lot to do here, as everyone has already said. If you really want to open up a lot of possibilities for yourself, learn Chinese. Enroll in a local school there for classes when you aren’t working. It’s a great way to occupy your time, meet new people, and better help you enmesh in Taiwan’s awesome culture. As my former professor said, Taiwanese culture is REAL Chinese culture.
“Religion is the opium of the masses”. Karl Marx.
Nowadays, it’s television.
Nowadays, it’s television.[/quote]
Television actually exists, organised religion is just a set of lies. Anyway, in the USA the power of religion is still pretty much comparable with that of TV.
Nowadays, it’s television.[/quote]
Television actually exists…[/quote]
So does religion.
What do you think you’re seeing on the television? Truth? 
Aldous Huxley was right about the future, not George Orwell.
They have banned smoking inside most bars in Taiwan, so it’s not as bad of an experience as it once was.
[quote=“daisyhotkiss”]
people are really nice, don’t drink or smoke, and I am not talking about mormons (they are not really christians). [/quote]
Off-topic, but Latter-day Saints are actually Christians.
Anyhow, to the OP, there are a lot of people that don’t obessively engross themselves in the bar scene, etc. I’d give advice as to what to do for fun but it seems that other people with much more knowledge than myself have already given you good advice.
Buy an XBox 360 and an air conditioner. I drink and smoke. I drink and smoke a lot. But I would drink and smoke even more if I didn’t have a games console. And I would spend a lot more money on going out.
If you’re not into gaming, take up angling, golf, bowling, gaysketball, surfing or any sport that tickles your fancy.
Adopt a pet. They are labour-intensive and keep you entertained.
Avoid churches.
Travel on the weekends. Most places are easily accessible by bus or train. It’s quite easy and cheap to see something different each weekend.
Go to prison. Liquor and cigarettes are illegal there.
Avoid forumosa.com. It really makes you want to drown your sorrows. If you are unable to drag yourself away, ask urodacus a question EVERY DAY.
Renovate your living space.
Become involved in animal rescue or charity work.
Take up yoga or a martial art.
Invest in an extensive pornography collection. You won’t feel obliged to go cruising in the pubs so often. And you will be having sex with someone you love.
Take up a musical instrument. Initially frustrating, but ultimately very rewarding. If you hate your neighbours, buy a drum kit or saxaphone.
Go to night markets and play the claw machines.
Work on your culinary abilities. Learn to cook well.
Join a book or movie club.
Listen to wholesome music like Country and Western.
Visit libraries and museums.
Join Mr Dragonbones’ bread-making society.
Show humility and compassion at all times.
Avoid churches.
You realize you sound like Brad Pitt in Interview with a Vampire giving instruction to little Kirsten Dunst, don’t you…
I liked that movie. The protagonists avoided churches.
jail, porn and gaming is good. 
Church is bad.
:eh:
wait a moment …
Can we negotiate this?
What about “marriage, porn and gaming…?” 
Or what kind of jail are you talking about? 
Church in Taiwan would be acceptable if the buildings held spiritual resonance.
Why habitate a horrid habitat when there’s a perfectly great mound of books over yonder?
Since when do (all) allergies kill? And I am pretty certain that the body also produces other things that could, depending on concentration or amount and how your body absorbs them, be deadly.
Anyway, maybe it’s not an allergy but alcohol intolerance does exist, in fact many Asians do have such an intolerance due to a genetic disorder and the symptoms can be similar to those of allergic reactions, e.g. rashes or nausea.
It’s also possible to react allergic to substances that are found in alcoholic beverages.
Still I will consider giving the church a try. I have friends from all walks of life, even from churches (who hold their faith beliefs), taiwaneses (who hold their strong political beliefs), friends from many nationalities (who have their country traditions), well we just don’t discuss our beliefs, we just get together and have some fun, shop together, we go hiking and have meals, we even cook together.
[quote=“Dr. McCoy”]I have been accused of having no substance. But in fact I am quite substantial.
It has been 7 months since my last cigarette.[/quote]
Didn’t you have one at Lotus Hill?
They haven’t banned smoking in either of the two bars I’ve been to (I don’t go to so many bars). The boss at Malibu East was saying smoking’s allowed after 9. It was supposed to be allowed in only bars that didn’t open till after 9, but apparently they didn’t “ding wei” the law properly, so it’s OK after 9.
Is there, in fact, an effective ban? I haven’t anywhere posh like Carnegies or China Pa recently so no idea.
Taiwanese Christians I’ve met have been critical and intelligent (they’ve made a proactive decision to break with tw norms I suppose). I think on balance though they’re slightly more likely to be social drinkers than traditional twese.