i use them pretty much exclusively but i have a collection of glass ones i reuse. i have a weird thing about drinking from an open cup so i always have a lid/straw.
Listen, I'm totally down for bioplastic straws. They've got a different texture and are far more brittle, but still compostable and lasts more than long enough for me to enjoy my drink.
I don't get why customers at my work hate them so much. To the point some will bring their own straws if we don't have the regular plastic milkshake straws.
It's weird...
TBH, paper straws suck. And not because they fall apart, which is annoying but not the end of the world.... But because they're full of PFAS.... Yeah, not fucking great.
I’ve never understood why we need straws. I get it for a milkshake but I don’t understand why a restaurant gives me a glass with a straw in it. Do people use straws at home?
I'd much prefer to drink acidic or staining things through a straw. Orange juice, iced coffee drinks, soft drinks. The less those things pass over my enamel the better.
There's a few things, like you said some things truly do require a straw like a milkshake, or slushies, tbf they are "fun" even if that's not a great reason, but I think the real reason people got hooked on them is drive throughs, they are undoubtedly much easier when you are driving.