I enjoy Belgian Tripel style ales, and strong British 'real' ales, but sometimes things can get just too much.. I tend to stop in the 7s, and only occasionally venture into the 9s for a good stout or porter, but on the whole the ABV is not why I'm drinking beer.
I once (a long time ago in a kingdom far, far away) bought a litre bottle (plastic, naturally) of a German beer. Was going to watch my friend's band rehearse. It left me almost blind. Silly.
I remember when I was a teen on the UK all the old soaks would drink "barley wine" - which was in 11% range. They were incoherent come dinner time.