Hands off!

I wanted to comment on Shazza's latest posting, but then it became a runaway comment. So I decided to dedicate a whole blog post to the topic of inebriation.

Shazza decided to stop drinking (alcohol that is) - Way to go, girl, I say. But imagine people's reaction when a 23-year old doesn't drink. Yes, I don't care for the alcohol experience. I think I was the nasty kind of drunk ONCE in my life - and I was highly emotional that day due to a very mean and painful breakup. Before and since then I've occasionally been a little inebriated, one other time I came close to being drunk, but I just went and barfed and got better. Again with the negative emotions...

So I've never been much of a drinker. I'd have a bottle of beer or maybe two. Three only if the night got really long and with quite a pause between the beers. I've occasionally gotten tipsy and giggly after a couple of shots. But in fact I couldn't even get drunk. I have this inner barrier that prevents me from filling in too much alcohol. I don't know how it works, but it's there. It's my own private chaperone.

Over the years I got pretty good at pretending to be drinking though. Not consciously, but some night I realised that people actually thought I was drinking as much as they were, that I was drunk even. Considering I'm such a goofball I obviously had no difficulty blending in ;) I did have fun, even laughed about the same things as others - but I was sober. not always zero blood alcohol kinda sober, but definitely sober.

While others emptied 3 beers I was still on my first (and probably last). Yet as long as I always seemed to have a bottle or glass in my hand they thought I was drinking like them. Once they did find out however, they were literally shocked. Treated me as if I was a crazy spoilsport who doesn't know how to party. Dismissed me as ... I don't know, not boring because I always knew how to have fun, but just... like I was not quite right in the head.

These days I've stopped going out almost altogether, partly to avoid having to explain myself and partly because I honestly don't know what to do with inebriated people anymore. Their funny little accidents stopped being funny to me. Being drunk is just no fun when you're sober. So I try to stick to friends who don't rely on alcohol for a fun night and if we do go out they let me have my mineral water or coca cola or orange juice in peace.

Of course one could argue that my approach towards alcohol is unhealthy, because it's probably simply a psychological reaction to alcoholism running in my family or maybe a fear of losing control. But it's not like I never drink. I do enjoy the occasional G&T and sometimes a beer or white wine. In fact G&T or a Queen Mum (G&T with cucumber instead of lemon) is really yummy. But as I can hold "my" liquor (see: gin) the only way for me to get more than just a little tipsy is if I'm emotional and drinking at the same time - or if I just happen to have not eaten recently, but seriously, when is that the case with me?

I'd like this world to be one where drinking isn't so darn cool, I wish it were like that... frickin' peer pressure... At least people really need to know how much they can drink. For fuck's sake, learn to hold your liquor!

Or just don't drink that much.

It's actually that simple.

P.S.: And then when I stopped smoking as well, damn I lost whatever coolness I had left - at least in the eyes of my peers. Fucktards.