My Personal Choice For Alcohol Aversion
I grew up in a family of smokers and drinkers. This resulted in my seeing firsthand what can happen if such vices are abused. Seeing each habit at an early age gave me the examples needed to choose a different path. I remember telling my friends and family I would never take either habit up in my life.
Of course, no one believed me. I remember when a teacher lecturing on drug abuse asked if any of us had family that drank heavily or smoked. I was one of the students with a hand up. The teacher immediately said that each of us would have a substance abuse problem as we grew up. I quickly replied. No, I won’t. The teacher walked up to me and said, you may not think so, but it’s in your genetics and time will prove me right. That was the first time I realized teachers could be stupid.
I never picked up a drink or tried smoking throughout my childhood or teen years. Having grown up with each, I didn’t have a problem with other people who took them up but I never wanted to try it for myself. In college, I often ignored the invitations from friends to try drinking just once. Then one day, my friends got together for a celebration and kept pushing me to have a few drinks to celebrate with them.
I recognized the trap before me, but for once, I decided I would give in to peer pressure and out of curiosity, see what it was like. I was promised the first drink would not taste like alcohol. It had a sweet fruity taste but I tasted the alcohol clearly. It was as if I had tasted sweetened battery acid. I drank it down quickly to make it go away and was met with looks of surprise.
The next drink I was given was a seven-something followed by a long island iced tea. Taller glass, yes. Better tasting? No. Throughout this process, my friends were all joining in, drinking their own versions of my selections. Each time another drink was put away, they asked how I felt and I replied, okay. I lied.
The truth was, I was hyper-aware of my situation. As each drink arrived, I felt the world moving slower. I realized my reactions and awareness had slowed down. By the end of the night, I remember having shots of Tequila, vodka something or other and several drinks that I felt sure were never meant for human consumption.
My friends continued to become more intoxicated as the night went on, and so, were too drunk to realize how drunk I had become. By the end, they were bitterly disappointed, thinking they failed to get alcohol to affect me. Being a quiet person to begin with, my calm demeanor and simple answers made it seem as if drinking hadn’t done anything. Little did they know.
When the last of my friends departed, I rose from my seat carefully. It was as if I were on a merry-go-round, doing my best to walk a straight line. I managed this impossible task by pretending every chair from my table to the door was another piece of a walking stick. I did well until I got to my car. I think I leaned back for a good ten minutes before starting it up and getting on the road.
Thankfully the way home was along a country road in the middle of nowhere. Looking back, I could have driven into a ditch, hit a telephone pole or driven into a street sign. I remember concentrating with all my will, driving between the lines and fighting to focus every movement I made. By the time I got home, the corners of my eyes were growing dark and I knew I would be sleeping the second I hit the bed. I remember feeling the world spinning beneath me as darkness carried me away.
I know I was lucky not to have thrown up, crashed or passed out behind the wheel. I don’t recall having a hangover the next day but the experience did not change my mind on drinking. I have not taken up drinking or any other habit and I doubt I ever will.
I never tell anyone else not to drink. Alcohol isn’t the problem. Like other habits, the issue is overdoing it. Caffeine can also be abused. Eating is up there as well. We choose our path. Going too far is the turn to avoid. I will always try to choose well, eat healthy and enjoy treats in moderation. In the end, the joys of life are what make every journey an adventure and every accomplishment a worthy cause for celebration.