I am often asked this question, so I thought I would answer the question here.
When someone asks me whether i would like to have a drink, My short answer is that “I don’t feel like I need it.” That’s good enough for some!
But it’s not as haphazard as that simple explanation makes it sound. I have given it a lot of thought. I kinda see it as something I’d need a reason to start doing, rather than something I need a reason not to do. I sometimes ask people why they do drink. The usual responses are “to fit in,” “to be social,” and “to let loose.” I think I do all right covering all three of these on my own.
There are a couple of reasons I’ve come up with through my own observations, that people either aren’t aware of or can’t say aloud. I sometimes see people using alcohol as an excuse to act a little dumber. I don’t mean that in a bad way. Consider the man who can’t get on the dance floor until he’s had a few drinks, or the boy who can’t go up and talk to a girl without a little liquid courage. I am not those people. I’ll dance when I want to dance, and I’ll talk to the women I’m going to talk to without needing any form of crutch.
So fine, it’s not a necessity for me. But it’s fun, right? Why not give it a try?
So, i went on to give it a try during one of the tours with ma college buddies. Well, i dont know whether you can consider that as getting drunk. Because, we drank only Apple Cider, its just a beverage(like wine) made from juice pressed from apples and its alcoholic content is the least among all. Only 7%!
That was in Manali. Myself, Kanthimathinathan and Hariharan were determined to taste wine/beer or something during this tour! We wanted to know the Mystery behind getting drunk! We had purchased 2 bottles of Apple Cider from the Factory Outlet of a Apple Winery on our way to Manali! Before buying we checked out the alcoholic contect of all types of alcoholic beverages they had in stock. Beer, wine, heavy liquor or any other spirit. Apple Cider had the least, so we went on to buy it. We reached Manali, and went shopping. After returning to our rooms, we prepared ourselves to get drunk. It was all so funny. Hari had bought himself a small bottle of 8PM(it has a higher alcoholic content) and Kanthi and Myself had one bottle of cider each. We started drinking. Yuck! It’s taste was so awful. I was wondering, if this cider(with its least alcoholic content) itself was so horrible, how would the other alcoholic beverages taste! And after finishing off the bottle, I was expecting that something would happen! It didnt make me dumber or do weird things as i was expecting! lolz! I was as normal as before! So, we started to prepare our beds for sleeping. Within sometime, Kanthi started vomitting all over the room. And so, Myself and Hari, went to sleep in the next room with our other friends, while Kanthi cleaned up the mess and slept in our room! We still have all those photos and videos. It was all very funny and hilarious. From then on he got the nickname WINE KANTHI!
Eventhough i drank that day, I never really enjoyed the taste. I’d have to hold my nose to drink that, much to the amusement of my friends.
And now finally i’ve made a decision! I don wanna drink. Unless, someone does something to improve the taste!
I listed down some reasons that i could think of for making this decision. They are:
1.Because it Tastes bad.
I can’t stand the smell and taste of alcohol, and don’t understand what is appealing about chugging down huge quantities of what is essentially poison, into my body. And if ever, I want a drink in my hand, nothing beats a Pepsi.
2. I enjoy being in control.
And being sober around drunk people, I see what stupid decisions and mistakes that drunk people make all the time. In fact, that’s the best thing about being sober – you get to laugh at everyone else, and still be able to remember it the next morning.
3.Because I like to drive.
I can take my own car anywhere, leave whenever I want to, and not have to shell out money for a taxi or bum a ride off somebody else.
4.Because I don’t need to be drunk to have fun.
I’m glad I have at least experienced a lot of stuff so far in my life that I don’t feel like I have missed out on anything so far.
Well, this is my Personal Decision. I’d not militantly say everyone should give it up, or that anyone should aspire to follow my lead. I just wish more people could acknowledge that it’s a reasonable conclusion to have reached for myself, and let me have it.
I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
That’s a good decision for you, man. Not a bad decision at all. Now stay here while I go get plastered. I want to play you a game of chess.
ya…a gud decision and a very gud explanation…..bloggers these days resort to complex/ornamental words ..as they think..tat increases the curiosity of reader…but u hav a natural language…tats nice…keep up the originality….wat ever u said over there is wat i think…as i too dont drink….!!!!
good thing. You are already driving at a break-neck speed. If u start drinking then it will be like Hell for all other people who drive in the city. You are doing a service to mankind by not drinking.
Whatever you say, drinking is not a sin, people drink all over the world. Its just a social activity. Even i don’t drink, cheers
I dont have anything against it too! Its jus that i dont Like the Taste! he he!
It so easy to said yes i dont like the taste or i like to be in control, but for some ones alcohol it is just a scape to emotion and problems and even the taste is horrible after few drinks that horrible taste disappears i like to say that these are week people. But there are so many!!!!!! It will be much easier if we teach at early age how to be more secure about ourself. Are you 100% satisfied with youre self? Did you really love yourself ?
Whatever you say, drinking is not a sin, people drink all over the world. Its just a social activity. Even i don’t drink, cheers
^Just because many people indulge in something does not make it sinless, child.
My new boyfriend used to drink,ALOT, before I met him. He had two real bad things happen, and a friend of his told me his wife divorced him because he drank too much. I haven’t asked him about it that much yet. But he ahsn’t had alcohol for several years now. I love wine, but drink it once every other day. He’ll take me to the wineries and be my designated driver. I sometimes wish he would share a nice glass of wine with me, I think it’s not good to go from one extreme to the other, but I respect his decision not to drink. I’ve always believed though moderation is the key! But good for you! I never get drunk myself, hangovers suck! LOL!
I found this a really good explanation for not drinking. I myself, have suffered many times with bad hangovers.
When I go out I feel pressured by my friends into drinking. The problem with me is that once I start with one, I always seem to carry on until I am drunk, and then a severe hangover is inevitable.
I like the explanations you give as to why you don’t drink, such as having fun without it, and being in control.
I can have fun without it, I can dance on the dancefloor and talk to people without it too.
I like being able to remember my nights out, and not have to worry about spending money on booze or worry aobut making a fool out of myself or throwing up the next day.
I just wish people would respect my decision not to drink and not push me to do it. After all, they are not the ones who have to suffer the next day with my hangover. Alcohol is also a depressant, and this also affects me greatly. It causes depression and of course, is a poison that I am putting into my body. Our social lives revolve around drinking, but what I just wish is that people would leave me to my own decisions and not force me into doing something that I don’t want to do.
I can relate to this so much I say the same thing when people ask me why dont I drink. I really dont feel the need to and like you I find the taste pretty bad and if its not bad it leaves me with a sore throat anyway also I cant force myself to drink its just something Ive naturally never done like eating when I’m full I stop. Choosing to ignore that is harder said than done for me. Im at university at the moment and unfortunatly had the pressures of it slam into my face like a bus. I drank casually on the first week but never got drunk and avoided the situation all the time and felt that the reason most people drink is pretty much pathetic. As a result I have suffered and not made as much friends outside my subject circle and am paying for it. I am worried that once I end up in the work place and co-workers offer me to go for a drink and I say I dont drink they will look at me as someone who they cant have fun with which is the experiance ive had a university. To be honest I find that in order for people to have fun is get drunk is pretty crap way of having fun not to mention unhealthy.
@Claire and rjm
Thanks for the Comments…
Yea… Both of ur views are true… 100%. But, i guess…. Finally it comes down to our WILL POWER!
Nice one. I’m starting to think that quitting alcohol is one of the single best things a person can do for their own personal happiness and success.
I’m quitting that poison, but I’m not quitting going out.
Exactly. I will still go to bars…at most I will have a spritzer, of just coke, and dance the night away all without the worry of having a hangover. I have done my fair share, and the hangover I had around my birthday earlier this year in March was enough to put me off for good.
I think too, the older you get, the more you stop drinking so much. This doesn’t make me boring, just sensible! 