On average, 72% of Brits go out on a Friday to various pubs, bars and clubs and find themselves in positions where they would never be if they had been sober. Its far to say though 1%of us actually break the stereotype and do occasionally go out and have fun without the need to be intoxicated but as you can see we are the minority.
Alcohol for me has always been an abomination in my society it is the forbidden fruit never to be touched let alone drunk. However, being the rebel I am, I decided to just like Adam to try the forbidden fruit; not because I wanted to defy my culture but because I wanted find out what made people addicted to this intoxicating solution. What made people keep drinking heavily knowing the consequences that definitely would follow the next morning after a night out? My first ever drink was a double shot of Baileys a creamy pleasant Irish liqueur which I actually liked. Its creamy, caramelly taste and smooth texture warmed me inside. I could feel my head going light but I was still sober, that didn’t do the trick for me as I wanted, no I needed to feel drunk to feel what others felt when they got drunk.
Coming from a rich culture, strict yet endearing, I hardly went out and so my Friday nights were somewhat boring. It comprised of me sitting in front of the TV watching back to back episodes of CSI: NY and Miami. I seldom went out clubbing or to house parties not because I didn’t have friends or anything but because in the eyes of my culture it was seen as immoral for a young lady (unwed) to be out about at night enjoying herself. However, I anticipated for an opportunity to present itself and it did. I was invited to house party from my friend at work one I definitely couldn’t turn down as all nearly all my work mates were going to be there. I was quite early and got there round 8pm which is quite unusual for me; I always loved being fashionable late. I took the night easy by just having juices non-alcoholic at first then a bit of vodka as the party went on. After my fourth drink of Bacardi and orange juice yes I know not coke which I detest, I began to feel light-headed and hazy. It took me a minute or so to construct meaningful sentences. I found myself giggling at anything and everything around me; dancing to music I would never even listen to usually never mind dance to. There I was the shy girl from work strutting her stuff on the dance floor not giving a damn who saw her or what people thought about her. Suddenly I was on top of the world, the diva, and the unstoppable. Through the blurriness, I felt whole and unique, things that mattered to me didn’t matter anymore during that period; things like self-respect and dignity; they were just words in the dictionary.
I got home that night with a banging headache and drank as much water as I could though that was as futile as cleaning an ink stain off a pair of jeans. As I lay on my bed thinking over my actions, I felt a slight guilt seeping into my body engulfing me like a predator, chilling the air around me. I had no doubt betrayed my culture and everything sacred about it. I had created a barrier between us; one I knew would take time to break or may not break at all. I had searched for answers and received them, losing myself and my identity in the process. Alcohol made me feel untouchable, immortal if you like but not sensible it took out all the morality from me. It didn’t teach me the principles of life my culture taught me; instead it made me act irresponsible and totally out of character.
Waking up the next morning was a nightmare; my head was so heavy it felt like it was going to drop. I had lost my appetite even looking at food made me want to puke. I believe I was experiencing the “hang over” stage and trust me it wasn’t pleasant. My encounter with alcohol was pleasant from the first sip from then onwards was something quite different. This was a relationship I was glad to see the end of. I am happy to say that I have since parted my ways with alcohol and have stuck to the juices I know. Nevertheless, alcohol is consumed by lots of young adults my age and this article is not anti-alcohol or anything but please folks bear in mind the amount you consume. You don’t always need alcohol to have a nice time. If you are on a night out don’t go over the limit, always try and drink the minimum so you can at least get home safely. You’ll be doing not only yourself a favour but your family and the community. As for me, alcohol will always be one of my experiments I tried out and didn’t take a liking to and Friday nights will find me watching maybe not CSI but whatever programs on TV and I hope to keep it that way.
Kadi.
