Let’s be honest, if you’re an avid reader of my blog you know what to expect. The post will begin with a brief summary of What, Why, Where and How. Occasionally there’ll be an element of foreshadowing and a philosophical question. I’ll guide you through the evening, inserting between the various fixed happenings the unique incidents that occurred; funny, traumatic and embarrassing. The end will bring a general summary of the entire evening with a conclusion of how successful it had been.
So far this structure has served me well. However this week I’m taking a different approach. Instead of rambling on about the fun filled events of an amazing night out, I’m going to take a look at the reasons why we choose to drink. What urges us to carry on drinking after horrific nights full of tears and vomit? When it comes to consuming alcohol the phrase “Once bitten twice shy” seems to be completely void. In today’s society the more outrageous a night becomes and the more alcohol you can guzzle down the better.
I asked a group of people a range of questions to fathom the motive behind the want, and possible need, to drink ourselves into oblivion.
My first query was how alcohol makes one feel and there was a range of answers; some were easy to guess but others were more interesting. On a whole it seemed that confidence was a winner. One person said “I definitely feel more confident and get my swagga on a little bit more” which explains it all really. When the first drink or two starts to work its magic it’s as if we’ve all spent a week with Gok Wan telling us we’re gorgeous and the next thing you know we’re all posing for naked photo shoots.
With a loss of inhibition the result is a completely carefree attitude. A general review of the answers would suggest that this is another attribute alcohol has which lure’s people into drowning themselves in it. We can dance like no one’s watching when everyone clearly is; we can speak to that boy/girl we like even though they’ve been giving one word answers for the past 45 minutes; we can walk in 6 inch heels because who’s going to feel the pain when you tumble down the steps? Alcohol provides us with a feeling of freedom that you simply cannot get when sober as a certain standard of behaviour is expected.
However these enhanced feelings that at first fill one with elation can soon turn ugly. In one individuals response they explained that in the tipsy stage they are happily carefree but when they move past this into the drunk or paralytic stage things take a turn for the worse and they cannot stop crying. This is reiterated amongst many others I questioned. “I think when I'm tipsy I'm ok but by the end of the night, if it goes bad, I get pretty sad”. The struggle for most appears to be control. When a night commences it’s all guns blazing and spirits are high. The happy potion can soon turn sour though and we’re faced with uncontrollable urges of aggression or sadness. What was at first a release becomes a catalyst to things we may be bottling up or hiding from others.
After the joy and the tears and the rage comes the morning after. We’ve been sound asleep, oblivious to the chemical reactions occurring in our bodies. Upon awakening we must face the dreaded hangover and the day ahead is a mountain which must be climbed. One participant stated that the next day she feels “like there is a huge elephant on my head!” Physical side effects are often the first aspect of our hangover to grab our attention, from throbbing headaches to the need to hurtle oneself into the bathroom to vomit. Granted, bodily aches and groans are not the most pleasant but they’re not the only side effect of a night out on the lash.
One particular statement stood out to me. “Often I wake with a sense of impending doom.” The morning headache comes hand in hand with a sense of unease. Despite what anyone may say there is always something that one will not remember. Even if we can recall a substantial amount from the previous night there is a vast uncertainty that can only be soothed after talking to other attendees. When the creases in our memories have been flattened out the feelings of embarrassment and regret are brought to the surface. The confidence and carefree attitude that formerly seemed heaven sent are revealed to have been hugely deceptive.
Moreover, ones mood is largely affected too. “I feel considerably unhappy the first day or so after” one individual explained. After all, alcohol is a drug and the following day brings the “come down”. Repeated explanations from others suggest that being more emotional than usual is common when hungover. I can vouch for this also and I personally feel overtly needy; I have an exasperating need to be with my boyfriend and hug my mum at any opportunity.
In spite of everything I have just written, when asked if anyone would ever stop drinking as a result of a bad night out the choir sang a resounding no. The risks of a night turning bad due to excessive drinking are always present, yet most don’t let this thwart their positivity. “I generally manage to overlook them (bad nights) in favour of the good ones.” Although there is evidence to show alcohol can produce nights we’d rather forget, there is also evidence proving its consumption can result in nights which will go down in history, which is too hard to resist.
Having said this, a few admitted that on occasion they have chosen not to drink. The reason for this decision varying from having work the next day to wanting to look after others. Although these are of course valid reasons, the notion of going out without drinking seems one that most would prefer not to face. Others who said they had chosen not to drink admitted to eventually giving in and defying their previous decision. It can all be summed up with one individuals answer: “It’s depressing when you’re the only sober one on a night out.”
Let me paint a picture for you. You’re with a group of your friends sitting at a sticky table in your local pub. Each other member of the group is armed with their preferred drink: Vodka and Diet Coke, Pear Cider, JD and Coke, Budweiser, Fosters, Malibu and Lemonade, White Wine, Red Wine, Rosé Wine. What delicious potion have you decided upon? Orange juice. As the night continues the alcohol injects the spirit of those around you; laughter erupts in your ears following a joke that wasn’t funny and there’s a glass is getting way too close to the edge of the table for your liking. As your friends float up into intoxication you seem to be diving deeper into sobriety.
If that doesn’t sound depressing, I don’t know what does. I imagine the feelings one experiences as a third wheel would be very similar. The cliché of “feeling alone in a crowded room” springs to mind. Because when it boils down to it, we don’t want to be the odd one out.
I have concluded that the reason we continue to intoxicate our bodies is that we crave freedom. Every day we are faced with commitments and rules; we have to be reliable and act in a certain way at work or school and in front of our family. When the weekend roles around we are given the chance to let loose; if you’re going to do something you may as well do it to the extreme and alcohol is the key.
The limits to what we can do when we’re drunk seem endless. We feel as if we have power and no one can tell us what to do. We’re unstoppable. Bad nights may put us off briefly but the craving for this particular class of freedom will always return. That’s why we can never kiss our drinking habits goodbye. That’s why we deal with the embarrassment and the headaches and the sick and the regrets. All we want is a few hours to say what we want, dance how we want, have sex with who we want and say a massive “Fuck You” to anyone who tries to get in our way.
So far this structure has served me well. However this week I’m taking a different approach. Instead of rambling on about the fun filled events of an amazing night out, I’m going to take a look at the reasons why we choose to drink. What urges us to carry on drinking after horrific nights full of tears and vomit? When it comes to consuming alcohol the phrase “Once bitten twice shy” seems to be completely void. In today’s society the more outrageous a night becomes and the more alcohol you can guzzle down the better.
I asked a group of people a range of questions to fathom the motive behind the want, and possible need, to drink ourselves into oblivion.
My first query was how alcohol makes one feel and there was a range of answers; some were easy to guess but others were more interesting. On a whole it seemed that confidence was a winner. One person said “I definitely feel more confident and get my swagga on a little bit more” which explains it all really. When the first drink or two starts to work its magic it’s as if we’ve all spent a week with Gok Wan telling us we’re gorgeous and the next thing you know we’re all posing for naked photo shoots.
With a loss of inhibition the result is a completely carefree attitude. A general review of the answers would suggest that this is another attribute alcohol has which lure’s people into drowning themselves in it. We can dance like no one’s watching when everyone clearly is; we can speak to that boy/girl we like even though they’ve been giving one word answers for the past 45 minutes; we can walk in 6 inch heels because who’s going to feel the pain when you tumble down the steps? Alcohol provides us with a feeling of freedom that you simply cannot get when sober as a certain standard of behaviour is expected.
However these enhanced feelings that at first fill one with elation can soon turn ugly. In one individuals response they explained that in the tipsy stage they are happily carefree but when they move past this into the drunk or paralytic stage things take a turn for the worse and they cannot stop crying. This is reiterated amongst many others I questioned. “I think when I'm tipsy I'm ok but by the end of the night, if it goes bad, I get pretty sad”. The struggle for most appears to be control. When a night commences it’s all guns blazing and spirits are high. The happy potion can soon turn sour though and we’re faced with uncontrollable urges of aggression or sadness. What was at first a release becomes a catalyst to things we may be bottling up or hiding from others.
After the joy and the tears and the rage comes the morning after. We’ve been sound asleep, oblivious to the chemical reactions occurring in our bodies. Upon awakening we must face the dreaded hangover and the day ahead is a mountain which must be climbed. One participant stated that the next day she feels “like there is a huge elephant on my head!” Physical side effects are often the first aspect of our hangover to grab our attention, from throbbing headaches to the need to hurtle oneself into the bathroom to vomit. Granted, bodily aches and groans are not the most pleasant but they’re not the only side effect of a night out on the lash.
One particular statement stood out to me. “Often I wake with a sense of impending doom.” The morning headache comes hand in hand with a sense of unease. Despite what anyone may say there is always something that one will not remember. Even if we can recall a substantial amount from the previous night there is a vast uncertainty that can only be soothed after talking to other attendees. When the creases in our memories have been flattened out the feelings of embarrassment and regret are brought to the surface. The confidence and carefree attitude that formerly seemed heaven sent are revealed to have been hugely deceptive.
Moreover, ones mood is largely affected too. “I feel considerably unhappy the first day or so after” one individual explained. After all, alcohol is a drug and the following day brings the “come down”. Repeated explanations from others suggest that being more emotional than usual is common when hungover. I can vouch for this also and I personally feel overtly needy; I have an exasperating need to be with my boyfriend and hug my mum at any opportunity.
In spite of everything I have just written, when asked if anyone would ever stop drinking as a result of a bad night out the choir sang a resounding no. The risks of a night turning bad due to excessive drinking are always present, yet most don’t let this thwart their positivity. “I generally manage to overlook them (bad nights) in favour of the good ones.” Although there is evidence to show alcohol can produce nights we’d rather forget, there is also evidence proving its consumption can result in nights which will go down in history, which is too hard to resist.
Having said this, a few admitted that on occasion they have chosen not to drink. The reason for this decision varying from having work the next day to wanting to look after others. Although these are of course valid reasons, the notion of going out without drinking seems one that most would prefer not to face. Others who said they had chosen not to drink admitted to eventually giving in and defying their previous decision. It can all be summed up with one individuals answer: “It’s depressing when you’re the only sober one on a night out.”
Let me paint a picture for you. You’re with a group of your friends sitting at a sticky table in your local pub. Each other member of the group is armed with their preferred drink: Vodka and Diet Coke, Pear Cider, JD and Coke, Budweiser, Fosters, Malibu and Lemonade, White Wine, Red Wine, Rosé Wine. What delicious potion have you decided upon? Orange juice. As the night continues the alcohol injects the spirit of those around you; laughter erupts in your ears following a joke that wasn’t funny and there’s a glass is getting way too close to the edge of the table for your liking. As your friends float up into intoxication you seem to be diving deeper into sobriety.
If that doesn’t sound depressing, I don’t know what does. I imagine the feelings one experiences as a third wheel would be very similar. The cliché of “feeling alone in a crowded room” springs to mind. Because when it boils down to it, we don’t want to be the odd one out.
I have concluded that the reason we continue to intoxicate our bodies is that we crave freedom. Every day we are faced with commitments and rules; we have to be reliable and act in a certain way at work or school and in front of our family. When the weekend roles around we are given the chance to let loose; if you’re going to do something you may as well do it to the extreme and alcohol is the key.
The limits to what we can do when we’re drunk seem endless. We feel as if we have power and no one can tell us what to do. We’re unstoppable. Bad nights may put us off briefly but the craving for this particular class of freedom will always return. That’s why we can never kiss our drinking habits goodbye. That’s why we deal with the embarrassment and the headaches and the sick and the regrets. All we want is a few hours to say what we want, dance how we want, have sex with who we want and say a massive “Fuck You” to anyone who tries to get in our way.
No comments:
Post a Comment