Chugged half a bottle of soju when I was 4th grade. I was always good at drinking bitter stuff. I couldn't understand what all the fuss is about wearing frowny faces after a tiny cup of one of these. I would have drink all the way to the bottom of the bottle if the dude next to me didn't stop me.
40 minutes later I could barely walk. First time I got drunk.
Haven't drink another alcohol for about 10 years. I saw the other grown ups as examples for 'why not to drink'.
Endured not to drink through the freshman year in the university. I was still very not tempted to drink. Then two and half years of military service afterward, still no alcohol.
But sometime when I got out of the military, I figured mingling with drunken U.S. military people looked fun. And I had a lot of money saved up as well.
The first thing I did was looking for the strongest one I can get in the country. Bacardi 151 looked like the best way to get down to the business. Cheaper than other fancier alcohols, and I cared not about the taste. I just needed to feel like I'm drinking the proper alcohol. The blackout was the only way to drink, or fail the evening.
A few months later my brain built tolerance, while the rest of my organs lose some. Couldn't drink another one of those since. I had to move on to the weaker stuff, like vodka or beer.
Got caught up by an insignificant western bar at one of the simpler evening. They hired me. 3 months of very fun job, making cocktails and meeting teacher foreigners, drinking for free myself, giving a lot of free drinks, worked hard for it. Never got paid though. Instead got accused as a theft of 300 worth of alcohol by a manipulative and delusional ex-boss of mine, just like every other part time job workers before me. Cursed her bad management and the current state of the bar's expiration date to 2 months and quit. She hired high schoolers to replace me. The bar was closed in 3 months.
Kept going to bars. Traveled everywhere. Meeting new people. Did some sports. Going to class. Always drinking while doing it. Drinking beer in Belgium was the best thing about it.
Knew about 50 foreign teachers in the city at one point, all introduced through alcohol. Learned the meaning of the house party, got my own rented house and threw a few myself. Made a few best friends coming and going.
Solved a lot of problems while I was drunk. Caused a few less, I would like to think.
Did that about a couple of years. I got broke. Then I got a bit tired of friends I spent efforts to make kept leaving no matter what.
Didn't kept many friends at some point. Didn't go to bar much. It cost me too much, I could barely eat. I kept my beer though, I just needed my own vibe. And my friendly neighborhood cheap brandy bottles, practically making that one my girlfriend.
Only ever done house parties or outdoors since. The quiet and cheap ones.
Did that or solo just about every day. A shot of a liquor was a good headache reliever. It was a temporary pill, but that part of it was always easily remedied.
Then one day I couldn't see the point of alcohol anymore. The thought hit my head when my next shot filled with a cheap brandy waiting for me next to my work station. However the cheapest option it was available, it was still costing me a lot more than it's worth.
I looked at that shot for a decent amount of time. It was fun while it lasted. But whatever I did with it, I can do without it now if it's worth doing.
A sink took that shot for me, and never poured another one since.
For the first couple of weeks I had urges to go back drinking again. I didn't know I got addicted that much. I managed to hold back.
At 28th days since no alcohol, that withdrawal was gone completely. I got out free.
That was only about 3 years since I started drinking. And it's been about half a year since I got out of addiction. Pretty quick in and out, I feel.
I'm not in an obligation to stay away from alcohol. I would drink if circumstances don't cost me a dime. But the stuff just stinks and disorienting since I got out of addiction. Can't say I'll ever go back grabbing heavy bottles again.
It was a good thing that I had those cycles of alcoholic lives, and I probably needed them. Learned a few, lots of fun, done a lot. But that was then. Time to live another life.
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