How To Be Drunk Without The Alcohol

I had my first alcoholic beverage when I was about 12 years old. We owned a shop that sold alcohol so getting my hands on some was pretty easy! (Sorry mum and dad!) 😛 Anyone who’s ever tried alcohol will always say the first taste was disgusting but then they got used to it. I tried a non-alcoholic beer recently and it wasn’t disgusting, but I really couldn’t see the appeal. At the age of 15 I made a concious choice that alcohol wasn’t for me.

Do you drink alcohol? Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you drink? Does it allow you to relax more and have bit more ‘fun’? Do you need the alcohol in order to be yourself? Do you feel lost when you don’t have a drink in your hand? Have you made any good decisions whilst drunk?

To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they’ve made any wise decisions whilst they’ve been inebriated. However, if anyone finds any blog posts on that, let me know as I’m sure they would be hilarious! 😛 I’m not judging anyone that drinks, I just know that you can be drunk on life without having to order a Singapore Sling!

My Experiment

About four and a half years ago I went on a stag weekend with some friends. I’d decided that I was going to drink booze. Not because I wanted to start a new habit. I did it because I was intensely curious as what it felt like to be drunk. It was a personal experiment and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

On the trip I had plenty to drink. Unlike the experience for some people, the effect was not a jolly one for me. I ended up feeling grumpy, I didn’t feel intoxicated, and it made me feel miserable. My experiment was a failure because I wanted to experience what it felt like to be drunk.

Even though I didn’t achieve my intended purpose, I learned something important about myself. I learned that, when I’m out and about, I tend to act ‘drunk’ anyway. Anyone who’s seen my comedy will know that I can shake my ass with the best of them, and for me, being in that state doesn’t require any alcohol whatsoever! (Make mine a virgin!)

The Reason For Drinking

It’s not something I do often but I enjoy going out to clubs, having a boogie, and enjoy listening to music. A good portion of my friends don’t drink but the rest do. Out of those, some of them just have one or two drinks for the whole night to loosen up to feel more comfortable and the rest will drink heavily as their intention was to go out and get drunk. Here’s the list of most common reasons I hear why people drink:

1. To have that feeling of intoxication
2. To feel loose and more comfortable
3. To give their hands something to do
4. To express honesty (yes I’ve really heard this one!)
5. To feel more jolly and happy
6. To feel more confident
7. To gain some Dutch courage

What do all of the above points have in common? It’s simple, they’re all possible without alcohol! Alcohol isn’t needed for any of those things. In fact you can reach all of those states and still have your wits about you. The amount of times I’ve heard of people losing phones, wallets, ending up falling asleep on the street etc. What if you could be drunk and not end up wearing your underpants on the outside? (Hallelujah!)

How To Get Drunk; The Cool Way

When I go out I tend to just drink water or, if I’m feeling particularly adventurous, I’ll order a Virgin Colada (with a pink brolly), or a Virgin Mojito. I find that drinking lots of water gives me a natural high. Something which you can’t get from soft drinks or virgin cocktails.

The other thing is being in the right frame of mind. You can convince yourself of anything and if you believe it with your whole being, that you are going to have a great time and don’t need the alcohol to do it, you will! There are no complex mechanics to it. You just think it and do it!

I’ve noticed a pattern that young people, whey they first start, they start drinking heavily. As the years progress, they continue the heavy drinking, but it slowly decreases. Then somewhere in their mid 20’s to early 30’s the consumption goes right down and in some cases, they give up altogether. Then there are also those who become mildly addicted and those who end up needing to go to the AA.

Imagine if you could develop the mindset, from the beginning, that you don’t need an external form of intoxication to feel good; that you could feel intoxicated just by changing the way you think; that all it took was a small shift in beliefs, to know that at any time you choose, you could feel great and loose, and your wallet would still have some notes left in it at the end of the day!

All it takes is making a decision. All it takes is deciding that you want to learn to have fun without at any time, and in any place, without the the need for any external intervention. You just decide to have a great time, laugh out loud, be yourself in the moment, be authentic, not worry about what people think about you, and dance like nobody’s watching! 😉

A Side Note

I wasn’t actually going to bring health into this article but I happened to come across this article today on the BBC website. After I’d manage to pick myself up off the floor after rolling around on the floor laughing so hard that my sides nearly split, I managed to compose myself enough to finish this post.

Every week the mass media write contradictory articles on various aspects of health and the ones that entertain me the most are the ones on alcohol. One week they’ll say it’s good for something, the next week they’ll say it’s bad for something else. They never seem to be able to get it right.

Don’t pay attention to the mass media when it comes to issues of health. Decide for yourself. Do your own research and experiment on yourself. If you’re happy having a bit of alcohol now and again! Go for it! It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that excessive consumption, of even good foods is, overall, bad!