My First Drinking Experience!

"I don't drink alcoholic beverages. Water only, please."

That's what I usually say whenever I go out with my friends and hang out with them. Don't call me KJ (Kill Joy) for that because I have valid reasons why I never want to drink alcohol.

Oh. I do drink, but the only alcoholic drink that passes my taste buds is wine. Nope, it's not like I have tasted the most expensive wine, but just the local wines that can be bought from our neighboring town, particularly the Bugnay wine, Roselle wine, and Malubeg wine. Trust me when I say I can drink a whole bottle of these wines because they taste so good. But of course, my parents won't allow that to happen. I can only drink 1 wine glass of it, and that's it. Unless I go sneak out and get another one.

I don't like drinking because I remember the time when I was still in Grade 7, and our circle of friends was influenced by the students from the higher year, and my close friend drank a lot from the mixture of a bottle of gin and pineapple juice, or the so-called Shembot. She drank a lot that she began doing embarrassing things, and when I was trying to calm her down, she slapped me in the face. Ouch!

Another incident happened when I was in Grade 8 that pushed me to vow to never taste these alcoholic mixtures. We were in the school ground when a higher year student approached our circle and dared my close friend to drink the mixture. Then the next thing I remember, she's been blabbering hurtful words that she was able to burst out her emotions which involved us, her friends.

From then on, I thought that when you are under the influence of alcohol, you will either do embarrassing things or get to say hurtful words against your friends.

So in my 21 years of living, I never got to taste alcoholic beverages like gin, beer, whisky, brandy, rum, and the likes.

Until July 19, 2021, came and my main circle of friends had a little get-together because my best friend's father was celebrating his birthday on that day. As usual, I had to go to their house as early as 11:30 just in time for lunch. 🤭

The celebration began at 4 in the afternoon where the foods served were intended for snacks. After eating, one friend brought up the question,

"Are you going to sleep over, Florie?"

Amongst my circle of friends, I'm the only one who is from a different barangay so I always had to be the one going over their place. I said "No" because I had important stuff to do at home and that I didn't bring any clothes. But the smart person in me grabbed the chance to ask for a sleepover party in the next couple of days, just in time to celebrate my friend's monthsary, whose boyfriend already passed away. (RIP, Kuya JM.) Then we immediately asked my friend's father if we can sleepover on that day, and he said "Sure."

July 21, 2021, came. My friend picked me up at home because we are going to the grocery to buy the things we needed for the sleepover party, particularly some junk foods, chips, 2 pieces of Yakult, 1 bottle of Sprite, and a bottle of Soju.

Keep it a secret but I was the one who suggested we're going to be drinking Yogurt Soju Blast in the evening.

After cooking pancit after lunchtime, we went to the cemetery to visit my friend's boyfriend's tomb. After 30 minutes, we went back to my friend's home.

It's already 6 in the evening but my friend's father hasn't left their home yet. My friend and I were already losing hope that the party will not happen. But just when I was about to decide to just postpone it, her father left already.

And so here we are, waiting for my other girlfriend to arrive at the house. And after she arrived, they went to the store to buy some chips again. And I volunteered to mix the first alcoholic beverage we'll drink that night.

Seriously. What got into my senses that after 21 years of being devoted to my vow not to taste any alcoholic mixtures, here I am mixing Yakult, Sprite, and Soju.

Being my first time drinking alcohol, I was the first person to take the first shot and the taste was so good I could drink another glass of it. There were only 4 of us so taking turns was quite fast. And when my friend took the last shot of the mixture, I was a little disappointed, and asked, "That was it?" I even said, "We should've bought 2 bottles of it." Lol 🤣

I joked around suggesting that we should try the C2Gin mixture. My friend said "No" but the majority of us were game with the idea. And because I was the one who proposed, the money came from my pockets to buy the drinks.

My friends went and bought a bottle of Gin and C2 solo, and there I was again, mixing the drinks. As usual, being my first time to try the mixture, I had to take the first shot again. Bleh! That was a little more bitter than what I expected.

While taking turns, my friends and I were reminiscing about our High School days, our embarrassing moments, to gossiping about our batch-mates lives at the moment, until we talked about being single, our ideal relationships, and our ideal age of getting married.

We were about to finish our drinks when all of us started to have headaches. I felt like my head was gonna explode and as if my mind was floating. When my friend took the last shot, they then fixed our mess. We continued talking and laughing until 2 in the morning. I was the first person who immediately fell asleep because I couldn't bear the headache.

Being the first person to fall asleep, I was also the first one to wake up by 5 am. After all of us have wakened up, we then bid our goodbyes.

The next morning, I woke up where my arms were full of skin rashes. "Oh gosh. I bet this is now the consequence of my actions", I told myself. I consulted Dr. Google to find out why I suddenly had it. I blamed the alcohol and assumed it was my body's allergic reaction to it or maybe I'm alcohol intolerant.

Then, I vowed never to drink alcohol again because of that.

It's a good thing that I've tried drinking alcoholic mixtures that I already have the first-hand experience of it. Some of my misconceptions about drinking alcoholic beverages were erased and corrected.

No, you won't get to do embarrassing things or say bad or hurtful words when you drink alcohol as long as you put the drink in your stomach and do not allow it to influence your thinking.

The only thing I can say is, you are weak if you get to be influenced by alcohol.

It's okay to drink just make sure to drink responsibly.