You know, the Irish are well-known for a lot of things. One of the less positive elements, in my opinion, is the amount of social drinking we do. I, however, have never understood the appeal, let alone had a slither of booze enter my liver. And in today’s quickfire post, I want to explain three, mostly lifestyle based, reasons why that is and, contrary to conflicting health advice, why I intend to continue NEVER touching this stuff.
Reason #1: The Advertising of Alcohol in Ireland
Whenever I see an advertisement for alcohol on Irish Television, my biggest impression is that it appears to be a key part of social life in this country. This irritates me because I’m left feeling that in order to be friends and do things with my fellow Irish people, it must involve some consumption of liquor. I mean, just look at these advertisements from Rockshore for example (most likely never to be a sponsor of this place after today’s post). Starting with this one from 2018, followed by this one from 2020 (probably the last thing some of us wanted to be thinking about) and this one from 2022 (at least according to its official YouTube Channel). In all three, we see a group of friends with a six pack of the product enjoying a weekend at an Irish beach before they gather again in a pub for a typical toasting for good health.
I got annoyed every time I saw this trio for one key reason: The setting, which I cannot envision myself being in. Spending a weekend with friends, I could probably manage that with the right people. But spending a weekend with friends AND consuming alcohol… That’s one of my ideas of a nightmare. I put that down to my fear of being ostracised for never having consumed alcohol in my life, never spending a proper Friday or Saturday Night inside a pub, never taking part in underage pre-drinks, and just never finding the idea of drinking to start with appealing. I was always reluctant to during Secondary School and College. And there’s two more important reasons why.
Reason #2: The Classification of Alcohol
I think it’s well established that most of the positive effects of alcohol are short-term and the effects of drinking too much can be serious in the long-term. But I think something that is overlooked is the fact that alcohol is classified as a Central Nervous System Depressant. This means, in simple terms, that when you consume something alcoholic, part of the brain becomes temporarily fuzzy. Can you remember a time when you’ve drunk too much and someone has recorded you displaying one or more of the following: Slurred speech, unsteady movement, disturbed perceptions, and an inability to react quickly? Well, that’s what can happen when you breach your personal consumption limits. I personally would find it unnerving watching back me at my most drunk. I mean… Life is complicated, unpredictable, and depressing enough already, especially after various major world events of the last few years. And while alcohol is generally the popular drug of choice for drowning our sorrows, so to speak, there are better ways to deal with life’s problems. At least those that we can control. Having a sesh, for me, is not one of them. On top of that, it’s more than just my physical health that I have to be conscious of all the time, which I think alcohol could easily destroy.
Reason #3: Preservation of my Conscience
There are other things alcohol can do to your brain that I wouldn’t want to experience. As well as the effects I have already mentioned above, there are others out there including: A diminished ability to think rationally, less inhibitions, and distorted judgment. You know how some people really struggle to remember what went down the morning after the night they drank too much? I personally don’t want to be one of those people, who then has to rely on others to piece together what happened prior to the inevitable hangover. If I ever wanted to go on a social night out, one of the main things I would HAVE to prioritise, besides efficient management of my Fire Triangle, is the preservation of my judgement and remaining rationale, especially when an environment suddenly becomes chaotic.
I fear that if I were to consume too much alcohol, especially when I don’t even know my personal threshold, I will most likely reveal information I’m not comfortable even sharing here yet, act with an air of arrogance around people I don’t even know and say and / or do things that will be deemed inappropriate at some point down the line. I don’t want that to happen! I want to wake up every morning with a clear conscience and the information about events that occurred intact, just in case. And being intoxicated, I believe, destroys that. A poster in my college’s Student Union building read: “Drink Less and Great Nights become Good Mornings.” Sound advice some people should probably follow. I, on the other hand, don’t need it because I don’t even think about drinking in the first place.
And now I throw the question out to all of you: Am I being sensible or irrational on this topic? Tell me how you feel about consuming booze and my attitude to it in the comments below. Also, if you want to provide anything that may be useful or that gives an angle which I might not be aware of at all, share what you know and have via any of the platforms listed in the Information & Contact Me section. Or send them directly to my Inbox, theaspieadog15@gmail.com, by putting ‘The Aspie 13’ in the Subject box and your comment and / or potential Supplements in the main body.
Next time on The ADog Blog… It’s time to turn BLUE and open up The Analytical Aspie to you all at long last! Starting with a case for the defence. Of VHS Archives uploaded onto YouTube.
And remember, I’m The Aspie behind The ADog Blog. Speaking by myself, for myself, unlike Autism Speaks.
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