Alcohol and Idiocy
Last night, my friend Tom told me to write about something. I looked at my drafts, read a few articles hoping to get some inspiration. Nada. This morning, after a brief exchange with another friend about last week's shenanigans, I finally had something. Alcohol and idiocy.
From childhood, I was exposed to stories of alcohol-induced foolishness. Whether real or imagined, adults around me always told anecdotes that included alcoholic beverages. For good or ill, I grew up thinking that that was the price that came with drinking. TV and movie tropes don't tire of this built-in excuse of being an idiot because of a few drinks. How many movies have you seen with plots that revolved around a crazy night of drinking or a scene that has a character making a revelation after a bit of revelry?
Those who know me and my good memory well, know that I always remember "what happened last night and all its hilarious moments (i.e. embarrassing details)." If you go out with me, imbibe a lot of alcohol, and for some reason or another, can't remember what you did, just ask me and I'll give you a blow by blow account. In the annals of my memory, are hundreds of incidents ranging from mild folly to jaw-dropping stupidities due to adult beverages. Not to say I haven't had my share of inebriated idiocies. On my 30th birthday, I was literally drooling while begging to go to a pool at 4 in the morning. I have sent messages that should never have been sent, asked questions that I shouldn't have asked, and done things I shouldn't have done.
Even with all this, though. I have always questioned drunk-texting, drunk talk, drunk dancing, etc. The list goes on and on with actions linked to intoxication. Do we do these things because we're drunk? Or do we get drunk so we can do them? As with a lot of things, I know I'm overthinking this, but it brings to mind that up until I was 26, I made it a point to keep drinking and going clubbing separate. Part of it was due to my small bladder and avoiding public restrooms but the other was that I was proud of being able to do crazy things without the influence of alcohol. Some of my friends say that they can only sing karaoke after some soju or that they need alcohol so they can dance. Does that really mean we are able to do those things because alcohol genuinely gives us liquid courage or is it because drinking, in general, is the accepted excuse for acting out of character?
The answer, I suppose, will have to wait until my next drinking spree.
From childhood, I was exposed to stories of alcohol-induced foolishness. Whether real or imagined, adults around me always told anecdotes that included alcoholic beverages. For good or ill, I grew up thinking that that was the price that came with drinking. TV and movie tropes don't tire of this built-in excuse of being an idiot because of a few drinks. How many movies have you seen with plots that revolved around a crazy night of drinking or a scene that has a character making a revelation after a bit of revelry?
Those who know me and my good memory well, know that I always remember "what happened last night and all its hilarious moments (i.e. embarrassing details)." If you go out with me, imbibe a lot of alcohol, and for some reason or another, can't remember what you did, just ask me and I'll give you a blow by blow account. In the annals of my memory, are hundreds of incidents ranging from mild folly to jaw-dropping stupidities due to adult beverages. Not to say I haven't had my share of inebriated idiocies. On my 30th birthday, I was literally drooling while begging to go to a pool at 4 in the morning. I have sent messages that should never have been sent, asked questions that I shouldn't have asked, and done things I shouldn't have done.
Even with all this, though. I have always questioned drunk-texting, drunk talk, drunk dancing, etc. The list goes on and on with actions linked to intoxication. Do we do these things because we're drunk? Or do we get drunk so we can do them? As with a lot of things, I know I'm overthinking this, but it brings to mind that up until I was 26, I made it a point to keep drinking and going clubbing separate. Part of it was due to my small bladder and avoiding public restrooms but the other was that I was proud of being able to do crazy things without the influence of alcohol. Some of my friends say that they can only sing karaoke after some soju or that they need alcohol so they can dance. Does that really mean we are able to do those things because alcohol genuinely gives us liquid courage or is it because drinking, in general, is the accepted excuse for acting out of character?
The answer, I suppose, will have to wait until my next drinking spree.
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