I've never been a big drinker, maybe because I've been around hardcore drinkers growing up--functional alcoholics, sloppy alcoholics, social drinkers, and I still remember a party my older brother and I threw where the guy got so tore up that he threw up in front of our bathroom. (Our parents never bothered to ask why that spot was so immaculate, freshly vacuumed and smelled like flowers by the time they got home.) The odds of me drinking are only when I go to clubs, and I may go to a club once a month if that. I used to drink at house parties from time to time, but that was when I thought I was queen liquor drinker and could handle anything. That is, until I was so tore up at my cousin's birthday party that I threw up in the person's cup sitting next to me. Not only was that pitiful, but the joking reputation I got after that wasn't exactly something to be proud of. I've done way too many things in life, and to be remembered (with smiles and laughs) as the drunk at the party just isn't my flavor.
I recall drinking at my (same) cousin's NEXT birthday party and being so tired after I left that I fell asleep at the wheel. I went sliding into the next lane on Lake Shore Drive, and those who are familiar with Chicago no that is the WORST spot to get dozy (well, I-94 might be worse, but still). I slapped myself hard as hell twice and woke up long enough to get home. But after that, I didn't drink for months, and when I do, it's very casual and light. No more than a couple Whiskey Sours (my favorite drink) and I'm done. I've only dated one guy in my whole life who drank heavily, especially after I had an ex whose father was fired for drinking on the job as a teacher. *shaking my head* I saw him with one too many beers and flat out told him he needed to chill. Needless to say, we didn't work out because I saw him going down the same path as his father. I was not willing to let him drag me down that path too.
For those of you out there who have friends who love to be the drunk at the party, stop and ask your friend why. Usually when people drink that heavy and regularly, there are deeper things on their plates and it's not this great love for liquor. If you have a friend getting tore off out of their minds, slow down on your drinking. Somebody has to take him/her home. And if they start trying to remind you about how they got an 'A' in driver's education, let them tell you all that over a cup of coffee at a nearby restaurant or after you've driven them home.
But we really don't need anymore drunks on the road. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) have statistics on their site that say someone is killed every 40 minutes by a drunk driver. 12,998 people died in 2007 from drunk drivers, a 3.7% increase from 2006 with 13,491. But whoop dee doo, there shouldn't have been one person to die from drunk driving. Don't drink unless you have a designated driver. If your designated driver leaves too early or starts drinking, you stop immediately. And if it's looking bad for the both of you, take a cab, take public transportation, or stay at a trusted friend's home. And if you know me, holla at me. I'll come pick you up my damn self. But don't endanger anybody else's life trying to kick it.