Friday, June 27, 2008

Lessons as a Lush

So, I finally went out to my "birthday dinner" with a couple friends. They tried to get me drunk.

I didn't get drunk, but I definitely got a little tipsy...I think.

I had (or should say, was forced to have) a large strawberry margarita, and then about half of a small watermelon margarita. I was trying to drink them as slowly as possible, mainly because I was concerned about the huge caloric cost of the drinks.

Eventually, I noticed that it became harder to think. For lack of a better explanation, my thoughts were on one side of my head, and when I tried to get to them, they moved to the other side of my head, and so on and so forth. So, to think of a sentence, I would have to move from one side of my brain to the other, like on a see-saw.

But the thing is, what they say about how you become more open and laugh more when you're a little tipsy, it was the opposite for me.

Maybe it had to do with the see-saw feeling. Say I wanted to say "Oh, yeah, I was just thinking about that." I would have to chase my thoughts in the middle of words, so that it came out like "Oh, yeah, I was j...ust thinking ab...out that." And I stared into space a lot. In effect, I became less garrulous, less smily-laughy, less outgoing, less fun, less social, less all-those-things-you're-supposed to be more of.

If I were to make a hypothesis as to the reason for this, what would I say? I would say that I like being in control of my mind and my thoughts, and having to chase them around is a demoralizing experience for me; hence, I become a lot more drab.

I would also say I'm somewhat of a lightweight. I don't know what the normal number of margaritas is to get someone inebriated, but I've definitely seen people drink more than that with no noticeable effects.

So let's recap:
-I can't drink much before I start to notice adverse effects.
-I become less fun and social and more insular when the effects occur.
-(Alcohol has a lot of calories.)
-I don't enjoy the experience of not being at total mental capacity.
-Alcohol and my bloodline doesn't mix well. (I didn't go over this, but rest assured, it's true.)

...Looks like I'll be the designated driver from now on.

(To be fair, I may not be inebriated at all. I'm writing this about 4 hours after the fact, and I don't think most tipsy people write an analysis of their being tipsy. But, then, I guess most people aren't me. Still, maybe the feelings I experienced were, in fact, self-induced, based on what I felt should have been my reactions. Oh, well. I most likely shan't be studying this anymore!)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm glad...way more down sides than up.

Anonymous said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margarita

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tequila

Just to point some things out. Tequila, the primary alcohol in Margaritas is usually a high proof liquor ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_(alcohol) ) which is usually several times more potent than your average beer or wine. When mixed in with a Margarita, especially big ones, you're getting a large load of alcohol into your system, though it might not feel like it. Ergo, from your description, you may have been somewhat more than tipsy, and your quick "recovery" may in actuality be a sign of your body clearing out the alcohol (as in, you were in a dark room, and then someone turned on a light, which appears bright, but in actuality is not). I suppose the best test would be, how do you feel the morning after?

Anonymous said...

Haha! Oh, you!

The reason you had the opposite effect is because you were trying to concentrate. That's a no-no. But don't worry about it. It's a rookie mistake. Everyone trys to think on their first try. You're suppose to let out your deepest feelings without thinking; without focus.

Then again... It could be that you're an angry drunk. and since you were only tipsy you were still aware enough to notice it.