Thou shalt not drink!

Next morning, I saw this written on our wing-board 'Pukesters suck'. Am not sure if pukester is a proper word but I had got the intent. I was a pukester the previous night. My jeans bore testimony to the fact :(

The night before:
Wing treat at Tian's pub - drink a lot (all bottoms up, and almost all neat) - some puffs of cigar - intentional head banging to the songs - unintentional head banging to the walls - keep falling to the ground - no dinner, no desserts - puke - puke - puke - 4th puke - go to SMS's flat - taken to SMS's flat - sleep - wake up next morning - feel uneasy, uncomfortable, guilty, ashamed, humiliated.

I had made a fool of myself on 1st April. I decided to renounce alcohol. Many would be surprised to know that I could drink as I have always been thought of as a prude. Some would even find this farcical considering I rarely drink and hence there is not an issue. Nevertheless, here is a flashback:

When it all started:
The motives can be discussed and debated - to loosen me up; to be more adaptable, more flexible; the inherent human tendency to chart into the forbidden waters and to explore the unknown; and of course peer pressure. I am almost certain that SMS played a huge role in upping my intake. I was competing but more importantly trying to be in the same group as his. I aped him in our race towards foolishness.

During our wing treats, there was always this division between the sober 5 and the high 5. But then we succumbed: first Gharde, then Manpreet and finally I. It’s good that Gangal and Simit are still holding strong. My first few sips were always from PB's vodka-sprite. And for the next few occasions, I was this curious newcomer who wanted to say: been there, done that. To ease my entry into this new club and yet remain aloof from its pitfalls, I made a certain number of rules:

1. Alcohol should not be a means to celebrate happiness. You don't need alcohol to stay happy.
2. Alcohol should not be a means to overcome your griefs. This is escapism but you can't escape life.
3. I would always tell Papa whenever I drink.

And as time progressed, I found it real hard to keep up with the third one. Before I started drinking, I always asked myself - why should I not drink? What you do/achieve depends on what you seek. Now, I merely changed the question to why should I drink. I have been looking for reasons to continue drinking but can't find any.
Though getting a high might be a good enough reason for most; it does not work for me as I like to be in full control of my mind. Besides, I don't like the taste of alcohol. Neither is it healthy. Thus, I don't like it when I am drinking; what happens afterwards is certainly not pleasant; talking about it at home makes me feel guilty and it even sets a bad precedence for Sharad. Hence, it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to drink. I tried my best to like it and adopt it but (un)fortunately the match was not made.

It’s not that I would be out of sync with the whole world. Rather, I have chosen to be in sync with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Muhammad Ali, David Beckham and of course Warren Buffett. These are just some of the names I knew beforehand. The wikipedia list of teetotalers springs many surprises (must be visited).

My tryst with alcohol is finally over. At last, I would be able to drink Death by Chocolate at NH1 :)