Make That One Water: Saying No To Alcohol

This thought was inspired by this article: Giving up alcohol opened my eyes to the infuriating truth about why women drink

This December, I passed another milestone on my life journey and quit alcohol altogether. I didn’t grow up in a culture that normalised drinking. Mine taught me to strategically become ‘Cool Girl‘ as well as take the escapes where I found them.

In college, I desexualised myself to the point of being mistaken for a boy just to be taken seriously. After all, what’s a rough jolt on the back or crass language when you get heard? When I hit the working world, I realised if I didn’t please the male gaze, I wouldn’t just be silenced; I’d be decimated. And alongside lipstick and laughs came alcohol, heels and late nights.

I gave up vodka in 2007 itself, realising I didn’t like consuming it or its effects later. I quit tequila after a nightmarish alcohol poisoning incident in 2010. I gave up wine subtly because I realised no one would listen to my saying it was alcohol too and I didn’t like how it felt in my body. I gave up beer in 2016 following a summer where I forced myself to try it in a bid to be cool.

And in December, I chased up a traumatic year of attacks and harassment with ‘rum with the girls’. I was sick for 2 weeks after that (though only initially because of the alcohol).

This year I’ve decided to firmly close the door on all alcohol. And I’ve taken the hits badly (but in a non-intoxicated state). What a world you’ve consigned me to, when a toxic substance is the closest thing to a friend I have had.