I am currently nursing the mother of all hangovers. It is no exaggeration to say that I have seldom suffered so much following a night out. The two coffees and two bottles of soda are unlikely to be helping with my dehydration, but they are (just about) keeping my eyes open.
In my defence, it was my first night out for over three weeks, and only my fourth ‘session’ of the year so far. You see, I’ve had something of a change of heart when it comes to alcohol. Personally, I think it is jolly chuffing horrible.
I have never had an alcohol problem - I don't drink at home. It feels good to unwind in a social setting, but I don’t think that outweighs the negative aspects. Thus, I only go out drinking sparingly.
We live in a country which is very much saturated in alcohol, don’t we? It seems to be ‘the thing’ to go out at the weekend and drink your body weight in booze. Endless memes on the internet play to this, including that classic, ‘It doesn’t matter if the glass is half empty or half full as it’s always refillable’. Drinking is part of society’s cultural fabric, to the extent that if, like me, you’d rather spend a Saturday evening drinking decaf tea and reading a book, you’re in danger of 'not doing life right'.
I have no idea when my next outing will be, but I’d wager it will be at least a couple of weeks away. It’s important for me to get back on an even keel after a night out, both physically and mentally. Indeed, one could argue that going out is an excuse to remind oneself of why one doesn't go out. Sorry for coming across all posh there.
Still, although I remain unconvinced that the hangovers are outweighed by the ‘relaxing’ effects of drinking, I had a thoroughly enjoyable catch up with friends last night. Living as I do in a semi-rural location, opportunities to socialise are few and far between. It’s therefore essential to try and maintain social contact, but such is the way drinking makes me feel afterwards, nights out look set to remain sporadic going forward.
What I really need, then, is to find different ways of socialising and meeting people, but my chronic anxiety issues mean that is easier said than done. I remain fairly optimistic for the future, though - every day brings opportunities for growth.
Now, is it bed time yet?
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