Melvin Durai
I’m grateful to my mother for a lot of things, but one of the most important is that she urged me not to drink. Actually, ‘urged’ is not the right word. It was more like ‘forbade.’
My mother forbade me from drinking alcohol. She saw it as a sin. And though almost every adult in her close family now drinks, at least occasionally, she still sees it as a sin. She is surrounded by sinners, including me. But let me explain.
Let me explain my relationship with alcohol. We never liked each other. We still don’t really like each other. But now and then, we spend time together. Sometimes, we even allow other people to see us together.
Because my mom forbade me from drinking, I did not touch alcohol in my twenties. While my friends were drinking beer at parties, I was drinking Coke and Fanta. But when I turned 30, I decided to re-evaluate my relationship with alcohol. Could we actually get along if we followed some reasonable limits? Could we have just a cordial relationship—not a passionate, “till death do us part” relationship like some of my friends had?
I decided to try beer, and let me tell you, from the very first sip, I hated it. It was bitter. “Stop drinking that!” my taste buds screamed in unison.
Beer is an acquired taste. But how exactly do you acquire it? By drinking more of it, apparently. “No way,” my taste buds said. “Give us Coke and Fanta.”
Most forms of alcohol are too strong for me, but I do enjoy sweet wines and cocktails. I have a drink once a month on average, never more than a glass at a time. I appreciate our monthly get-togethers, but have no interest in taking the relationship any further. I won’t be bringing a bottle home to meet mother.
So why am I still grateful to my mother? Because she ensured that I wouldn’t get hooked on drinking while I was young. When I finally had a drink, I was wise enough not to drink too much.
If you’re a drinker, it’s always wise to drink in moderation. But here’s the problem: unlike in an internet forum, you have to serve as your own moderator. You have to be the one to press the ‘delete’ button on the second drink.
Drinking in moderation may actually offer some health benefits, as research has shown. It may, for example, reduce your risk of developing heart disease. But if you’re looking for health benefits, you are far better off adopting a healthy diet or exercise regimen. That’s because even moderate amounts of alcohol can put you at higher risk for cancer, not to mention the risk of saying or doing something stupid.
Every time you drink, there is also the risk of getting carried away and drinking heavily. Alcohol is addictive, after all, and habitual drinking will put you at risk for all kinds of health problems, not just cancer, but liver disease, stroke, pancreatitis, high blood pressure, and a cracked skull. How would you get a cracked skull? By having an accident while you are drunk—or getting hit by another drunk person at the bar.
Actually, a cracked skull may be the least of your worries if you get behind the wheel of a car. You will endanger not only your life, but the lives of many other people.
Alcohol has been the cause of many accidents, as well as many fights—and not just at bars. It has broken up numerous families, destroyed countless relationships.
So before having another glass of beer, ask yourself this important question: which relationship do you value more?