Well, I'm legal. It's 11:00 p.m. on the night of my 21st birthday and I'm perfectly sober. However, I did have a hurricane (whatever that is- it's fruity and has rum in it, I guess) with dinner.
Apparently I don't look 21. When the waiter asked what I would have to drink, and I said a hurricane (per my mom's recommendation) (yes, I was with my mom. And sister, and aunt), he laughed and said, "I'm sorry, I thought you said a hurricane!" Yes, that is what I said... Mom helped me out by explaining the occasion, and the waiter was pretty surprised. But he said he wouldn't card me since my mom was there and she, of course, wouldn't lie about her daughter's age. But Mom insisted that he card me since it'd be my first time.
The whole thing was a bizarre experience because while it was fun and exciting, I didn't feel nearly old enough to deserve all the fuss. After the waiter left, I turned to my mom and said, "Do I really look that young?" "Yeah, he probably thought you were like sixteen. Don't worry, looking young isn't a bad thing!" Well, yeah. I hope I never look old! I just had absolutely no idea I could pass for sixteen!
After dinner, I came home, opened presents from my family, and sat in the hot tub reading my book, sans drink. And now I'm here typing this, sans drink.
Why did I opt not to get wasted on my 21st birthday? Why am I a lame-o hanging out at home and/or with my family? Several reasons:
One is that I don't have many friends in this town. Since entering college, I suddenly had a summer birthday instead of a school year birthday, but all my friends are now dispersed over Ohio and the U.S. All that's left here is my family, and heck, I love them, so of course I'm happy to spend the day with them.
Another reason is that drunkenness is not something I want to pursue. I don't really see the point in it! I mean, I get that people resort to it escape difficult emotions. But do people really need it to have fun? Do people really need to chemically alter their minds for excitement? Besides, I'm not too keen on losing control of myself. I can do that well enough when I'm sober. I do incredibly stupid things sometimes, and I would hate to see how much more foolish I could be with alcohol in me. (Trey? Kevin? Others? Are you reading this?) Not that I want to judge people who like to party, of course. I personally just don't think it would be the wisest choice for me.
Why, then, am I open to drinking at all?, you ask. After all, I did order one at dinner. Well, frankly, I really like the taste of alcohol! It's delicious and it compliments so many drinks! I'm a huge fan of champagne, which is the only drink I've really had before today, but I've had sips of others, and I just think they're so yummy!
So my life decision is to drink in total moderation for the sake of the taste of the drink, not for the sake of the effect. Some of you may think I should never drink at all, because it's simply wrong, or because the appeal of alcohol for me will tempt me to drink more and more of it, and maybe that's true for you. But I was raised in a family where I saw almost all the adults drink, yet never saw any of them get drunk. They have all exhibited responsible drinking my entire life, and I intend to live by their example. I will enjoy this new step into adulthood!
Besides, I can have a heck of a lot of fun when I'm totally sober. BOO-YA!
"...but Soda is one of a kind. He can get drunk in a drag race or dancing without ever getting near alcohol. In our neighborhood it's rare to find a kid who doesn't drink once in a while. But Soda never touches a drop--he doesn't need to. He gets drunk on just plain living." -The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
God bless.
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