The song where LMFAO shouts "Shots shots shots shots shots!", my friends have re-fashioned the lyrics to fit my weak alcohol tolerance: "Drops drops drops drops drops!"
So what's my limit? With a full stomach, it's probably around two shots, and with an empty stomach, I can feel tipsy with only half a shot. Actually, I can get drunk off of a bottle of Smirnoff Ice -- drunk to the point of throwing up, that is. (Sorry for the gross detail, but I thought it would help illustrate my absolute low tolerance.) The point is that I am not exaggerating when I say that I can drink only a shot of alcohol and be "gone".
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| Yep, this little baby can get me tipsy... |
I remember watching an episode in Glee, where they focused on alcohol and its effects. They talked about different "types of drunks" such as the angry drunk, the sad drunk, and the happy drunk. (Of course, they did not leave out the song and dance while they were describing these types.) Based on this, if I were to put a label on what type of drunk I turn into, I would say I am generally a "happy drunk". But there's more to it than me becoming "happier" than norm.
When I'm drunk, the first thing I notice is that my already poor hearing becomes even more disabled. It becomes harder for me to listen to what other are saying to me and I have to keep asking them, "What?" I also become much more childish... The last time I got drunk, I think I was making Pikachu sounds... Haha! In addition to that, I tend to be less inhibited about hugging and cuddling and just basic skin contact. In fact, I enjoy "skinship" (Korean term for "skin contact") a lot more and I publicize my enjoyment of skinship more.
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| Pika pika~ |
Some of the more negative effects that I feel are Asian glow, headache, and sleepiness. When I've drank too much over my limit, I end up turning from bright-red to ghostly white, I start having trouble breathing, and I feel nausea that leads to some nastiness in the bathroom. (You know what I mean.) Speaking of praying to the porcelain goddess, my first time drinking was quite an interesting experience.
My first time drinking was in October 2009, my first semester at Brown. We were a group of about 10 to 15 people and we gathered in one of my best friend's room. It started out a bit quiet because it wasn't just my first time, it was some of the others' first times as well. My friend brought out the red cups started mixing vodka and orange juice and we were ready for the night. My older sister had told me that she could handle a good amount of alcohol, so I hope for the same amount of tolerance. The first cup had about two and a half shot of vodka and the rest were orange juice. It tasted so bitter and strong, the orange juice did almost nothing. But I kept drinking it until I saw the bottom of the cup. Half-an-hour later, I felt fine other than my face becoming red, so I drank another cup of the same amount of alcohol. Boy, was that a huge mistake...
I said earlier that I was a "happy drunk". That statement is true, but there have been exceptions. The first time in October 2009 was one of those exceptions. Around that time, I had just gotten out of a relationship and I was depressed and emotionally unstable. I wasn't open about my sad feelings and I had put them away for a while. Putting alcohol in my system simply released my pent-up feelings. An hour or two after I started drinking, I started thinking about the recent break-up and I couldn't help myself. I cried -- a lot.
And then, half an hour later, I puked -- a lot.
My night ended with me throwing up God-knows-what for a good two to three hours. My best friend luckily had a spare air mattress, so instead of going home I slept there, making sure to have a trash can nearby, in case of a puking emergency. Luckily, I wasn't EMS'd, but I was pretty close.
When I tell people about my terrible tolerance, one of the things they always say is "That's awesome! You must save a lot of money on alcohol." While that is true, I tend to feel left out at parties. While my friends are drinking their 3rd or 4th shots, I have to sit back and drink my 3rd or 4th sips. It is also not that fun to be the only one drunk at a party...
Another thing that they mention is, "You can build your tolerance if you work on it." I'm sure I'd be able to build my tolerance if I drink every weekend. I mean, I have a friend who told me that her alcohol limit grew from one shot to six to seven shots by drinking constantly in college. But, to be honest, I don't really enjoy the taste of alcohol and I don't care enough about building my tolerance to drink every weekend. So, I guess for the rest of my life, I'll be known as the legitimate one-shot-wonder.
As an ending to this long entry, let me say a little something.
To all my fellow college-mates, I hope you drink responsibly and, of course, enjoy yourselves while being drunk.
To all my fellow one-shot-wonders, we need to get together for some non-alcoholic fun. Haha!
<3,
Margi
