When Enough is Enough
By Mona, age 17, Philippines
Hi, my name is Mona, and I think I'm an alcoholic. Since January, I have been drinking every weekend. It all started when my friend invited me to this open mic night in some bar. While we were watching the performers, someone came up to me and offered me a bottle of beer. Curiously, I took it and when I took my first sip, I wanted more. I drank beer before back in high school, but only in small amounts, and only when there was a special occasion. The beer I tasted was different. It was so good I had to have more. After I quickly finished the first bottle, I asked for another one. By the end of the night, I had finished four full bottles of beer but I still felt sober. Nothing bad happened to me and I was confident.
The next week, a couple of friends and I attended a dorm party in my school. We had a lot of time to spare before the party so we decided to go to one of my friend's houses and kill the time there. It was 4:30 in the afternoon when we decided to take a couple of tequila shots. I turn red easily so we decided to stop on the second shot so that we could still have a good time at the party . After a few minutes, we decided to take another one since we all felt fine. We also finished the leftover vodka we found.
By the time we arrived at the party, we were a bit hit. At the party, they gave out one free beer to each person who attended. I took my free beer right away. When it wasn't enough, I asked my other friends who didn't drink to give their share to me so that it wouldn't go to waste. They did, and by the end of the night I had finished four glasses of beer. When I got home, I was a bit tipsy, but I wasn't very wasted.
The week after that, my friend threw a party where drinks were served. I had the most drinks, and at the end of the night I was drunk, but still a bit sober. I couldn't get away from alcohol.
On Valentine's Day, I was depressed because I was alone, so I looked for alcohol in the house and found some leftover tequila. I only drank 2 shots because I didn't want my helpers to get the idea that I was drinking.
Just last weekend, I was finally "sick drunk". My friends decided to have a little get together at the bar across my school. We started drinking around 6:30 pm. We drank 3 different types of alcohol that came in pitchers. I was so overwhelmed with the quantity and the taste of the alcohol we consumed that it was hard for me to stop. The place where we drank I think was also a big factor why I was so drunk. The lights were dark, the place was filled with people who were smoking, and if I was not mistaken, I could also see a bunch of people making out in the corner. The place was really for drinking.
I finally stopped when I couldn't walk straight and I couldn't see clearly. My sober friends helped me out of the bar and they took a cab with me home. I woke up the next day still in my clothes from the previous night. My stomach was still in knots and my head felt like I was hit by a truck.
To this day (2 days after that night) my head still hurts. I called up my friend and asked her if she knew what was happening to me, and she told me maybe it was because I kept on drinking. I think so too. There I was, drinking like there was no tomorrow, thinking it could solve my problems. But it didn't. It just gave me problems. I have learned my lesson. The next time someone offers me a drink, I'll say NO ... before it's too late.
