It is said that your first interactions with alcohol can determine your relationship with it moving forward. Do you remember the first time you had alcohol? Was it a good experience or a bad? Did you learn how to drink in moderation or do you not have any control? What do you wish you knew or had done differently when you were younger?
WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ALCOHOL?
(answer as much or as little as you want)
44, Male, San Mateo, US
When I was 11 my parents were out of town and i made myself a black label and coke using my 32 oz King Kong Cup from Universal Studios. I felt like absolute hell the next day. I did not drink to any kind of excess until later in life (16). In college it was crazy but as i have grown older....more moderation.Also i wish i learned early on how to deal with stress without alcohol and also how to deal with the need for dopamine that i get from drinking. Thankfully I have alot in my life that keeps me in check.Also there is a large discrepancy between daily and a few times a week.
41, Female, San Diego, US
I have 1-2 glasses of wine/cocktails when in social settings. More than anything, alcohol makes me tired, which limits my desire to drink. Several of my family members struggle with alcohol abuse and have experienced health and social consequences. Fortunately, many have chosen sobriety. I have sometimes said that I am lucky not to like alcohol enough to quit.
47, Female, Fanwood US
I do remember the first time I drank. I was too young and at a party with friends. I don’t recall feeling any particular way. I have always drank in moderation but often go through ebbs and flows where I don’t drink at all.Looking back, I wish I had focused more on my total development than being so concerned with the social development!!I do believe the older I get, there is a higher the probability that I will stop drinking for good so I can live longer!
47, Female, Guayaquil Ecuador
I grew up watching alcohol in a very safe normal context . Wine with family dinners , champagne for special occasions and so on . The bar was always open in my place it was never taboo I knew it was reserved for “adults “ but my parents always said that if I ever felt curious I could try it with moderation at home . I never felt like it until I was 21 . In college I probably drank a little more but it was always responsibly … and now as an adult I think I live in a very “alcoholic” culture especially in the post pandemic years . But I only have a glass here and there socially cause I honestly enjoy certain flavors and I am a mixologist but never ever to feel “happy or numb or take the edge off “ or any of those things . And in my place it has never been taboo either . The bar is always open and my kiddos never feel the urge to si something stupid . It’s just a part of our culture and society and life but everything in moderation and responsibly .
50, Female, Miami, US
I grew up abroad where the drinking age was younger, and not enforced, so it was never something I felt so justified by. When I moved to the US I realized that teens here felt it was “cool” to drink because they had to sneak it around. So all through high school and college, I never felt the need to overdrink like my peers.As I got older, my relationship with alcohol changed. It started as mostly social on weekends, and then once I had kids, I really began to drink for “relaxation” at the end of the day during the “witching hour” (when little kids are most cranky) and I was making dinner. I’d say I probably have drink a glass of wine nightly since.Now it seems I’m entering a new phase of life where I don’t feel good and don’t sleep as well if i drink even a drink daily…so I’m trying to cut back from this daily habit.
70, Female, Milan, Italy
I grew up in a culture where alcohol was served with meals and on special occasions ( birthdays, special holidays) a small amount was offered to children without making a big fuss.I drank rarely a beer in late high school years going out with friends for pizza.I do not ever remember being drunk or hung over.I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner and I very seldom drink liquor.I feel I have complete control over alcohol.
43, Female, San Francisco, US
I’m currently pregnant so I can’t drink. However when I do drink I would say once every week or two weeks. I have a very healthy relationship with alcohol.I started drinking my senior year of high school. At first it was a couple drinks on the weekend. As I went into college drinking was more like several days a week which continued to after graduating and into my 20’s. I never felt that my drinking was a problem. I was just doing what all my friends were doing. Today I would just have a casual drink at dinner.
46, Female, Miami, US
My first experience was in High School. It was a positive one because I was so nervous that I drank very little and was ok… watching others around me get so drunk that they lost control was a warning to not do the same. I quickly learned that if I felt that I had had too much, I needed to find a friend I could trust to stay with and help me until I was feeling better and/or get me home safely. I drink socially but have cut back because I have found I sleep better when I avoid alcohol.
78, Male, Miami, US
I remember as a child we would drink a beer at a home meal occasionally. As a teenager, I would drink a cold beer at a cafe' if I was really thirsty. I did not consider it an alcohol drink. Sometimes, now, I have a half beer. Sometimes I have a glass of wine. I don't give alcohol any power.
66, Female, Houston, US
I didn’t like the taste of alcohol when I was first introduced nor in my 20s when my friends were drinking quite a bit. I evidently acquire a taste for it and enjoy it on occasion.
45, Female, Miami, US
I remember my first drink in 10th grade and I hated how it tasted but felt the peer pressure to drink. I drank a little bit through high school, unsure of what I could handle and sometimes I would overdo it but only remember that happening once or twice.In college I drank a lot more, definitely 3-4 nights a week and often in excess. I rarely listened to my body- I just drank because it felt like social pressures required it. And I enjoyed it, so it was an easy response to the social push.As an adult, over the course of many years, I have come to understand I really don’t like how alcohol makes me feel. I don’t like hangovers, I don’t like brain fog, I don’t like feeling out of control. So largely I have cut it out of my life voluntarily, although even as an adult i often feel pressure socially to drink. It takes a certain confidence to not be influenced into drinking and honoring my body. But if I’m being true to myself, that’s what makes me feel my best. I have a drink maybe once or twice a month these days, usually when I’m out with friends.I wish when I was younger I had had the confidence not to give in to social pressures around drinking. I wish I had been more in tune with my body and my feelings and allowed myself to abstain versus getting pushed to do what everyone else was doing. That can be very hard at a young age!
46, Female, Alliance, US
I was 18 years old the first I drank alcohol. It was not a bad experience but I drank to get a drunk or get a buzz. As I have grown up my relationship with alcohol has change from “partying” to now an occasional drink with friends or at dinner.
59, Female, Houston, TX
My parents used to let me have a sip here and there growing up from about age 13. I learned that it was not a big deal so I drink responsibly.I feel I have a good relationship with alcohol, I know when I start feeling good, I need to quit and just drink water. I have never gotten to the point of throwing up.
56, Male, Atlanta, US
No positive, great memories came from Alcohol. It caused only problems in my life. Were there some fun moments? Of course. Were there terrible decisions made while drinking? Absolutely. Alcohol has no place in the life I want for myself.
42, Female, Tulsa, US
The first time I drank I was 15. I had fun, so it was a “good” experience. All my friends drank too, so we would when we would go out. It’s the same for me now. I drink when I’m out, but not on the daily.
42, Female, Houston, TX
The first time I 'tried' alcohol I was a teenager at a family reunion. It was a controlled environment and it was limited to 1 beer. There was always alcohol in my family so it wasn't something that was viewed as 'bad' or 'wrong' so it wasn't something I felt I needed to sneak and try. I drank beer at parties in high school, tried the hard liquor, and got drunk for the first time my senior year off of margaritas on an empty stomach and got ill, so I learned early what that could do, so I understood my limits early on. I think I have good control over my alcohol intake, but I also was told about the alcoholism that runs in my family, so that is always in the back of my mind. My sister recently realized that she does NOT have a good relationship with alcohol and has recently quit drinking.
61, Female, Florida, US
I grew up with an alcoholic grandfather so witnessed first hand what alcoholism looked like. My grandmother and all those around him enabled him. He went to rehab many times, relapsed many times but eventually was able to work the program to stay clean and sober. I remember feeling a lot of anxiety around him when he was intoxicated.I had my first drink in high school, partying with friends. Did the college thing partying with friends. Over indulging on occasion, which made me feel terrible the next day so didn’t do it very often. After college, drank socially on weekends or special occasions. Since having children I drink very seldom and if I do it’s only one drink at dinner or at a social function.
42, Female, Houston, US
The first time I had alcohol was in France while sitting with my grandparents. I was 8. They poured about an inch of red wine into my glass and then added water. I felt so grown up and sipped it, even though I didn’t think it tasted that good. Towards the end of the meal I was given a full flute of champagne. I drank it in a single gulp not knowing to savor it. I was called a vacuum. It was a positive experience while celebrating Easter with my family. Now I drink at most a beer or one drink a day. I don’t enjoy more than that. I don’t like the feeling of being drunk. College was a different story, but I was responsible.
52, Female, Miami, US
First drink was in high school. Wine coolers which were cool back then. I was always the driver so I did not drink like my friends. My family on one side is filled with alcoholics so I have always been a social drinker. Maybe 3-5 drinks/month.
43, Female, Houston, US
Since I am of legal age to consume alcohol. I will have a glass of wine with dinner on the weekends. Growing up, I have learned living in moderation paves the way to a healthy life.