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.