No More Alcohol

If there is one thing that makes me distinctively not Vietnamese, that would be my poor drinking abilities. Drinking is almost an integral part of Vietnamese culture. And yet, here I am, still baffled as to why people choose to engage in an activity that destroys their health and their rationality, all in exchange for a fleeting bit of momentary fun. I seriously don’t get it.

It becomes even more apparent how unfit for drinking I am after today, when I got a massive headache just from several glasses of beer. I think I might just never drink alcohol again for good.

The Drinking Culture

In Vietnam, there are quán nhậu everywhere. I’m not sure how this translates in English — it’s sort of like a tavern that serves beer and food, but has a very airy, bright, and spacious atmosphere, instead of the more cosy and darkly-lit interior of a pub. Quán nhậu allows for a very casual and cheerful atmosphere where guys can get together to drink beer, let loose and talk about anything.

In Vietnam, guys can go to quán nhậu for any reason. There is not even a need for celebration — they go drink after work, after a sport practice, because they feel bored, because… well, just because. And in places where there aren’t many quán nhậu, people simply drink at home.

A startling statistic that I found is that there are 40,000 quán nhậu in Saigon — a city of 8 million. That means one quán nhậu for every 200 residents, including children, old people, women, sick people. And also, Vietnam consumes over 4 billion litres of alcoholic beverages a year, which averages out to almost 9 litres of pure alcohol per capita. That’s one 550mL can of beer every day, for every person! And this is just the official statistic which does not account for unrecorded alcohol sales.

Needless to say, drinking is a massive part of Vietnamese culture.

My Distaste for Alcohol

I have never understood the drinking culture. To me, there are so many negative aspects with alcohol that I struggle to find any redeeming reason to consume it at all.

Firstly, alcohol is at its core a destructive substance. People often claim a glass of wine a day is good for our heart, but according to Harvard Medical School there is no real substance behind this claim. More likely than not, alcohol wrecks our liver, heart, brain, and pancreas.

Secondly, alcohol is addictive. The more you drink it, the higher your tolerance threshold becomes, and the more alcohol you will need to achieve the same effects. It’s way, way too easy to become addicted to alcohol. I do not ever want to go down this path.

Thirdly, alcohol inhibits rational thoughts and unleashes the freaking demon in us. When people get drunk, they do and say stupid things they later regret. I’ve seen how ugly people behave after a few drinks, and I have absolutely zero desire to be like that.

And finally, drunk driving and fights. Tens of thousands of people die every year in traffic accidents and fights caused by alcohol. Incredibly stupid way to die.

Now, that’s not to say alcohol is the devil. There are definitely understandable reasons why people drink, mainly as a way to boost social interaction. I think people become more sociable and friendly when there’s a bit of alcohol involved. And also, when people are sad or just plain bored, alcohol helps them get into a state of drunkenness that temporarily clouds their negative emotions and can help them escape from reality.

I have yet to find myself in either situation. The people I often hang with don’t drink (so neither do I), and when I’m sad or bored I find other more… healthy ways to relieve.

So in essence, I rarely if ever drink. Maybe once or twice a year, I have a glass of wine or a glass of beer, and that’s it. I have never drunk to a point of inebriation before. I have zero desire to get drunk anyway.

Overestimating My Tolerance

So with my aversion to alcohol, I’ve always tried to avoid drinking as much as I can.

Until a couple of days ago, I went to a quán nhậu with a couple of guys. Okay, this is only an occasional thing. And I’m a young and fit man; a couple of beers can’t do too much harm right?

We were served one of those massive 500mL glasses. And by the 2nd glass, I immediately felt a light headache. I knew something wasn’t right, but I brushed it off thinking that I should be able to handle a couple of beers. Some of the guys were seasoned drinkers and they downed at least 10 glasses and were still fine.

I ended up drinking 3 or 4 glasses. Then a couple of hours later, a throbbing headache descended upon me. It was horrible. Felt like a hammer constantly banging inside my head.

The damn headache lasted at least 2 days. This was when I realised how pathetic my tolerance for alcohol is. Three measly glasses of beer and I was already defeated!

To prevent this from happening again in the future, I have two options:

• A. Begin drinking more and more to build up tolerance.
• B. Stop drinking altogether.

Obviously I’m going for B, which means I probably won’t ever drink again. If I was at a party and someone invited me to drink wine/beer, I’d just politely refuse. If they insisted after I had repeatedly refused? I’d tell them to fuck off. Absolutely no more alcohol for me.