All sobered up

On countless occasions I have been the only sober person at the party.

This has given me a rare glimpse into the behaviors of the buzzed, tipsy, and otherwise inebriated people. I have seen and heard anything and everything a drunk individual could possibly do or say.

I have carried people to their car, cleaned vomit from toilets, held hair back for people puking, wiped tears, listened to slurred poetry, proclamations of love, insults, rants about the universe, and like any sedate girl out there, I have been barfed on. Multiple times.

If you have never been completely sane in a room full of drunks, I can tell you it’s very entertaining. I have one friend who likes to think she has a really good alcohol tolerance, when in fact, she doesn't. And it’s so funny to watch her try to convince others she's not actually drunk, while falling over with a beer in her hand. Another gets really emotionally sensitive, which isn't the best if you are surrounded by other thoughtless liquored up people. It’s quite comedic.

And yet there have been times when someone is passed out and I need to check up on them to make sure they’re breathing, and turn their head so they don’t choke on their own vomit. In times like that I notice the solidarity drunk people seem to have. As soon as someone gets completely wasted, no matter how plastered they are, they “sober up” to take care of the other person blacked out on the floor.

Regardless of what I have seen, I stand by the idea that taking a part of underage drinking is a choice. There is nothing I can say to stop teenagers from taking shots and  “fondos”, and no amount of puking will make people stop consuming alcohol. As long as there is a sober friend nearby, I see no problem in people boozing. I only hope that when I start drinking because I know I eventually will, I hope my friends take care of me the way I have cared for them.