A Drunken View of The World (Drunken Experiences)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Drunken Experiences
Date:	08/11/06 (188 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Releases inhibitions

Disadvantages: Can be addictive

Now and again, you can’t help but become introspective over an issue. Last night I was watching “Dom Joly’s Happy Hour” on Sky One and I couldn’t help but reflect back on how alcohol has affected my life over the years. Not that I’m an alcoholic or anything and I’m not about to turn this into a metaphorical circle of chairs with me admitting to having a problem because I don’t but I will admit to enjoying a drink or two. For anyone that missed it, it’s a six-part series examining attitudes to drinking alcohol across the globe. Last night was all about the Southern States of America as DJ and friend made their way from Miami, across Georgia and Mississippi over to New Orleans where their journey ended.

The difference in drinking cultures can be striking. Hit a bar or pub in England and, chances are, you’ll end up part of binge that usually results in copious amounts of drink being consumed, getting thrown out of the local at midnight then stealing a traffic cone or throwing up in someone’s front garden. The fact is that we’ve always had that binge mentality over the centuries. In last night’s programme, the presenters started off in downtown Miami where it was all so relaxing as they sat on their respective bar stools, swigging cocktails and enjoying the balmy temperatures of sub-tropical Florida. I’ve been to that part of the world twice myself and found the attitude to drinking fairly prohibitive with bars around the Disney area hard to come by although booze is freely available in the numerous 7/11s that are dotted about the state. I guess my most stand-out memory of drinking in warmer climbs was when I went on holiday with some mates back in 1984 to Majorca. Having only just arrived, we decided to acquire some of the local booze although the shop we found didn’t sell beer as such. Unfortunately, one of the lads took it upon himself to buy some banana liqueur for the group. Well, you know what it’s like when adrenaline levels are high and let’s just say a combination of my Chinese meal and several, large glasses of this lethal substance combined in a way that my stomach took exception too (and rejected) and I never made it out that night to the clubs and bars of the town we were in. On reflection, I wish I’d have taken it easier but there’s that Brit mentality again when it comes to drinking.

Having tasted the eloquence of picture-postcard Miami, our intrepid duo made their way into the Southern states where moonshine is still brewed and consumed. In the early twentieth century, the U.S. Government introduced Prohibition. From 1920 to 1933, the manufacture, sale, and transport of alcohol was prohibited in the United States. However, the private possession and consumption of alcohol was not prohibited and the routine mashing of all kinds of substances to make home-made booze became common place across the nation. The harsh laws were generally repealed in 1933 but a number of states today continue to adopt a Prohibition stance to the making and consumption of alcohol. In a wood straight out of “The Blair Witch Project” DJ and his friend “Tiger” (well, they kept calling each other “tiger” which was endearing in a gay kind of way) met up with some modern, dungaree-wearing Hillbillies who showed them the ropes when it came to making illegal booze. Probably the best moment was where DJ spat some out, so strong was the substance, and the fire he’d spat it onto flared up in protest. I can honestly say that I haven’t tried moonshine although I remember a friend of mine, back in my teen years, being heavily into his homemade brew. We always made a point of quaffing plenty of home-made before we went out on the town and it was easily enough to get you merry before the real drinking started. Otherwise, I recall going to a school disco when I was 14-years-old or so. The group I was with was all in a hurry to grow up and part of that particular rite of passage was to get drunk on whatever you could lay your hands on. On that occasion, bottles of whisky were the order of the day and whilst it really did taste like firewater (as American red-Injuns supposedly called it), it got you drunk in a hurry and a subsequent visit to the toilets later that evening revealed half of the males at that disco falling around, half-cut. I do remember some geezer telling me to drink as much water as possible to sober up only for someone else to tell me to try coke and aspirin later on if I wanted to get wasted again. I’m sure the coke and aspirin thing was a bit of a myth as it didn’t work so I went back to drinking whisky again! Whether any of this ever impressed the girls is another thing entirely but then they were just as busy drinking too - it's a wonder couples ever got together!

Having enjoyed the hospitality of the murderous looking hill people, the duo set off for the bible belt of America. It’s hard to imagine a life without drink unless you happen to have taken “The Pledge” like that taken by both my own grandmother and my wife’s. A life of sobriety is an interesting concept and there was no shortage of ministers in this part of the world willing to preach a life of alcoholic abstinence and prayer. There were some funny moments, in particular DJ looking at his watch constantly when pulled to one side for an impromptu prayer by one of the said ministers. A home for recalcitrant alcoholics who would be cured by being loyal to Jesus Christ was another interesting sequence and a message to us all where addictions like alcoholism can ultimately end up. I’ve certainly met some hardened drunks in my time and the one that stands out the most is a guy who always used to be down at a local pub I used to frequent in Birmingham. Every Saturday night, without fail, he’d be smashed by 7pm just as we were entering the disco bit. I can only assume that he’d been drinking all day but it did go beyond funny at times when he’d be stripping off before the evening had started and making threatening comments to anyone that he thought shouldn’t be looking at him. I really don’t know whatever happened to that guy but he looked for all the world like he had a problem and I guess there are many just like him who need to wise up and sort themselves out.

The finale to the odyssey was a trip to New Orleans. Not only was it poignant that the city is still in such a state of disrepair after the ravaging of Hurricane Katrina but funny in that DJ and friend had arrived a fortnight too late to enjoy Mardi Gras. Perhaps the spirit of alcohol is summed up nicely by the joy and revelry that events like Mardi Gras bring and the fact that drinking does release people’s inhibitions can’t be a bad thing in a world so torn by trouble and strife, can it?. These days I’m a more conservative drinker than I used to be, enjoying a glass of red wine as much as a pint of beer. Alcohol is a sociable substance when treated with respect and, like anything else, best imbibed in moderation. I’ll try to remember that when I visit Dublin with mates next year *grin*

Thanks for reading

Mara

Summary: An overview of drunken experiences