I remember getting introduced to alcohol in my early 20s. It was beer.
My love for beer grew to the extreme, and at one point, I was in Brussels hopping microbreweries and learning the art and craft of beer making.
I wanted to start my beer shop. We had less than half a dozen microbreweries across the country.
No week was without 5-6 liters of beer. At one FOSS event, we even announced our beer event, had a website, and had a bunch of volunteers. I made lots of friends, and beer was our love. I was not aware of or cared about health as such. I was lean and thin. I needed lots of fat and muscle. I think beer loaded me with carbs.
Something happened to me on my 30th birthday, and I went cold turkey.
I think it was my ego and quest to build my startup. I had started reading, and most books talked about the side effects of alcohol. It took some time to rebuild myself. I had a gym instructor who helped me and long runs. I was taking control of food. It was a different version of me, and I loved it.
Last six months, I got back to drinking wine and fenny(in Goa). My reason was to clear my creative block. While it did help. I ended up completing 20 short stories and half a dozen poems. But at the same time am feeling weak mentally. It has thrown me back into the past: journey, conversation, and everything. It’s past, and I never wanted to revisit it. I had made peace with it.
I think I will be alright in a few weeks. But my advice to most youngsters would be to avoid alcohol. It fucks with the brain and brings pain afterward. Early life is about building and cementing life, career, and relationship and figuring out all your wants.