A few weeks ago, I saw a CSI episode on TV involving a teenager from an alcohol rehab. It was one of those usual episodes where the suspect ends up committing the crime because of the influence of alcohol.

Anyway, this post is not about how much I love CSI nor how much I hate that episode. This is about my stand on drinking. You see, I’m not a great fan of alcoholic beverages. I mean it’s true that I drink, sometimes during occasions and sometimes during special gatherings. But for the better part of the year, I don’t. Not at all. In fact, if not for these special times, I wouldn’t get to drink alcohol at all.

Why? It’s just that I don’t see the point in it. I don’t fully understand why people are willing to suffer the feeling of fullness in their bladder, or the loss of clear vision, or even the puking that comes with it. I mean, alcoholic beverages don’t exactly taste like ice cream or anything like that. On the contrary, they’re usually bitter or pungent or something in between. The only good thing I see in it is that it lets people lose their inhibitions. But even that is not purely beneficial. I’ve heard of too many drunken brawling to know that it can be as detrimental as it is beneficial. Even the CSI episode I just mentioned is a testament to that.

So why do I still drink on certain occasions? I do so because I just want to show that I’m capable of blending in, that I can handle myself well, and that I do not look down on people who drink. Understand that mine is a belief, a stand, not a declaration of truth or ideal. I don’t judge people on their preference just like I don’t appreciate people judging me for mine. I just hope when mateo faces the question of whether to drink or not to drink, he too takes the same stand as me.