After putting up with it for the past 7 years I had pretty much given up on any hope of being able to enjoy one of the more simple pleasures in life – a drink of my choice, with friends or family, perhaps simply to unwind after a long day or to compliment a nice meal at a restaurant. What an annoying curse this was.
I distinctly remember the first time I discovered that I couldn’t drink alcohol – what a traumatic experience it was. I would have been about 18 years of age at the time. Being young and eager to socialize, I was naturally drawn into a circle of teenagers who regularly met up at parties and clubs to have fun, let loose and go crazy. Obviously, alcohol was a big part of this.
I recall sitting with girl who I was quite fond of at the time. We had bought a bottle of the cheapest champagne money could buy and before I knew it we had drunk nearly half the bottle between us while laughing and talking in a circle of about 5 friends. This was the first time I had drunk alcohol and had absolutely no idea what would happen to me in the next 30 minutes.
It began with my face. I started to feel the skin on my cheeks and forehead tighten and become slightly irritated. My breathing then became harder and I noticed a distinct wheeziness to each breath. I initially ignored all of these symptoms, but it wasn’t long before simply ignoring them no longer became an option.
The conversation stopped and all the eyes of everyone in the group were staring directly at me with shocked expressions on all of their faces. “Have a look in the mirror”, said the girl next to me.
I will never forget the embarrassment as I walked through a house full of staring teenagers to the bathroom. I was confronted by my symptoms for the first time. Panic!
Then the headache started. It was as if someone was relentlessly beating a drum between my ears that just would not stop. I curled up into a ball on the floor of the bathroom, shut my eyes and preyed that everything would go away. Unfortunately it didn’t, and I have been stuck with this reaction ever since. That is, until I was lucky enough to come across a method which enabled me to drink alcohol without experiencing any of the above-mentioned symptoms at all.
I can now enjoy a cold beer on a hot day, a glass of champagne at a celebration, and a stiff drink with my old man. I can have a drink whenever I want and not have to think twice about the chance of my alcohol allergy spoiling my good time.
How did this happen? I became fed up, admitted I had a problem and did something about it. It is as simple as that. When you admit that you have a problem you then open yourself up to the possibility of it being fixed. I never knew that there was something I could do! Why?
Because I was so embarrassed about my alcohol allergy that I was ignoring my problem rather than doing something about it.
I can confidently say that this was the best thing I could have done for my social life. Let’s face it, we all love to enjoy a drink or two to unwind, socialize and simply have fun. That’s what it’s all about isn’t it? Having fun?
I wish I was smart enough to have done something about it a lot earlier, but I am still grateful to have found a solution that has undoubtedly re-invigorated my social life and my willingness to enjoy myself and simply have a good time.
If you are interested in learning about what I did to get over my reaction to alcohol please read more about the No Red Face Formula.
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