#Sip by swell how to
And finally, about a year into my forced life of near sobriety, I’m learning how to socialize again. For now, my fridge is filled with cans of La Croix that I pop open and pour into a glass on Fridays, as if it were a cocktail and not fizzy water. For my 30th birthday, I bought a bottle of alcohol-free champagne that remained untouched after one underwhelming glass. I’m now on a mission to find non-alcoholic drinks I actually like, but it’s been hit or miss. This won’t get me drunk, but at least I can sip on something. I discovered that if I take an antihistamine before drinking, stick to one kind of liquor, and drink slowly and in moderation, I’m good. Me holding an unopened bottle of non-alcoholic wine beside a nearly-empty bottle of white wine I couldn’t drink. I still need answers, but I’m learning to live with it.
“An introvert in an extrovert’s world, the only courage I had in public was the liquid kind.”īut if there’s one thing the last two years have taught me, it’s that life is too short - too short to care what others think and too short to waste on getting wasted (if it could kill you). I turned into another version of myself, one I can no longer access now. My feet would grow numb - and comfortable - in heels after a shot of tequila, stories from my boring life grew more interesting after three, and my insecurities disappeared after five. An introvert in an extrovert’s world, the only courage I had in public was the liquid kind. I learned to drink to avoid these interactions in the first place.
#Sip by swell free
In reality, these basic millennial habits that gave my basic millennial self comfort, make for awkward social interactions.Įvery night out now includes a 30-minute conversation about why I can’t take that free shot from the bar, and convincing myself that sipping on a diluted gin and tonic is fun. My brain still thinks ordering unlimited sangria is a good idea, and that boozy brunches are something to look forward to. Photo: Courtesy of Celine Enriquezįor many, the pandemic was a pause button, but it feels more like someone hit fast-forward on my life without me knowing, and I’m now left to figure out what happened from fragments of hazy memories.
“With no definitive answers to what the hell happened to my body, every sip of liquor now tastes bitter, in a way it never did.”Įven more terrifying was the thought that I can never go back to the way it used to be - wine nights with friends, Malibu rum and Coke by the beach, soju with K-BBQ.
#Sip by swell skin
With no definitive answers to what the hell happened to my body, every sip of liquor now tastes bitter, in a way it never did: I anticipate the itchy skin and blurry vision, the feeling of my heart slowing down right before I faint. I’ve consulted a doctor, but even after blood tests, they still can’t figure out what’s going on. I felt fine after downing mixed drinks and even got through my regular bedtime routine, but I later woke up in the bathroom, bruised on my face and head, with zero recollection of how I ended up on the cold tiled floor. “It was like a horror movie,” my cousin said, with no hint of exaggeration.Īnother time, it happened in the middle of the night. My lips were blue and my eyes were wide open. I hopped into a cold shower to get some relief but within minutes, I was naked and unconscious in my dressing room, where my sister dried me off in between frantic calls to all the doctors she could get a hold of on a Friday night. I thought I could scratch my way through the itch, but then my face started to swell and my limbs, covered in rashes, turned warm. The first time it happened, I only had half a glass of red wine and a third of a can of the same chūhai.
Since developing this alcohol intolerance, I’ve also passed out on three different occasions. But now, about 10 months later, I still can’t down cocktails like I used to without breaking out in hives. This was just a few days after I recovered from COVID-19, so I chalked it up as some weird, unexplained symptom of a still-mysterious virus. I was drinking a can of chūhai during quiz night and only after 30 minutes of involuntary scratching did I notice that my legs were covered with red spots.
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