Amats

Back in college, Booze parties were such a regular feature of my life that it doesn't really matter whether I get drunk or not.

It was in my sophomore year when I first experienced how to be drunk, that I literally have thrown up along Dapitan Street. I was so drunk then and so are my friends, that I had to excuse myself at home and have a sleepover in a friend's house.

In third year, I have learned not to hold toma sessions at home - especially when we would have hard drinks for booze, for I have discovered that I get easily and severely hit by the horrible drink. As long as the venue would be at home, expect that I would do the impossible under the spirit of alcohol and have a horrible hang-over the following day.

In fact, there was this one session that all of tropa got so heavily drunk that it almost costed us an issue at home. A friend had thrown up in my room, while another one slept in the bathroom. In my case, I decided to throw up in this specific plant in the front yard while taking a leak on it at the same time. While doing those dischargings, I even claimed that the plant is my "bestfriend." The following morning, the plant was so covered with puke and gin that some of its leaves were visibly dissolved by my suka.

During my 2oth birthday, the same tropa persuaded me to throw a little drinking session at home after school to celebrate my day much to my protest. Suddenly, a long time kababata crashed in my place and eventually joined the little booze party as well. Without really having control of the situation, they bought a Gin Red for our booze of choice. Soon I was getting so much hits that I passed out even before my family got home.

To my surprise, my mom and dad were planning a suprise dinner party for me as well that night. Since I was so wasted just to get up and join them for dinner, the following morning they were so disappointed at the turn of events that they grounded me the following week. After that, I vowed never to drink again at home, even if I have to crawl on the streets coming from somebody else's booze party.

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Yesterday afternoon, I was invited again by the tomador group in our shift to a drinking session. This group was really infamous for their booze gatherings for it is assured that once you joined them in their sessions, you will never get home sober afterwards.

The last time I was there, we had a case of Red Horse for our booze party. By 6 pm, my vision was already blurred and my head was beginning to swirl like coming from a fast merry-go-around ride. No matter how I tried to close my eyes and regain my balance then, all I can feel is the world going around me.

Good thing before we left, I had a chance to throw up and take out most of the alcohol I drunk. A colleague even gave me a slice of chocolate to lessen the effects of alcohol through a sugar boost. However yesterday afternoon, we forgot to buy a chocolate or other sweet foodstuff for such phenomenon that will surely happen to me. As expected, by 6 pm, I can already feel the spirit taking control of me.

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The problem lies not in the alcohol itself but on how I consume it.

Being a habit, I tend to consume massive volumes of shots early in the session just to feel drunk for it relaxes my inhibitions tremendously. Whenever I feel the effects of booze I have taken, the more I get bolder in taking more and more shots - even to the point of violating the bangkaan typical of a booze party.

In the end, while others still feel sober, I am already swinging whenever I go to the bathroom or elsewhere. Fortunately, I don't get violent or annoying whenever I get drunk.

Last night, I had to excuse myself earlier than the rest after I found out that there's another neck of Ginebra Red arriving from the host's acquaintance who was just about to arrive. During that time, I was already positioning myself in finding a constant place somewhere in the backyard where I could throw up whatever contents I have taken so far.

But to no avail, I can still feel the swirling feeling on my head. I had no other choice but to go home and sleep.

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The long trip from Marikina to Manila was a very tense experience.

Any moment, I could throw up in the FX from my colleague's subdivision to Cubao. From Cubao, I boarded a jeep and decided to sit on the driver's row (front seat). Choosing the outer seat rather than the middle one, the chances of loosing my balance and falling out of the jeepney was pretty high.

I had no choice but to sit in the outer area since it turned out that I would throw up all the way from Aurora to Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard. Good thing, I only threw small amounts of suka in the form of spit, or the other passengers might find out that I am drunk.

When I arrived home, my mom was in the living room watching her favorite PBB show. My first impulse was to act normal in hopes that she won't notice me. I immediately went to the bathroom so I could wash my face and cool myself a little. The househelps were currently eating their dinner so they might have paid little attention to my arrival.

While lying on my bed, the swirling in my head intensified no matter how I close my eyes. So I decided to get up and return to the bathroom (this time in the second floor) and attempted to throw out whatever Gin that remained inside my stomach.

With little effort, I managed to throw out almost all the contents of my tummy - and leaving the entire place awfully smelly afterwards. After cleaning myself (and the bathroom), I went back to bed. This time, I was able to fall asleep without the headache or the constant swirling on my head.

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One lesson I keep on forgetting over and over again is that one of the most notorious booze a person could ever drink is the Gin.

It was the Gin that made me puke on an ornamental plant and claim it was my bestfriend - only to find it dead the following morning; It was the Gin that messed up my birthday - and lead to the discovery of my parents that I already drink alcohol; It was also the Gin that triggered the self-destruct nights we had during the Outsider's weekly booze party at James' former pad.

And it was a Ginebra Red we drank last night. It was that vile alcohol that almost made me crawl on the streets of Cubao going home and tempted me to crash at Fahrenheit to take a "shower" there as a temporary solution to my drunkeness.

Finally, it was also the reason why I had a terrible hang-over when I arrived at work this morning. Good thing, I woke up early so I was not late even though I was still nursing a little headache when I ate my breakfast during my first break.