I'm sure I ain't drunk whilst writing this.

Reading Kirst blog and coming home from a party where I had a few glass of beer made me think of my own experience with alcohol. I am not a drinker, but I would say that I do drink socially once in a while - in a dinner party, a gathering with female friends or at home during holidays.

But I confess that there was a time in the past when I got so drunk I woke up in my bath room floor with a lump on my head. I remember I went there to pee, but maybe I passed out. I know that's awful, especially when I have to deal with a hang over the next day. But after that incident I told myself I will never get drunk again.

So now, whenever an occasion prevent me from declining an invitation to be sociable and alcohol drinks is being offered, I see to it that I only get to a certain stage of drunkeness. I am not an expert on this but somehow the experience I have with alcohol had given me the ability to more accurately gauge my level of drunkeness. Obviously, everyone will have their own personal definitions for each of these stages, if they even acknowledge them at all, but anyways here are mine:

Warm: the way I feel after that first sip or two of alcohol. My skin starts to feel a little warm to the touch. For some unlucky Asians, our faces begin to turn red. Other than that though, there is no discernable difference in behavior.

Buzzed: When I first notice that I have alcohol coursing through my body. The main symptom of this stage is slight numbness in the limbs, like I can literally begin to feel my body start the process of losing control.

Tipsy: Here's where the fun starts. My skin continues to feel warm, and my muscles begin to lose their fine motor control. Everything loosens up, including my tongue. When I start talking louder and more than usual, then I've probably entered the tipsy stage.

OK that's the stage where I would courteously decline another glass. I would rather just have water with ice and just examine where the rest of my drinking buddies are at that stage. Of course the next is pretty obvious.

Drunk: There are 3 more stages after this? Yes, obviously there are. For me, drunk is when the extremes start. This is when a person noticeably have ADD one minute, then be able to have a deep intellectual conversation about life and death the next minute. And tongue is pretty loose at this point, and pretending to move like a sober person takes great effort. However, motor control is still present. One of the easier ways to recognize when someone is drunk is by their greetings. If she walk up to me and say hello much louder and more exuberantly than necessary on any level, then she is AT LEAST at the drunk stage.

Sloppy: This stage is easy to recognize. The main symptom is the inability to walk straight. When a person start making zig-zags on Sampaguita street and it's not on purpose, then she would have entered the sloppy stage.

Wasted: When a person comes up and gives you a bear hug, then you know she's wasted. Also evident through the "you are so awesome i love you so much" rhetoric from a person at this stage. Also, this is when everyone is at their ballsiest. Nothing is too taboo to talk about, too scary to do, or too intimidating to shy away from. This stage is the start of throwing skeletons out of closets, and maybe memory goes in and out at this stage.

Blackout: Oh, it's everything mentioned above, except you can't remember a damn thing.

Let us admit it, when someone is drunk there is laughter all over and something funny is bound to happen. Stupid and odd things surely becomes funny the moment alcohol kicks in our brain. Best is, when you can crack jokes even when you are amongst the corniest people on earth during a drinking session.

We drink for many reasons. Some do, because they want to get to sleep, to numb pain, or to forget their problems. Others do because they want to have fun, chill out, and maybe find it a good ground to make new friends and acquaintances. The only problem nowadays is the sad fact that several irresponsible people drink more than they should, and sobriety becomes a discarded word.

Whatever your reason is, always remember that being responsible is always the key to having fun with friends and enjoying a nice cold glass of beer.

Cheers!