Why do we have to drink?

(Baonghean.vn)- Sometimes I really want to meet you, because you are a very interesting person. But I am afraid of you, because every time I meet you, I have to drink alcohol. Why must there be alcohol to be a meeting?

Sitting and sipping coffee with a close friend who has just returned from abroad, chatting happily, comfortably, sincerely, openly, both sides exchange and learn a lot of information. The special thing is, every time we meet, you refuse all drinking, only choosing or accepting to sit and drink coffee. Over time, I suddenly realized that I am very interested and comfortable when meeting you. Both gentle and intimate, it seems like I can meet you anytime without worrying about anything, including the "cost"...

In Vietnam, drinking is also considered a type of stress? Photo: Internet

Perhaps, I have such a pleasant feeling because I have compared and related the times I met you at coffee shops with countless times I met my brothers, friends, and younger brothers in life, at work, at restaurants, eateries, and drinking parties at home... That is, there are many people who, whenever they meet, have to do it at restaurants, at eateries, and even if they organize a meeting at home, there must be a glass of beer and a glass of wine, of course there is always a "driver" - a snack to "lead the way" with beer and wine.

Is it true that for a long time, many people have secretly believed that only when there is a glass of beer and wine, and when there is a big drink, can it be considered a real meeting? Or even, only when going to a fancy restaurant can one truly respect the person invited? Only when ordering expensive dishes and many dishes can one have a luxurious party? Even at home, only when preparing a feast with many dishes and eating in abundance can one consider it “good”?

Knowing that drinking a lot of alcohol and beer is both tiring and expensive. It affects your health and wastes your money. When drinking, there is also the phenomenon of "forcing alcohol". Although everyone knows the saying "you can't force alcohol", but the saying "you can't refuse" is born. It is extremely miserable for those who have a low alcohol tolerance, or have an illness that requires abstaining from alcohol. They have to receive all kinds of provocation, ridicule, and criticism. In some places, leaders and heads drink a lot of alcohol, or are addicted to alcohol, so it is only miserable for their subordinates who have poor "capacity" for alcohol. Many times, the ability to drink alcohol, to endure alcohol, alas, is also considered a form of... ability (!)

Not to mention, after a drinking party, you still have to drive home. Many times, the next morning when you sober up, you can't remember how you got home, even though you know you drove home. At first, you were still proud of yourself, praising yourself for being very... talented. But when you witness more and more traffic accidents caused by alcohol, many people who sober up the next morning, thinking back to the way home last night, are so scared that they break out in a cold sweat.

The scene of a young man stabbing his drinking buddy to death in Binh Thuan. Photo: Internet.

Drinking is often accompanied by eating. Eating is also an expense. Sometimes, the mouth does not need much food, but the eyes must be fed. That is, we must order a lot, prepare a lot, mainly to... look good. Because in reality, at many drinking parties, the guests only eat very little, and when they stand up to leave, the dishes are sometimes still untouched. That is the phenomenon of "full stomach, hungry eyes".

Nowadays, in small bars, it is very difficult for each drinking party to cost less than 500,000 VND, and in restaurants, even if you are frugal, it cannot cost less than 1,000,000 VND. Therefore, for drinking parties with "Le Quyen", "Cambodia", "Gópbachốp" (donating, sharing money, contributing money to pay), it is still simple and comfortable. But if one person has to "bear" it, it is quite heavy. If you are a civil servant, employee, with a medium or low income, then every time you pay, even if you try to smile, when you look in the mirror, your face will be distorted!

Furthermore, if health is considered a precious capital, the most important asset, then nothing can destroy this asset more than drinking parties. Beer and alcohol destroy the nervous system, affect memory, and the cardiovascular system, blood fat, liver enzymes, and all the internal organs are affected. There are many people who suffer from psychosis. Alcohol enters the mouth and speaks out. Alcohol enters the body and turns into a child. Then, people lose love, friendship, position, job, and some even lose their lives. The same goes for drinking parties, gout, diabetes... are all in the near future for both professional and amateur drinkers.

The strange thing is that even though we have realized the countless harmful effects of drinking, we still have the mentality of having difficulty avoiding or refusing to organize or participate in drinking parties. I myself have thought, if only I could meet Mr. A, Mr. B without drinking, how wonderful that would be. Or, if only Chief A, Leader B, did not drink, were not addicted to alcohol, how wonderful that would be...

There are many extremely interesting friends, including a brother I always want to see, but I just wish I could see him and not at a drinking party. The irony is, every time I see him, he drags me to a restaurant, a bar, or at least to drink... at home. So, sometimes a very contradictory thing happens: deep down I really want to see him, but I'm extremely afraid... of having to see him.

That is why, after my friend came back from far away, we only met for coffee. I kept wishing that if all my friends were like that, I would be so happy. Thinking about that, I was afraid of those meetings, afraid of myself. Why wasn't I brave enough to decide to only drink coffee?

Chi Linh Son