LIQUOR RUINS COUNTRY, FAMILY, AND LIFE (and the whole of the next day!)

Kudi Naatukkum, Veetukkum, Uyirikkum Kedu!

That was the message embossed on a metal plate outside the Leather Bar, welcoming patrons into the supposedly happening hangout at ‘The Park’ Hotel in Chennai. As I walked in on a Saturday night way past the legal closing time of 11pm, taking in the pumping trance beats played by the DJ, my mind was faintly asking, “Now why do people drink?" I was afraid that the old dissonance was coming back again.

Being a teetotaler, I have always faced tremendous peer pressure to conform, to pick up that bottle of beer (It’s just beer; now don’t act like a sissy!). Why are we fixated with the idea of losing control or is it just about having a fun time (And a little groping*) ? Is the idea of escapism inherently built into the social structure? Is it related to the idea of ‘freedom’? The powers that control society, those which provide for norms and values – also provide the means of escapism. But why is there such a stigma associated with alcohol. Maybe, people aren’t comfortable with ideas of sexual promiscuity in their normal behavior states or any state for that matter. Alcohol helps reduce the dissonance that comes with the desires of the libido.

People have often quizzed me, “you don’t drink? So what DO you do to have fun….you know like go out and stuff?” Truth be told, I have no answer to that question. You can probably take me for a little guy who refused to ‘grow up’. I’ve just been doing the same stuff that I do to enjoy, since I was a kid- watching movies, go out for dinner , have a fun outing, play outdoor sports, sing, dance and play the fool. But, along with the teetotaler tag come the experiences of being an alienated soul. Suddenly, all the childhood friends you knew are not the same anymore. All they want to do is drink up and create a boisterous scene. The culturally disapproved rites of passage are here to stay.

But, is it really the rebel yell? Isn’t it ever so common? Isn’t it conformance to the conventional identity of a “youth”- (Flaunt your guts and flout the rules). Are youth being deviant during binge alcohol sessions? I feel it is more the opposite. It takes a teetotaler to be a non-conformist, to stay un-cool, to resist social pressure to hit the bottle. And yes, it takes a teetotaler to be the real Rebel.