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Monday, April 17, 2006

If you’re not now, you never were.

Posted by on April 17 at 15:40 PM

Before I tell you what I’m about to tell you, I should make sure you know that I, Megan Seling, have never ingested a drop of alcohol in my life. Honest. Not a beer, not a shot, not a sip of wine in 25 (almost 26) years of existence. Drinking never interested me through my prepubescent years (Barbie didn’t drink, why should I?), and once I hit high school I learned about straight-edge and decided that drug free was the way for me. I don’t know why, but regardless of the reason (or lack of), it stuck.

Being a non-drinker is the way most people know me. Some people don’t understand it, some people (co-workers, mostly) make fun of me, and others offer money to watch me get drunk for the first time. If times get tough enough, I might take ‘em up on that. Anyways… I say all of this because, well, I don’t know why. But this weekend, during a small party at my sister’s house, I drank alcohol. Vodka, actually. Skyy Vodka in the pretty blue bottle. It was a complete accident.

I thought the salt from the small handful of potato chips I had just eaten maybe made my tastebuds go a little wacky, so after the first sip of my odd tasting soda, I decided drinking more was the only way to wash the salty taste down. So I kept gulping, slowly catching on that the peculiar taste wasn’t going away, but getting stronger. Then I looked at my brother in law, who was holding the same exact glass with the same innocent looking soda in it. He had just taken a sip and gotten a strange look on his face, wondering what was missing. “Uhh, Pete, is that my glass?” He got a surprised look and then a grin of realization fell over his face. “Uhh… I think it is…” he said. “Pete, did you put alcohol in yours?” The room fell silent for a moment and then exploded into a fit of laughter, as everyone realized that I, after years of refusing, finally drank. Goddammit. What would Ian MacKaye say?!


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Ian would think it was hilarious, I swear--because it is. At least it was decent vodka, Megs--it could have been something horrible we call "well liquor."

However, this sounds like an incomplete story because you must have ingested at least one shot, so you must have been buzzed in some fashion. Do tell.

Purity is overrated. Having had a few sips of booze accidentally doesn't mean a damn thing; it's the intent that matters. And, you know, if you've ever had a glass of orange juice, you've probably had a little alcohol, as fermentation is a natural, unavoidable process in most fruit juices.

No shit, Seling, tell us how it was!!!

I think it's amazing that it took this long for you to accidentally ingest alcohol. I could tell a nearly identical story to yours except I was 7 years old when it happened.

silly drinking newbie. you laugh it off now, but next week you'll be in the gutter doing crack. gateway drug :[

Dorothy Parker never drank until her mid-twenties either, and look what happened to her.

Just promise us you won't confuse gay men who love to dress you and do your hair with suitable love objects.

stains on the sheets?

I dont know what Ian would say but he probably would say nothing. its been more than 16 years since he was singing and living the "edge"

Like most straight edge people, hes not straight edge anymore. He might not be a notorious booze hound or even drink at all but I know Ive had a few beer with him.

What are you, Mormon?

There's a first time for everything. And ignorance sucks.

There are outreach groups for folk like you!

As an ex-sXr who has fallen for sweet lady alcohol in a bad, bad way I say be proud of the fact that you probably: 1) don't spend a few hundred dollars a weekend, so you can 2) act like an idiot, and 3) pee in public, and 4) feel like an ass in the morning. Now if you'll excuse me, all of this talk is making me want a beer in the worst way.
Keep (your) edges straight, sister!

The sXe police are on the way. You are in big trouble little lady.
Seriously though. Now that youve left the edge behind you can go out and do all those other things like fuck out of wedlock, use drugs and just plain enjoy life :)

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