I grew up in a close-knit family where everyone meets in my grandparents’ backyard every Sunday for lunch and dinner. The men fire up the grill, while the women prepare the rest of the food. Of course, the weekly occasion is incomplete without crates of beer and other liquor getting passed around.
However, as I met some of my father’s friends, I realized that two were brothers, and they never shared a drink. I only found out about it when one of them decided to leave while drinking right before the other arrived, saying that he had an urgent thing to do. When Dad asked the latecomer the real reason, he said, “We have a code at home that we will never drink. Even our father and uncles don’t do that.”
In truth, that was a significant revelation for me. It made me wonder about the pros and cons of drinking with family members, considering not everyone wants to have a toast with their loved ones. Here are a few ideas I came up with.
Pros
You Can Open Up To Family More Freely
Alcohol is known as the world’s most effective truth serum. The more you drink, the more your mouth becomes loose. Before you realize what’s happening, you have already spilled your guts to the family, figuratively speaking.
I undoubtedly do not see the issue with this, though. Sometimes, there are sad things that you may only find the courage to say when alcohol is backing you up. It will push you to voice out your worries and issues, even if you may not know that you are already doing it. As a result, your head may feel heavy in the morning, but your heart may be inexplicably light.
Drinking Is An Incredible Bonding Experience
I can no longer count how many games my family has associated with alcohol. For instance, while playing Jenga, whoever makes the tower crash will need to down a vodka or whiskey or tequila shot. If you lose in a poker game, charades, and whatnot, you may choose between chugging a pitcher of beer or drinking straight from a keg. We do also play video games like Xbox and Play Station while drinking. I must admit that we really had fun playing our favorite Xbox games (https://www.familyhype.com/children/childrens-products/games/xbox/the-best-xbox-one-games-for-girls.html) and most of them have taught us the value of teamwork and sportsmanship.
I get that the latter consequences sound frat-life-like, but that’s how my family rolls. It serves as an incredible bonding experience for everyone, considering adults of all ages enjoy drinking. I have seen almost every family member do it, from my 21-year-old cousin to my 80-year-old grandpa. Everyone’s a sport, so it has done nothing but bring us closer to each other.
You Can Ensure Your Safety
Another perk of drinking with family is that you can drink until you pass out, knowing that you have loved ones to look after you. That is especially true if you are merely drinking in the backyard. Even when you fall asleep on the grass or porch, no one will bother you or think of robbing you. There is no need to risk driving either because you are already home.
Still, I don’t intend to say that you won’t be safe among friends when you drink elsewhere. If you are with your best friends, I am sure that they will take care of you if you get drunk.
Cons
You May Say Things That You Cannot Take Back
This is one of the reasons that my father’s friends gave him. He said, “Emotions can run high when you are drunk. You do not always know what comes out of your mouth, and I do not want to say something that I can no longer take back.”
That honestly makes sense; many families have broken up because someone says something that hurts the others. It is ideal if everyone is too drunk to remember it all, but the drunkest person in the group typically talks smack to the lesser drunk ones, so they remember every word. No matter how much they try to ask for forgiveness, it is not always enough.
Drunkenness May Lead To Ugly Fights With Relatives
Have you heard of family members punching or pulling a gun or knife on each other and starting a bloodbath? Yes, that is possible when people hit an ungodly level of drunkenness. They become extra sensitive, to the point that small jokes may be taken seriously and cause hate to build up between them.
Indeed, it is among the disadvantages of drinking with family members. Imagine if those ugly fights break between relatives. If anyone gets injured or, worse, dies, the victim’s side of the family may sue the other and show no mercy, even if they belong to the same clan. The once-happy family will then split into two as everyone takes sides.
Final Thoughts
Although there are more pros than cons in drinking with family members, we cannot be oblivious of the dangers of doing it. The key here is to know your alcohol tolerance level and make sure that you will never exceed it. This way, you and your family will always be happy while savoring your favorite alcoholic beverages.