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I'm Almost 21 and I Don't Know What My Limit Is
I will be turning 21 in less than 6 months, which to some may seem a little bit far away, because I still have most of autumn and winter left before my birthday in early spring. As my main birthday present my mom, sister and grandmother are going to be taking me to Atlantic City. My family has this thing where they want to share my most important milestones with me, I guess, like most families. While we we are at Atlantic City my boyfriend, my sister and I are going to be going out drinking, I think that it's a really good idea that I have my boyfriend with me because if either of his girls get drunk I know that he will look for us (he's a big guy, he's really strong – a former high school football player, who still works out quite a bit).
My biggest concern about drinking is the fact that I have never been drunk. I don't know what my limit is, which is bad because if I decide to be stubborn and I probably will be if my sister or my boyfriend, tell me, “I think that's enough.” Even though I am quite proud of that fact, I feel like nowadays too many people get drunk under the age of 21... it's probably always been that way. My sister who is 26 (will only have a month and a few weeks left herself, before she turns 27 on that occasion) and my boyfriend whose 22 (will only have a few months left to go on that occasion before he turns 23) have both drank before they were 21.
I have too, but it was under family supervision and they never let me to drink enough to know what it was like to be drunk... which is a good thing.
I'm just concerned about actually reaching the point to meet the difference between drunk and tipsy. I don't even know if I should be tipsy, because my mother and grandmother are very old-fashioned and tend to be prudes on certain things such as women getting drunk (even though my mom has admitted to us that she's been, my grandmother has never been). The main problem is that I have some drunks in my family, and we also have alcoholism in the family.
My paternal grandmother was a functional alcoholic, I don't want to end up like that when I turn 21 I still think that I have my whole life to live for, and I don't want to upset those who care about me. My maternal grandfather's father was an alcoholic who used to drink the money away and his wife (my maternal grandfather's mother).
How do I know when I'm reaching the point of having one too many? I really don't want to end up blacking out... which as you can tell would be very dangerous in my case. I actually do want to be able to drink socially. I do believe that my sister and my boyfriend would try to get me to stop drinking if they saw signs that I was about to black out.
I know that your BAC (blood alcohol content) depends on different factors such as your body weight, time between drinks, if you ate, etc. I'm 131 pounds and around 5'4", so I'm fairly skinny.
Thanks!
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What was funny about the time I turned 21 was that I had already quit drinking by that time after partying my ass off in high school. My brother, though, is an alcoholic and I can't recall another one in my entire extended family, at least that was related by blood.
Anyway, just because you turn 21 doesn't mean you should get toilet hugging drunk. Celebrate it with a nice dinner and a few glasses of wine, not a blackout.
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Hi there,
First off early congrats on your birthday!
I think you are worrying about this too much. Your family is taking you so that shows that they approve, and just want you to have fun. They will be there to watch you.
I'm not going to try to figure out how many drinks you can have by your height and weight, because there are many factors.
Some people can just handle alcohol better than others. What you ate that day, how hydrated you are, what time of the month it is, etc. can all effect how fast you get drunk. It's also hard to determine how many drinks it would take because different brands of alcohol have different alcohol levels.
As someone who has been buzzed, tipsy, and drunk, you can definitely tell the difference. You are not so intoxicated so quickly that you can't decide to stop.
After a drink or two, you will probably feel buzzed. You will feel good, happy, a little looser, more confident and social, and just all around good. This is my favorite place to be. First reaction is to keep drinking to keep the buzz, but that's not the best idea. Pace yourself, and only have another drink when you feel it wearing off.
I feel this way after maybe 3 shots, and I'm 122 and 5'3 if that helps you decide.
When you're tipsy you will feel clumsy, you might not be able to stand straight without leaning over a bit. You are still coherent but your words don't come out the way you want them too.
When I'm completely drunk, I feel pretty floppy. Things might start spinning, your stomach probably won't feel great either.
You won't become an alcoholic after one weekend, and you won't blackout. You really have to drink A LOT to do that. Considering you haven't drank much before, the taste will probably keep you from overdoing it.
If you are that worried, I suggest having your boyfriend stay sober the first night to watch out for you.
Just relax and have some fun. You are young, and it's a big part of being 21 to go out, have some drinks, do some silly stuff, and make funny memories. Just be safe with chaperones and not driving.
Good luck,
-Abby
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I'm your exact height and weight, and I just turned 21 last March. Anyways, I rarely drank under 21..where I was to get drunk.. so like you I was a tad scared, but I knew when I was actually tipsy but I was never actually drunk.. I wouldn't let myself drunk for a lot of reasons.. anyways, just pay attention to what your body tell you.. you will be able to know before they do. If they try to stop you, just tell them they were 21 once.. and this is a start to a new milestone. Make them let you live your birthday the way you want it.
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