I Don't Drink for Taste

I've never been a big drinker. That's always been amazing to me, considering how many alcoholics I've known and am related to. I definitely did the thing where you almost drink yourself to death until you turn 21 and then basically stop completely because drinking legally literally took all the fun out of it. When I was 17 and 18, anytime I had the opportunity to drink I got so wasted. Not just white girl wasted either. I was too cool for mixed drinks (which means I couldn't stomach them). So when I wasn't drinking beer, I chugged bourbon from the bottle (because for some ridiculous reason chasing it with a beer seemed like a great idea). But like I said, I didn't carry on this way for too long. The older I got, the more I just wanted to sit and relax with a nice cold beer when hanging out with friends.

Well, my beer of choice is normally Bud Light or if I'm feeling fancy, Michelob Ultra. After I turned 21, I began feeling social pressure to drink every time we were out... just to have a drink. Well, I'm not particularly a fan of the taste of any alcohol. Some are better than others obviously, but the best beverage I've ever had in my life has been good old fashioned water. But grown ups seemed to drink all the time. It's like they just love the taste and I never could understand it. It took me a while to become confident enough in myself to drink my Bud Light around the men that were holding two Styrofoam cups stacked with Jim Beam and Coke in them, and around the women that were holding their monogrammed wine glasses. I don't like my beer in a glass either. There's nothing quite like drinking a beer out of a bottle, a plain old bottle that won't ever be on a shelf in my house for decoration. The only bottles I have for decoration in my house are old soda and medicine bottles I dug up in the woods.

My boyfriend's cousin is THE brewery chick. She loves a brewery more than anything in this world. She drinks those fancy pants beers all the time, and genuinely enjoys the different taste. I believe she just enjoys the taste of her drink and the act of doing it.

That's not me. I drink for the effects. Just like when I smoked pot... I was looking for the effect! I never gave crap if it tasted like blueberries. I was chasing the feeling. Luckily, I don't have an addictive personality. I don't like to get drunk every time I drink, but when I do drink I hope to feel at least a little more laid back and relaxed.

If you like ales and IPAs or discussing the depth of flavor in your wine, that's cool. You do you. I'm happy that you have something in your life that you love. It took drinking in many different situations around many different kinds of people for me to realize that I have to be confident in myself and my decisions. I know what I like and I shouldn't have to change what I like because I'm around certain people or in a certain place.

My name is Jordan... and I love "redneck water beer!" I mean, on occasion of course. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm just a social drinker. And the older you get the less you want to be sociable, trust me. Oh but when I socially drink, I will have a water beer in a bottle and love every 'having a great time and relaxing' moment of it.