Before You Take the First Drink

When I was in high school, our class was visited by a prisoner who spoke to us about alcohol. I remember very little about the man himself, and after all these years I cannot recall why he had been imprisoned. What I have never forgotten are the lessons he taught us.

They were not emotional appeals or frightening stories. Instead, they were simple observations about reality—observations that have remained with me for decades because they explained how alcohol actually works.

These are my recollections of the lessons he shared with us.

Lesson 1: Both Intoxication and Sobering Are Matters of Mathematics

He explained that intoxication is not a matter of toughness, confidence, or experience. It is largely a matter of mathematics.

How much alcohol enters the body, how quickly it is consumed, a person’s body weight, whether food has been eaten, and how rapidly the body metabolizes alcohol all influence a person’s level of intoxication. Every one of these factors operates according to biology, not according to personality, confidence, or perceived strength.

Likewise, becoming sober follows the same objective reality. The body metabolizes alcohol at its own rate. We may wish it were otherwise, but biology—not determination—governs the process.

Lesson 2: The Form of Alcohol Matters Less Than Most People Think

Many people assume that beer is somehow safer than liquor or that wine affects them differently. The speaker challenged that assumption.

A standard beer, a standard glass of wine, and a standard shot of distilled liquor each contain roughly the same amount of pure alcohol. The body responds principally to the amount of alcohol entering the bloodstream, not to whether it came from a bottle of beer, a glass of wine, or a shot glass.

Someone who drinks three standard beers has consumed approximately the same amount of alcohol as someone who drinks three standard glasses of wine or three standard shots of liquor.

Lesson 3: The Impaired Person Is the Worst Judge of His Own Sobriety

One lesson has remained with me ever since:

The worst person to judge his own sobriety is the impaired person.

One of the great ironies of alcohol is that it impairs the very judgment needed to recognize impairment.

People often believe they appear sober long after those around them can plainly see otherwise. As impairment increases, confidence becomes increasingly disconnected from reality.

Lesson 4: You Cannot Instantly Sober Up

Many people believe coffee, a cold shower, fresh air, exercise, or even vomiting will quickly make someone sober.

These actions may change how a person feels, and vomiting may remove alcohol still remaining in the stomach before it can be absorbed. However, none of them removes alcohol that has already entered the bloodstream. Only time allows the body to metabolize the alcohol that has already been absorbed.

Again, reality—not wishful thinking—governs the process.

Lesson 5: Alcohol Complicates Everything

The speaker also warned that alcohol complicates nearly every serious situation it touches.

Accidents, violence, damaged relationships, poor decisions, legal consequences, and questions surrounding sexual assault all become far more difficult when judgment has been impaired.

The Lesson That Endured

Looking back, I remember almost nothing about the prisoner himself. I cannot recall his name or even why he had been imprisoned. Yet I have never forgotten what he taught.

His lesson was not primarily about alcohol. It was about reality.

Alcohol does not negotiate with confidence, intentions, personality, or appearances. It follows the laws of biology and chemistry. The sooner we understand those realities, the more capable we are of making wise decisions before taking the first drink.

Perhaps that is why his words have remained with me for so many years. Long after I forgot the man, I remembered the truth he taught: reality has consequences whether we acknowledge it or not.

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