#ohnick – I'll Drink To That

#ohnick – I’ll Drink To That

My name is Nick, and I am allergic to alcohol.  I have a thing called Gilbert’s Syndrome, which means that my liver doesn’t properly break alcohol down, leading to me to be extremely sick when having alcohol and having excessively heavy hangovers which last beyond twenty-four hours, along with sweats, aches, and harsh panic attacks.  In short, it’s absolutely horrendous.  It extends beyond simply drinking alcohol though.  I cannot eat food with it in, be that in the food mix itself, burnt off, or in sauce.

     It shouldn’t be a big thing, but in the society in which we live, it really is.  People think it’s frankly odd or, in some cases, inconceivable that I cannot drink, and it’s something accordingly writ large on my personality and being.  I have even had people not wish to date me because of it.

     I used to drink, but that was because I didn’t realize I was allergic.  I knew it always made me feel ill though, whether I had downed a bottle of wine or sipped from half a pint of lager shandy, and when I found out I was allergic, I had in fact stopped drinking for over a year through choice anyway.  2014 will mark six years since I last drank; the last time I did was on September 1^st 2008.  I remember this, as it was the day in which I handed in my Masters dissertation.  I drank, felt ill, and decided that I was done with drinking.

     Given it is such a big deal to some people though, I thought I would help people out by writing this blog post, and giving them a list of Frequently Asked Questions.  You’re welcome:

Do you miss drinking?

No.  Would you miss something that made you feel completely shit? I doubt it.

Have you tried lots of different alcohols?

Yes.  And, no, before you say it, it isn’t just one type of alcohol, it is all types.

I can’t imagine not being able to drink!

That’s nice.

You must be a cheap date!

Yes? Maybe? I don’t know.  I always get my round in though, so it makes little financial difference socially.

Are you making it up?!

No.  Twat.  Moving on.

It must be nice though to always be the sober one who remembers everything?

It can be.  It can also be extremely awkward at parties, is one reason I hardly ever go clubbing, and makes some people think you are boring, or feel awkward around you because you have not been drinking.  All of which is silly, really.

I’m allergic to alcohol, too! I drink too much and feel really ill!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha etc.

You're not allergic to alcohol: it's called a hangover!

Again with the ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha etc.

Do you do drugs instead?

No.

Is it a bit crap?

Yes.

If you could drink, would you?

Hard question to answer.  There are certain alcoholic drinks I liked the taste of, but the side-effects were always so ghastly that I can’t separate the two things in my mind.  In short then, I honestly don’t know the answer to that.  I would eat food with alcohol in the ingredients, though.

     Well, mostly.  The thing with Gilbert’s Syndrome is that it can also have other intolerances that come with it, and I have those, too, namely paracetamol and garlic.  So, I probably would eat food with alcohol in it, but still have to avoid anything with garlic in it, which is easier said than done.

Will you ever not be allergic to alcohol? Some people’s allergies change.

True, but no, probably not.  Certainly, blood tests more recently show that I still have the exact same thing, and I have been allergic to paracetamol and intolerant to garlic since I was a baby, so I can’t see that changing any time soon.

My round.  What are you drinking?

Pint of Pepsi, slice no ice.

I hope that this has helped x