I grew up in a tea-totaling church. This branch of the church (Assemblies of God if you're interested) gradually came to accept a bit of "sensible" imbibing over the years. And so I got to graduate from Lemon, Lime and Bitters, to occasionally having something a little more potent.
I have spent a lot of my 4th decade unraveling the knots I acquired in this environment but I still have not acquired the knack of drinking very much.
I have found it interesting to observe how others relate to alcohol after deconverting from the same, or similar, religious upbringings. Some continue to avoid it: "I have lived perfectly well for this long without drinking why start now?" Others suddenly embrace alcohol, and by embrace I mean at every possibly opportunity as they try to rapidly make up for missing out on teenage hangovers and embarrassing lapses of dignity at parties.
I have tended more towards the conservative side. Partly because I have a voracious sweet tooth and most alcohol still tastes crappy to me (though I don't leave your bottle of butterscotch schnapps lying around). But probably it is mostly because I am a control freak and the thought of being drunk is scary.
I watched Paul last night (while nibbling on dips and bread and sipping my G&T) and had a good laugh. I loved Kristin Wiigs character who undergoes an instantaneous deconversion. She makes it look so simple. All you need to do is find an accommodating alien to lay hands on you and impart his knowledge and experiences.
Below is a little promo youtube thingy. I have included it here because it shows some of her post-deconversion antics. It is a pretty predictable movie so I don't think it will spoil it too much if you have not already seen it.
I love the character's reaction to her suddenly altered world view and new found freedom. Pretty different to how I have reacted. There is a lot for me to think about right there.
2 comments:
I don't think a few gin and tonics of an evening are going to derail you.
I've never acquired the habit of drinking frequently or plenty. Not as a result of a religious upbringing (though I did have one of those, and deconverted pretty early) - more because I became a mum at 16, and it made me think about the kind of life I wanted to lead and the example I wanted to give my daughter. I'm not a tee-totalling wowser, I just forget to drink.
I loved the Paul clip! I haven't seen it yet, but I think I should.
Apparently 16 year olds make great mums! My mum was 16 when she had me :)
I was not expecting much from Paul - which is usually the best way to approach movies these days - so I don't want to build it up to much as it may disappoint. But for some light-heated laughs (great stress relief!) it was a good choice.
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