For me, making a choice between coffee and alcohol is a very simple one. If I were to give up one permanently, I'd give up alcohol without thinking twice. I don't think I'll ever give up my precious coffee for alcohol.
There are several factors that influence my decision. Firstly, I have never been a fan of alcohol. I think people take it because of peer pressure. I have wondered to myself several times how people enjoy taking something as bitter and perhaps sour as alcohol.
Yes, I do find alcohol to be bitter, and I don't know if it's the same for others. I can count the number of times I have taken alcohol, and I only started when I got to my twenties (I am currently still in my twenties). I haven't personally used my money to buy alcohol.
The few times I have taken it, I was among friends or at a party. I remember one time, my friends persuaded me to finish a bottle of alcohol. Prior to that day, I had never really finished an entire bottle. It seemed like on that particular day, they were determined to make me finish a bottle.
It was during a birthday celebration of a good friend of mine. I saw no harm in it, and I challenged myself to try and finish it. After consuming half the bottle, I was saturated. As bitter as it was to me, I just couldn't consume further.
I wasn't feeling tipsy at that point. I guess the alcohol level wasn't that high. Next thing, I saw myself drinking further, trying to finish that one bottle I had been struggling with for over an hour, when everyone there had already consumed at least 2 bottles.
My friends didn't help matters, they kept cheering me on. Every one of them watched keenly as they saw me get close to consuming the entire bottle. Then finally, I took one last gulp, and there was a wild celebration.
I never knew my friends would be this interested in me consuming an entire bottle of alcohol. It was a bitter-sweet experience for me. Bitter in the sense that I didn't enjoy drinking it, I just wanted to achieve my goal of finishing a bottle.
Sweet in the sense that my friends came together to cheer me on, celebrating when I achieved the goal. From that story, you can see that taking alcohol is not really something I usually look forward to.
Another factor that influenced my choice to give up alcohol is the health implications. I'm a physiotherapist. Being in the health sector, I've seen a lot of things. I know what excessive consumption of alcohol can cause. Alcohol can become an addiction.
People, on a regular basis, come down with various illnesses because of their uncontrolled consumption of alcohol. They may not be able to control it because they are already addicted. The sad part is that illnesses occurring due to excessive alcohol consumption may not just occur immediately, the damage happens over time.
I'm not condemning alcohol consumption, neither am I condemning those who consume it. I'm just saying that there should be moderation and caution, otherwise there will be consequences. I have seen people get into accidents or get incapacitated because of alcohol consumption, and sometimes they aren't the only ones who get hurt. They hurt others in the process. Perhaps this is a reason I don't take much alcohol. Being an alcoholic is not something that is palatable.
Coffee, on the other hand, is bliss. Having a cup of coffee in the morning kick-starts my day. There's just something good in coffee. To reiterate, I don't think I will ever let go of coffee in place of alcohol.
Images are mine