The rock and roll life

(I wrote this when I was 20 years old. I was too idealist back then; I don't know if I can live up to the message now. haha)

The sin of the youth today is their delusion that they are living the rock and roll life. The laid-back culture, borne from television shows and yes, MTV, had taught our credulous young generation to experience, “sex, drugs and rock and roll” – although this time, getting high with drugs was substituted with getting drunk – a more acceptable yet an equally deviant practice.

I was just 16 years old when I first tasted the bitter liquid they called “gin”. I did it to impress some friends; I took a shot and even with a sour face, I ended up liking it. There’s something about the feeling of getting tipsy that makes me long for it every time. With every sip, inhibitions fade; people become the closest of friends or an enemy for a night, strangers become lovers and can go all the way to having sex, people can laugh really hard or can cry oceans, you can sing really loud or dance stupidly and it will not matter because you’re drunk – drinking is, after all, an outlet to divert the antisocial violent and sexual human nature into a more acceptable domain.

The mass media can be traced as one of the major culprits on introducing these rotten tendencies. Rock music, which evidently appeals to the youth, has presented itself with intoxicating drinks and, of course, myriads of sex symbols such as sexy women – a suggestive message to resurrect the rock and roll life. With this hypnotic appeal, college life and even high school life were mostly about late nights at bars, drinking with friends, and hangovers at school.

Wine, gin, vodka, beer or brandy – what ever form it may take, remains to be, simply, an intoxicating and depressing liquid. But, it is not surprising at all that most of us would rather be intoxicated than to face the realities of life; the corrupted world, the angry parents, the strict teachers, the broken love life, or even the irritating classmate. Drinking has become an escape to another world – free from the agony of life’s pains, frustrations and disappointments. It became an outlet to the tiring norm of life and the stress of everyday hassles.

Today, I’m 20 years old in a world that is starting to make sense to me. I’ve finished a degree and started working for a future that is getting clear. I have finally realized the value of every sober moment that I have. Although I drink occasionally, I have come to point where getting drunk is boring. When I look back at those four years of having fun; of waking up with women, of being drunk for weeks even with the strongest hangovers, and of regularly absenting from my class , I don’t regret that - although, I can’t see that person in me now. I’ve grown (maybe); the rock and roll life is not really for everyone but only for rock stars who can afford it.