Alcohol Abuse Advice

Question by Marki: What are some ideas for my 21st birthday? CAN’T drink.. Getting very mad!?
I will be turning 21 in June!! My 21st birthday is going to be very different than most people. I am highly allergic to alcohol, and will not be able to drink. I didn’t even think that people would be allergic to something like this.. but turns out I am. I come from a “drinkin family” …not alcoholics, but they do love to have a good time! It was a shocker to me..I had tried a beer before, and never reacted. But on 4th of July when I was 16 I drank a few wine coolers with my boyfriend. My family was nearby.. I kept saying that I felt weird like my chest was closing up. I felt extremely hot. Everyone kept saying I was fine, and I looked okay. (it was dark out so they REALLY couldn’t tell) …when I knew I felt really strange I told my family, and boyfriend that I needed some water & felt dizzy. I think people were brushing me off, because I had never been drunk, they thought I was paranoid, and just feeling the “warmth” Turns out I wasn’t just paranoid. My aunt took me to her car so I could get some water from her cooler, and the second her lights popped on in the interior she seen that I was swelled up, and that I had hives covering me all over. She immediately freaked out. I told her I was fine enough to walk so we headed over to the family, showed them and since we happened to be in a K-MART parking lot we rushed in and grabbed benadryl. It started working pretty quickly, and my symptoms faded after some time. We didn’t think much of it, maybe just a weird reaction.. My 18th birthday rolled around, and we had a huge party for graduation/birthday so I decided to drink.. this time taking a claritan beforehand. Not too much happened that night, I had a couple Mike’s Hard Lemonade and decided just to call it quits because I was hot, and felt kinda tired. I blamed it on the summer heat bc I didnt have anything else happen to me. So, I have another drink with a few friends and my boyfriend ..again..taking a claritan first, and this time it happened to get pretty bad. I think it was called bacardi. I had difficulty breathing, and my face was SUPER red. I stopped. Never tried another drink again until about 6 months back. I had hypnotiq when my mom, grandma, and grandpa were present. They kept telling me that I shouldn’t try it.. I know, everyone reading this is probably saying “damn, why didn’t she just quit, obviously she is allergic.” I did this because I wanted to experiment. Somethings had different effects on me, and some less aggravating. Although, my reactions sound scary it wasn’t anything I couldn’t bear, and nothing that claritan or benadryl wouldn’t take away. Everyone is able to drink. (even if you don’t like it, you have probably been drunk) and it was pissing me off because I am the only person I know who truly just cannot. Anyway.. the day I tried hypnotiq I vowed to myself that I would never try it again if I broke out this time. I took maybe 2 tiny sips (scared of taking too big of sips) and bam!! I really broke out. I couldn’t barely catch my breath, I had hives all over, and my body felt very weak. My mom and everyone was scared, and since I was out of it a lot they called the ambulance. They came put me on oxygen and had to give me benadryl by I.V., they said it had been very severe. When we got to the hospital they told me I should see an allergenist, and prescribed me steroids. I can’t see an allergenist because insurance doesn’t cover it. Then, in December sometime I had a cold and took Tylenol multi-cold symptoms medicine.. my fiance and I go to lay down for bed, and I started feeling heat in my chest.. it seemed exactly similar to the alcohol reactions. I told my fiance that I felt like that, and he jumped up immediately. He read the back of the bottle and it had 10% alcohol in it. I hadn’t even thought to look at that. I started to feel drained, and weak. But still on fire.. It was BAD so much that I had to be rushed to the hospital yet again! When I got there.. same procedure. Only this time, I was sent home with an eppi pen that I must always have on me! I have to read labels of everything, and have to be very cautious. This is all a drag to me, obviously I am going to take all the precautions in the world! Nonetheless, it is still aggravating. I can’t hang out with people my age bc they are all in college & their main thing is drinking! & even though it seems lame, I get so mad at the fact everyone around me CAN drink! I’ve never even experienced being drunk, and drugs aren’t an option.. so what else? and I know drinking isn’t all it’s about, but everyone knows on your 21st thats generally what happens. I don’t smoke either, and would rather not be cramped in a bar having smoke blown at me, and alcohol all around. If anyone could give really fun ideas for that “big night” I would appreciate it. I live in Indiana, and there isn’t too much to choose from. Tha

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