Chilling out has taken on a new meaning. Something that goes hand-in-hand with a tall glass, some ice cubes and a visit to the “monk!” And this monk has nothing to do with meditation. City’s youth love their Old Monk, whisky, vodka or Bacardi! Nothing seems complete without tippling over more than a couple of drinks and staggering home in a beatific stupour. The most common refrain is that drinking alcohol helps one relax and unwind. And while most realise the futility of this relaxation, a recent study put things into perspective. The study showed that instead of relaxation and unwinding, alcohol causes more tension and stress as it lowers cortisol levels — the body’s reaction to stress.
Meera J, an ad professional meets up with friends at least thrice a week at a pub near her office. She reveals, “My friends and I meet up for a couple of drinks. We usually have beer, maybe three to four glasses or sometimes vodka tonic. It does ease the tension. It’s the time to forget the bad and enjoy a stress-free evening.” Even Abhishek Sharma, an IT professional believes that a couple of drinks is not such a bad thing, “I meet friends and I usually have whiskey. I might have two to three larges, but it’s only because we meet at a bar. If we were at café, we’d have coffee instead.”
According to Jagruti Sarnath, psychologist, drinking is unhealthy and some regular drinkers have a problem that is routed in inadequacies. “An individual tends to compensate for something lacking in life with drinking and this begins socially. Slowly, due to peer pressure it can become an addiction. Drinking is a very common past time for today’s youth.” She feels that controlling drinking has to be a continued and concentrated effort of logical reasoning by the family.