The agony and the ecstasy of the drink of the Gods

By Dr Nihal D Amerasekera

“In beer there is freedom,
in wine there is health,
in cognac there is power,
and in water there is bacteria.”
—Anonymous

Fermented beverages have existed since the neolithic period 10,000 BC. Alcohol has played an influential role in many ancient cultures and civilisations from China to Egypt. Romans even had a God of wine, Lord Bacchus. The Greeks had Dionysus, God of wine and ecstasy.

Many of us are social drinkers. Alcohol is a drink that reaches the parts of the mind to mesmerize, captivate and enthral us. The amber nectar can reduce inhibitions and make social interactions easier. At the opposite end of the spectrum alcohol has the propensity to create mayhem, destroy families and ruin lives. It is almost impossible to predict if a person will remain a social drinker or turn into an alcoholic. This uncertainty together with the sinister dark side of drinking there are strong enough reasons to remain teetotal. Many of the religions forbid the consumption of alcohol. There are many in the world who abstain and sip nothing stronger than aqua-minerale.

I’ve been a drinker for much of my life. I remember with such clarity my very first drink. It was Christmas and I was an inquisitive 14-years old spending a holiday with my cousins in a rubber estate in Warakapola. The grownups were merrymaking and the booze flowed freely. They all had a late night and were in a deep slumber. My cousins and I raided the drinks cabinet. We drank far too much than was good for us and were sick as parrots. It was a lesson learnt the hard way to regulate and pace our drinks.

The drinking culture is well established at universities. There is a tendency to feel excluded if one doesn’t drink. As a fresher there is much peer pressure to drink and also to drink in excess. It is a perfect breeding ground for alcohol addiction. As I joined the medical faculty drinking started with the rag and continued into the infamous Law-Medical cricket match. During the match booze was dispensed from barrels, an excuse to drink in excess and misbehave.

This was more youthful exuberance than hysterical nonsense. This culture somehow drifted seamlessly into the final year. There were many boozy evening parties held at the faculty’s Men’s Common Room. This was our paradise where we felt liberated. It was tremendous fun. My abiding memory of those parties is the music and the dancing in various stages of inebriation. I never missed an opportunity to join in the fun. They will always remain a wonderful memory of the happy and carefree days of my youth. I admire and applaud the few who had the courage of their convictions to remain sober and still enjoy the fun and the frolic of those parties. Some held a glass of ginger ale to create an optical illusion.

My father enjoyed a drink but I have never seen him drunk. While I was at University, he sometimes offered me a drink. But I was too shy and too respectful to drink with him. After I qualified as a doctor, we enjoyed a tipple together. He always poured his own and allowed me to do the same. Father seemed to love this ritual. I think it gave him immense pleasure.

The early 1970’s wasn’t a particularly happy time in my life. I was working at the Central Blood Bank in Colombo. I pined for friendship to forget my troubles. I became a pillar of the Health Department Sports Club at Castle Street. The Club was a magnet for health workers who loved a drink and a chat in the evenings. There I was never short of company. I can still remember the bar, the ambient lighting and the soft canned music that played continuously.

We talked politics, philosophy and careers and a multitude of other fascinating subjects that were made compelling by the amber nectar. Cheap and cheerful, arrack was our drink, it seemed to soothed my pain. On an evening It gave me immense pleasure to walk through those familiar portals of the Club. A day that stands out in my memory is when a few had gathered around the smoke-filled bar. On that warm evening I sat with my drink over-looking the shimmering lights of the surrounding buildings.

As the night wore on a young lad strummed his guitar and began to sing those well loved popular songs of CT Fernando, Chitra and Somapala and Sunil Santha. I remember well his beautiful rendition of that all time favourite “Tika venda nala, konde kadala”. The cleverly parodied sensuous lyrics were an instant hit. As I walked to my car that evening I could still hear the clapping and the slurred voices in the distance.

At times, I realised to my horror, I was there at the Health Department Sports Club for a drink all on my own. This wasn’t a good sign. Living with my parents I was never short of sound advice although much of it went unheeded. It is easy for alcoholism to take hold insidiously. What hounded and heckled me often was a short verse in our pharmacology textbook by D.R Laurence. In his brilliant description of the treatment of alcoholism was the sombre lament of an alcoholic who had accepted the inevitable “Doctor, goodbye, my sails unfurled I’m off to try the other world”.

My life then was on a spiral of decline. What finally saved me from seeing pink elephants was the constant nagging of my parents and the news of the MRCP(UK) Part 1 examination to be held in Colombo for the first time. The latter gave me an opportunity to focus on a worthwhile ambitious project. I had to buckle down to some hard work and also to move away from the tight grip drink had on me.

Giving up the carefree life I loved was a colossal task. Good friends and friendships are worth their weight in gold. The energy, enthusiasm and the sheer determination of my ambitious friends at the General Hospital Colombo steered me in the right direction. As I burnt the midnight oil, crystal clear Labugama water became my favourite drink. Success at the examination was a defining moment in my life. I had finally left my troubles behind and celebrated with friends, where else but at my beloved Health Department Sports Club. Not many have the good fortune to return from the brink as I have done.

Moving to work in England required a work ethic and self-discipline. The onerous routines of ward work and on-call duties kept me busy and fully occupied. I had to remain sober to study and appear for professional examinations. Then came marriage and a young family requiring self-restraint. During those years alcohol was a rare luxury. As the children became teenagers nearing 18, we enjoyed a drink together as a family. Drinking then was confined to wine although my preferred drink was whisky. Watching cricket has always been my passion. I have such fond memories of the exhilarating effects of Champagne watching cricket at the Lord’s cricket grounds, bathed in the summer sunshine.

Reflecting on my years in hospital, I recall the busy hustle and bustle of patient care. The hospital is also a place of friendship and camaraderie. The doctors often gathered together for joyful soirees, formal dinners and posh parties. At those events no expense was spared. The drinks flowed freely, they were lively, entertaining and most memorable. By then drinking and driving had become a serious crime. We all have learnt to drink sensibly. Those who let their hair down and drank a few more for the road, were taken home in taxis.

Retirement left time on my hands. There is now a great desire to have a drink in the evenings to help while away the time. Alcohol does give an extra boost when watching sports or a film or listening to music. I have found to my disgust that I cannot now tolerate alcohol as much as I did in my youth. The hangovers are more unpleasant and tend to last longer. Despite all that I still enjoy a drink. For my age I need to take greater care to protect my health. I have learnt to enjoy and appreciate the seraphic peace of sobriety during the week, enjoy wine at weekends and whisky only on special occasions.

The drinks industry worldwide is huge and they support a well-established drinking culture. With drinking so widespread it is important that we are all aware of its hazards. Education is key and is a long term commitment to make us all mindful of the risks and benefits of drinking. This should be done in schools and universities. Religious leaders can play an important role too.

There has been much publicity in the medical literature about the calamitous consequences of drinking. The safe limits are quantified in units. I take a cue from the experts for advice and would recommend visiting the website Much more can be done by the media to bring this issue out into the open. I have often wondered, if I knew as a teenager, what I know now about alcohol, whether I would be a teetotaller today.

Life is tougher now than in my youth and certainly more competitive. Navigating through life can be daunting and even traumatic. Through my own experience I realise how easy it is to depend on alcohol as a helpful prop. I know for certain that in reality, alcohol can never shield me from life’s problems. Drink can so easily spiral out of control and drift into the path of no return.

I remember with much nostalgia and great sadness the many school friends and medics who died of alcohol related illnesses. My best friend, who rose up to become the head of the Cancer Institute at Maharagama sadly succumbed at the age of 58. He was talented and had much to offer society when he was sadly snatched away. May this brief narrative be a dedication to his memory. May his Soul Rest in Peace.