Drunk people scream, shout, yell, chant, sing, laugh, run, jump, stomp, dance, tell you they love you, and everything in between.
Why though?
One word: EXPRESSION.
Expression at its finest
Normally we (as “adults”) suppress everything. We have way too many inhibitions. We keep most things to ourselves. We’re conditioned to not express ourselves. And we’ve learned to blend in with the crowd. We’re afraid to stand out. We’re afraid to express our uniqueness.
But drunk people are a different animal. When intoxicated, most people behave the exact opposite way of everything described above. I guess that’s why a lot of people abuse alcohol. But we can reach same end (while sober) with just a few simple steps. Cheers.
Disclaimer: I’m not advocating drinking. We all know it’s not good for us. But we can take the positive aspects of drunken antics and apply them to our everyday, (hopefully) sober lives. That’s the point I’m getting at here.
Drunk people, for the most part, act like kids. And I mean that in a good way. Think about it. Kids scream, shout, yell, chant, sing, laugh, run, jump, stomp, dance, tell you they love you, and everything in between. Sound familiar?
I was eating lunch in Battery Park the other day and noticed the stark contrast between kids and adults. The kids were running around and having fun. Screaming with laughter, playing tag, picking up branches twice their size, just livin the dream. Then there were the “grown-ups.” Stone-face and emotionless, way too serious for their own good. Buncha nuclear boreheads. And this included me. So I jumped up and cracked a joke, in a desperate attempt to prove to myself that my inner child is still alive and kickin’.
Transcending inhibition and living freely is within reach. We just have to grab it.
So here’s what we can do to harness the positive aspects of drunk behavior (without resorting to drinking like a frat boy everyday):
–Realize that holding everything in is terrible for you. So start expressing yourself.
-Learn from your drunk self (well, that’s if you drink). Take the positive aspects of your drunk self and apply them when you’re sober. All the random spontaneity, dancing, singing, and chanting that comes with it. Why not be like that (but with some control) all the time?
-Learn from kids. Look at kids in public places compared to adults. It’s such a stark contrast. Kids play, run around and laugh. Most adults sit, stone-faced and expressionless, like zombies. See my article on this HERE. As funny as it sounds, kids and drunk people have a lot of overlapping, positive behaviors that we can apply. Be more like a kid, while still handling your business.
^Those last two points pretty much equate to unleashing your drunken inner child. Who even gives advice like that?
-Do things to build confidence. INVEST IN YOURSELF. Exercise. Eat right. Read. Acquire skills. Travel. Do awesome things. Don’t sit around and watch tv all day. Do interesting things, and you will become interesting. Invest in yourself and genuine confidence naturally results (genuine confidence >>> liquid courage). Building confidence helps a lot with the next point too…
-Stop caring what people think. Nothing new here. But once you align with the idea that freedom comes from not caring what others think, you will begin to transcend inhibitions.
-Stop defaulting into “normal” behavior and do some random shit. Let your awesome out. Go climb a tree dressed in business casual, and bang your chest like King Kong or something. It feels great.
Oh, and last but not least, respect the stance.
As Bruce Lee said,
“Absorb what is useful (no inhibitions, random spontaneity, expression… etc),
Discard what is not (gettin waaasted),
Add what is uniquely your own (do you!).”
Be yourself, because nobody’s better at it.
-Stevie P!
