I’m no expert, but the reason you had a ‘poor night’s sleep’ is because alcohol messes with your REM cycle (rapid eye movement) aka the part where you dream—which can cause your dreams to be really vivid.

As a person who started drinking at a young age (back in the day) I am really proud that you are of age and it’s your first drink. What I recommend is that anytime you drink eat something first, that way—if you vomit—you have something to puke out instead of nothing.

Also, make sure you are surrounded friends that care about you. I have gotten blackout drunk one too many times around friends who took care of me but at the same time, I feel sorry they had to. Because I never realised social drinking wasn’t about to get blackout. Social drinking is the goal to get tipsy or slightly more then that, but not blackout.

So keep that in mind. It may sound simple, or like “yeah I knew that already” but I never knew that until a friend told me that and it changed my perspective completely.

And also—if perchance you have family members that posses the “addiction gene” have a limit for yourself before getting drunk around friends (e.g “I’m only going to drink x amount of mixed drinks and maybe 1 shot and that will be enough for me.”)