PITTSBURGH, PA—A local resident was forced to take a long, hard look at his life after finding himself selected as the designated driver of his group of friends on Saturday night.
Rajesh Arora, 29, was looking forward to enjoying a night out with his friends Saturday evening. He made sure to get some extra sleep during the day, and laid out a set of clothes for his night on the town with three of his best friends. Although he's been doing this routine nearly every weekend since high school, this particular venture led him down a path of introspection when he suddenly found himself in a bar, with strangers all around him, still with all of his wits about him.
"It was really an eye-opener," shared Arora. "There I was, looking at a all of these empty liquor glasses and beer bottles around me, and not one of them was mine. I was a little annoyed at how loud the music was, and I didn't see any women I wanted to embarrass myself in front of. It was like I didn't even know who I was anymore."
Arora explained that he spent much of the evening thinking about how he should apply for a promotion at work, how he might pay off his student loans more quickly, and how he'd always wanted to learn Spanish. At one point, he even tried to carry on a conversation with an inebriated college student, trying to help her narrow down a major.
This sobering experience was a rock-bottom for Rajesh, who is normally known as a jovial sort. He explained that he was in a haze for much of the rest of the night with his thoughts about what it means to be a man, what he truly wants out of life, and whether he should try to patch things up with his brother. "Man, I don't ever want to feel that way again," he added.
Following the 4-hour ordeal, Arora has vowed to make some serious changes in his life, including downloading a ride-sharing app for his phone, and having a few drinks before leaving the house so that he has less of a chance of remembering the evening.
"All things considered," he explained, "I'm glad for this wake-up call. It's like it forced me to look myself in the mirror when I'm not drinking, and I did not like what I saw."
As of press time, Arora had started a 12-pack program, and was already on can 4.