I have a confession to make: I didn't know that it wasn't normal for your bladder to hurt after drinking even the smallest bit of alcohol.

I first noticed it in high school. All of my peers were experimenting with alcohol, but I just couldn't join in. Even if I only had a couple sips of a cooler, my bladder would almost immediately start hurting. It felt like I had to pee, but peeing didn't stop the pain. I brought it up a couple times, but people just thought it was weird.

"Alcohol makes everyone have to go to the bathroom," some would say ... but this wasn't normal. It was painful and it was preventing me from enjoying life. Well, it was preventing me from enjoying alcohol and parties.

I went to the doctor and she sent to me to a special bladder specialist. It turned out that my bladder could be completely full and I wouldn't even feel the need to pee, so the bacteria would hang around for a while. I told the doctor that I get a bladder infection every time after I have sex, even if I pee after. I was given antibiotics so that I could take a small dose every time I had sex. This certainly helped my bladder heal and worked for a while, but doctors don't really like giving out antibiotics that much...so it eventually stopped.

After some time, it became apparent that the reason why I have such a sensitive bladder is because of years of endless and painful bladder infections. I got these infections from having sex at a young age, which makes me a little mad at the guy :P. Then things got worse when I became too afraid to ask for my health card from my mom because she would get mad at me for having sex at such a young age. It turns out you need to get antibiotics for bladder infections or else they will turn into kidney infections...which can kill you...well...eventually. Bladder infections rarely go away on their own and can wreak havoc on your bladder in the mean time. So, please don't be like me and make sure to get help when you have a bladder infection. Also, please make sure to pee after you have sex every time! Even if you are a guy, pee after you have sex. If you are a girl, seriously...PEE EVERY TIME AFTER YOU HAVE SEX!

I know that if I don't start taking care of this now, it will get much worse. Interstitial Cystitis can cause pain 24/7, and there isn't a cure. An even more terrifying thought, it isn't really treatable...you have to learn to live with the pain. If it gets really bad, you lose control of your bladder and pee whenever. If it gets even worse, you have to wear a catheter and a bag at all times—meaning, you have to wear a bag on your leg that attaches to your urethra so your bladder can pee whenever, even in public. Because you will pee whenever without any control...even in public.

If there is anything to learn from this article, it's that you should always pee after having sex! Oh, and take care of yourself...after all, who else will?

Thank you so much for reading my article. I hoped you enjoyed it. If you would like to read more articles like this, please feel free to check out my other articles on this site. I write lots of articles, including both personal and political ones.