RE: I felt guilty.

I had not heard the "clearing the eyes" expression before. In the U.S. we say a person is "under the influence" if they have been drinking alcohol. In fact "driving under the influence" is a common expression for those who drink and then drive. And the acronym "DUI" is a citation from the police for someone who has been caught driving while intoxicated. So you actually wrote a story about another meaning of the word "influence!"