Pass The Dip
It’s that time of year again. No, not the holidays – it’s “Bowl Week”, followed by the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl. I love sports and I love football. But I think I’m getting tired of all the beer commercials. While sitting here, watching the third bowl game of the day, I realized how [...]
Non-alcoholic Beverages for the Holidays
Christmas has never been a particular good time for me. I am not religious, so I am missing out on the whole “birth of our savior” part of the holiday. My family is semi-dysfunctional, scattered around the country, and of course many of us are not talking to each other. The typical American family. Last [...]
Good Examples and Horrible Warnings
This being my last entry for awhile, I thought I would spend some time discussing personal issues. I am coming up on my 14th anniversary of the day I quit drinking. I would be lying if I told you that every day was full of sunshine. It wasn’t and I can’t imagine that it will [...]
Statistics are Everything
According to my best calculations, my average year of drinking was costing me approximately $4,000. This does not include the cost of cabs, lost keys, lost days of work, hangover remedies, or cigarettes smoked while intoxicated. Multiply that number by 15 years and that’s a lot of money down the drain. Saving that money, along [...]
No Drink for You!
Imagine you are living in 1920 and suddenly, no more booze. For thirteen years! That is the experiment that the United States government undertook when it prohibited the making, sale, and use of alcohol. As we all know, prohibition did not mean abstinence – in fact, quite the opposite. By making alcohol such a “forbidden [...]
Blood Alcohol Content
The state where I live has a .08 blood alcohol tolerance. This means that if you are driving a vehicle – even a golf cart or a bicycle – and your blood alcohol is .08 or above, you’re in big trouble. In real terms, .08 ain’t a lot of booze. The United States National Institute [...]
Places To Go For Help
If you suspect you are an alcoholic, need help with an alcoholic, or are a recovering alcoholic in need of support, there are a number of places you can go to. Do not use lack of access to care as an excuse for not finding sobriety. Your first stop is undoubtedly Alcoholics Anonymous. From there, [...]
College Daze
I remember the first week of college. We all moved into the dorms early to register for classes, buy our books, and get settled in. The last weekend before school started, there was a huge party in our dorm. Every room on our floor was to provide a particular drink. We were the tequila room. [...]
How Alcohol Does Its Magic
“It takes only one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is, I can’t remember if it’s the thirteenth or the fourteenth.” – George Burns I certainly didn’t know when I was drunk, or should I say, at what point I officially became drunk. Definitely not the first beer, probably not the second beer, but [...]
AA Sponsors from an Outsider’s Perspective
I have never had a sponsor. I have never been a sponsor. But, I have known a few and the good work that they do. I dear friend of mine has been a sponsor for several people over the past two decades. Some of these people he has guided through years of struggling sobriety. Some [...]