It's no big secret that I am a recovering alcoholic. I "put the plug in the jug" as we say, back in July of 1990. (The 50th Anniversary of Sturgis, as a matter of fact...). There are a lot of things that I don't miss, which are part and parcel of the life of a practising alcoholic. The cost, the uncertainty of where you might end up, the bad conduct, the drunk driving, the wear and tear on my body and probably most of all, the wear and tear on those around me. Quite possibly the thing I miss the least, is the dreaded morning after. In naval terminology, this was referred to as 're-entry'... as in the process of re-entering the earth's atmosphere.
Around this time of the year, I hear the inevitable stories and comments from those who 'had to attend a/several Christmas parties'. With very few exceptions, these are almost always horror stories, where tales of unacceptable human behaviour abound. From embarassing situations, to insults, to feeling "free to speak your mind", to outright sexual assaults... the annual Christmas parties never fail to provide all these wonderful moments of social interaction and then some.
Of course in many of these instances, the offensive behaviour is ignored, glossed over, forgiven because the perp "was under the influence". Kind of makes your skin crawl to think that our society has gone the road of finding this kind of conduct 'acceptable'... But then of course, you always hear about it the morning after. This is particularily interesting/painful for those who cannot remember what exploits they became involved in, the previous night. Anyone who has ever attended an office party or function and got 'carried away', will understand what I'm saying here.
No... I don't miss that crap at all. If I wanted to be mean-spirited, I suppose I could still choose to hang out in those places and be entertained by the misery of others who are still going through the motions. But then again, no. That's not a type of insanity that I need, or want, in my life anymore.
Around this time of the year, I hear the inevitable stories and comments from those who 'had to attend a/several Christmas parties'. With very few exceptions, these are almost always horror stories, where tales of unacceptable human behaviour abound. From embarassing situations, to insults, to feeling "free to speak your mind", to outright sexual assaults... the annual Christmas parties never fail to provide all these wonderful moments of social interaction and then some.
Of course in many of these instances, the offensive behaviour is ignored, glossed over, forgiven because the perp "was under the influence". Kind of makes your skin crawl to think that our society has gone the road of finding this kind of conduct 'acceptable'... But then of course, you always hear about it the morning after. This is particularily interesting/painful for those who cannot remember what exploits they became involved in, the previous night. Anyone who has ever attended an office party or function and got 'carried away', will understand what I'm saying here.
No... I don't miss that crap at all. If I wanted to be mean-spirited, I suppose I could still choose to hang out in those places and be entertained by the misery of others who are still going through the motions. But then again, no. That's not a type of insanity that I need, or want, in my life anymore.
1 comment:
Ah dude...BIG congrats on beating the evil demon rum! As a guy who still wrestles with the problem, my hat's off to you for getting a handle on the condition.
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