A New York Life

Don’t get me wrong.  I love to drink.  Not just to get drunk, either—alcohol is delicious.  I’ve had my share of the cheap stuff, but lately, more and more, I’ve been spending the extra dollar to get quality.  Craggenmore, Maker’s Mark, Belvedere, Oban, and plenty of upper end red wines.  It’s just a more enjoyable experience.

However, lately, the drinking has escalated to levels I’m not entirely comfortable with.  I’ve thrown money away at bars, on drinks for myself and others.  Part of that may be that now, for the first time in awhile, I have a job where I’m actually making a notable amount of money, so it’s easier to justify a ten dollar drink.  Of course, when I’m having four or five of those ten dollar drinks in a night, multiple nights a week…that’s when the problems set in.

The other night, I went out for oysters and beer with my best friend.  A local bar offered a special for a half dozen Blue Point oysters (my current favorite kind of oyster, large and briney) and a beer, all for only twelve dollars.  Three rounds of that, plus cocktails, plus shots…and we’d only just begun our night.  At the next bar I had scotch.  At the next, Kahlua.  I don’t remember how the night ended, but I woke up surrounded by fourteen dollars worth of McDonalds.  Not that I ate the McDonalds—oh no.  Based on the evidence surrounding me, I bought the food, got into my bed, and passed out, leaving a feast for the cats.  This is a notion painfully reconstructed from the evidence around me and what little testimony to the night my best friend could provide.

Neither the shame nor the hangover prevented me from drinking two nights later, however, during and after a concert.  I went—again, with my best friend—to see The Pretty Reckless, and enjoyed overpriced beer and wine while at the concert.  We met up with a few friends afterwards, and one of them bought me two White Russians.  I followed with Kahlua and Maker’s Mark before someone bought a bottle of Absolut, complete with various mixers, for the table.  I couldn’t not drink that!

Again, cue hangover.  These nights, while more extreme than others, are just the most recent in a series of drunken events that have been going on for the past several months.  Is it fun?  Absolutely.  But it’s also incredibly irresponsible, unhealthy, and just plain dangerous.  I need to take a step back and get my life back on track before I let alcohol into my body again.

But I will, of course.  Eventually.  And it will be good.

Absolut Vodka release a limited edition label free bottle to celebrate diversity and challenge Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender prejudice.

I’m gonna find and buy this.