booze clues

my friend Ignatius Reilly reminded me that my vacation over the fourth of July will be taking me back to a dangerous place...one where drinking was the primary activity.

years ago when I went down to Dale Hollow Lake, I planned ahead. it's a dry county so we stocked up on beer before heading south. GOD FORBID you run out of beer while you were there.

I assumed I could/would drink as much as a case a day at one point. we would start drinking as soon as we got on the boat...sometime around 10am. we would stay out until 4pm before heading in to clean up, eat dinner and start drinking again. so before you know it...a case is gone.

once I got so loaded that I blacked out and woke up on the washer and dryer. I was in the laundryroom, door shut in the middle of the night. So I had no idea where I was and initially thought I had passed out on the boat. I then realized whatever hard surface I was resting on was not rocking. Luckily that was my worst and most memorable episode down there. It is a funny story. But thankfully no one ever got hurt...we were somehow protected by the assumed immortality college-age kids typically have. I guess.

it's been many moons since I have been back to this lake house. lots of things have changed...not just my drinking habits. most of us have married and many have had kids. this trip will be three couples...all with kids. so while I am not too worried I will stray, it should be interesting to see if there are any pangs for beer while we are enjoying ourselves down on the lake.

it's at times like this I revisit the mantra "one day at a time." why worry about staying sober tomorrow? staying sober today can be hard enough. focus on staying sober now. it sounds trite to those of you lucky enough to not have a drinking problem--but it fucking works.

here's to today. arguably the 8 months under my belt means nothing. it's one of the ways time screws with your head when you are a recovering alcoholic. Ignatius also notes that booze is an elevator. It is always waiting for you to take you right back to being a full-bore, practicing alcoholic. Whether you've been sober 8 minutes or 8 years...it's ready to take you right back to that same spot. This sounds negative, but it really helps me out. I do not try and get obsessed with putting distance between me and my drinking days. It helps me focus merely on the day I'm in. Like I said, time really screws with you once you're not passing the time by drinking.