Note: this post, and any other post in the “30 day nephalist” category, has been moved from from an earlier blog that documented an important experiment – not drinking for 30 days.

I started this blog with a question. It is about time I take a shot at answering it. Excuse the facetiousness.

So.

Why do I drink?

I drink to…

1. Have a fire to gather around. – Booze is a social drink, a pool that all fellow drinkers swim in, a fire to gather around. Of course, a fire is also a fire to gather around.
2. Be someone else. – My high school English teacher described getting drunk this way, and it has stuck with me. I often drink to be different.
3. Be dumb/surprised. – Things are funnier, things are more fun, when ur dumb, when ur dumb.
4. Be numb. – Be still brain, be quiet pain.
5. Be brave. – see #2 and #3
6. Hang out with people I don’t like! – They ain’t so bad, especially when their buyin’.
7. Be Like Bukowski! – Or Kerouac, Hemingway, Dylan Thomas, Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker…
8. Waste money! – Tip a bartender for a drink that already costs 10 times more than homemade version or buy a six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon, you’re still wasting some green.
9. Lose at poker! Lose some teeth! – Two things drinking has allowed me to do. You may want to add, lose your license, self-respect, or if you hop behind the wheel, your life.
10. Lose my lunch! – I haven’t done this for 11 or so years, but I have felt the room spin a couple times.
11. Go to rehab! – Amy Winehouse did it. So did I.

Bonus reason to drink: Beer goggles!

I’m not sure why all the worst reasons deserve exclamation points, but they do!

Update:

Day 17 – I’ve been doing work on my business plan and the blog for about 7 hours. I’m going to push it for another half an hour, and then do some biking before the sun sets.

Day 16 - I hung out with my girlfriend today. She is on day 9 or so. How cool is it that she decided to quit for 30 days too? Very cool. We walked up and down the Black Hills, near Olympia, WA, until our legs were sore. Even the constant hum of motor bikes and ATVs couldn’t bring us down. Thank you, girlfriend.

30 day nephalist, overcoming addictions, what it's like to be me