Drinking Alone
Drinking alone is like having erectile dysfunction - it's only embarrassing if it happens too often.
Last night, I decided to crack open a bottle of wine and enjoy it while I did laundry and the dishes, unwinding from the day. I don't usually feel inclined to do this, but since I'm going to Vegas this weekend and Australia next weekend, I wanted to clear the fridge out. Alcohol has a way of evaporating in this apartment if left unattended for too long. As I worked up a slight buzz, I got to thinking about why I sometimes like to drink alone. What is this called? Meta-drinking?
Last summer, at the height of my quarter life crisis, it wasn't uncommon for me to kill a case of Stella every couple of nights. It was part stress relief, part thought tonic. You know how drunk people come up with ridiculous ideas? I was hoping one of those ridiculous ideas would actually translate into a viable option. When painted into a corner, I will try anything to get out. In any case, I did feel more pensive and insightful after a couple of drinks with myself.
(Side note: I think part of the stigma behind drinking alone is the type and quantity of the alcohol consumed. One beer, that's fine. A six-pack of beer touches on the borderline of acceptability. A bottle of wine? Ok. A six-pack of wine because Safeway gives you a 10% discount? Not so much. Two-thirds of a bottle of Knob Creek neat because you like the taste? That only happened one time, and never again.)
Anyway, before this moment of self-reflection got too deep, my roommates and their friends came home and dragged me out to a bar, to turn my buzz into full blown drunkenness. So, just like curing erectile dysfunction, the best way to fix drinking alone is finding good partners to help you out.
Last night, I decided to crack open a bottle of wine and enjoy it while I did laundry and the dishes, unwinding from the day. I don't usually feel inclined to do this, but since I'm going to Vegas this weekend and Australia next weekend, I wanted to clear the fridge out. Alcohol has a way of evaporating in this apartment if left unattended for too long. As I worked up a slight buzz, I got to thinking about why I sometimes like to drink alone. What is this called? Meta-drinking?
Last summer, at the height of my quarter life crisis, it wasn't uncommon for me to kill a case of Stella every couple of nights. It was part stress relief, part thought tonic. You know how drunk people come up with ridiculous ideas? I was hoping one of those ridiculous ideas would actually translate into a viable option. When painted into a corner, I will try anything to get out. In any case, I did feel more pensive and insightful after a couple of drinks with myself.
(Side note: I think part of the stigma behind drinking alone is the type and quantity of the alcohol consumed. One beer, that's fine. A six-pack of beer touches on the borderline of acceptability. A bottle of wine? Ok. A six-pack of wine because Safeway gives you a 10% discount? Not so much. Two-thirds of a bottle of Knob Creek neat because you like the taste? That only happened one time, and never again.)
Anyway, before this moment of self-reflection got too deep, my roommates and their friends came home and dragged me out to a bar, to turn my buzz into full blown drunkenness. So, just like curing erectile dysfunction, the best way to fix drinking alone is finding good partners to help you out.
posted by Eric at 1:27 PM
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