more booze

Here’s to alcohol: The cause of and answer to all of life’s problems.”

- Homer (Simpson, not the Iliad guy)

How many crimes are committed where the criminal is stone cold sober? No drugs or alcohol in their system?

How many traffic accidents occur where everyone involved is stone cold sober? O yah, I forgot cell phones, never mind…

How much at risk sexual activity occurs where all participants are stone cold sober?

Fights…?

Extreme, public rageful behavior…?

Bitter arguments…?

The list could go on. Having spent earlier years as a bartender and bar manager, as well as a drinker of distinction (a Pabst was as good as an Old Style in those days), it’s not as if I am discovering anything new here. It’s just that when we don’t stop and think about things that we take for granted, we don’t have the fun of analysis.

When we think of drinking, it is a difficult topic because it can be done in a healthy, moderate way, and it is part of religious and social custom. For Christians and Jews, for instance, an honest straightforward reading of the Bible gives clear indication that alcohol consumed properly is a natural gift from God. All the inherent problems are addressed, as well, but prohibition is not a biblical mandate.

I don’t have an answer to all of this other than, if you are a disciple of Jesus, it is a good idea not to make an idiot out of yourself. Remember, it’s OK to be different. No matter what team you root for, what party you go to, what you are celebrating, you can probably get by with a couple of drinks as well as a binge twelve pack. No one is going to get terribly upset.

Or, shock of all shocks, you don’t have to drink at all.