Alcohol

I drink too much. You don't have to tell me.

They say that an alcoholic is someone who drinks more than you do. I average a bottle of wine (or equivalent) a day. And what's worse, I drink it at home. Alone.

Despite the physiological evidence (ie. the liver breaking down alcohol at a consistent rate no matter the conditions), it's a 'given' that drinking alone is worse for your health than drinking while 'out'. That is utterly stupid. Maybe they think that being with people mitigates the toxic effects. Though I've never noticed any difference. I drink when I'm 'out' to numb the stress, rather than make me sociable.

What with the evidence from town centres every Friday and Saturday night, it seems that people 'going out' end up engaging in a lot of anti-social activities. But that's ok. It's traditional. These facts are known. Anyone who stays at home to drink is a depressive and violent family abuser. Right?

I've never hit anyone or smashed up the place after drinking alone. In fact, I don't even get what could be termed 'drunk'. My drinking harms no-one and nothing. But people maintain an inbuilt suspicion and distaste of someone who drinks alone.

You're probably thinking - but surely if I didn't drink, I'd feel so much happier? I can't speak for other people, but drinking or not makes little difference to my overall mental state. I had a breakdown at 18, at which time I drank maybe twice a year. I had problems and depression for many years without alcohol. So why do I drink, you ask. There's no complex psychiatric explanation here. I drink because it makes life less boring and stressful for the duration.

And anyway, society thinks I'm a sick weirdo. So why confound their expectations?