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The Cody Blog: Wondering About the Alcohol in My Life

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Wondering About the Alcohol in My Life

I never drank until a few months before my 21st birthday. I took my sports way too seriously to let booze into my life. I believe that my purity of body was a big reason I was able to train my body to fly 43" from a stand still. Even after I no longer refused to drink, I was never much of a boozer.


Now I'm not going to pretend that drinking alcohol is part of my job. But part of my job is indeed going out and socializing with Wall Streeters and company executives and sales people and so on. And I've been a single dude in NYC off and on for nine years, and I go on dates and stuff too, you know?

Anyway, I find I drink more nights these days than I don't. When I go out, I might have a couple glasses of wine. Or on other nights, maybe three or four beers sometimes. And even when I'm home I usually have a glass of wine or a beer with dinner. And I do have a bottle of Grey Goose in my fridge that I'll make a drink with on occassion too. And I did finish that bottle of Glen Livet 25 that I'd bought as a reward to myself for something or another a year ago or so.


So I've wondered to myself at times: What constitutes alcholism? I mean, I know those horrid stories of people who get the shakes and have booze hidden in their drawers and stuff. But what about me, having at least one drink five or six nights a week? And I don't buy that crap about how drinking a glass of wine is supposedly GOOD for us. Yeah, and so are leeches when you're sick, right? And heat that sprained ankle. No, ice it. But I digress.

In the past year, I've asked a couple doctor friends and a psychiatrist uncle and psychologist aunt about it. They laughed at me when I told them I was worried about it and described it. Then I read this article in the WSJ by Kevin Helliker yesterday, describing someone who apparently isn't an alcoholic, but "determined she was drinking nine to 16 shots of vodka an evening, four to seven evenings a week. Although primarily a social drinker, she sometimes snuck snorts in the basement, where she kept a bottle."

And I'm thinking: Now I get why everybody thought it was so funny that I was even worried about it. But then again, you know it's a good thing that I am worried about it.

Let's drink to that! Cheers.

8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Glen Livet is good, but I am a Macallan man. Give it a try.

I had Johnny Walker Blue a few weekends ago. Yowza!! That stuff tastes like silk and honey rolling down your throat.

3/08/2006 02:39:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Excellent post. I "drink" about as often as you do during the course of a week with friends, clients, sporting events, etc., but I've wondered the same thing.

Then I hear the stories like you mentioned and kinda laugh it off. People who are true alcoholics need an IV pumping that stuff into their veins. They are the ones who hide the stuff in their desks or lose their jobs because they are too hungover to even make it in.

Perspective enough for me to say "Cheers!" right back.

3/08/2006 03:45:00 PM  
Blogger muckdog said...

I used to drink 4-5 nights a week like that, but it subsided as I got older. I often wondered as you do what was excessive and what wasn't. Who knows.

Regarding your columnist conversation on MP3 players vs. iPods (and iPod phone), all I can say is that in the late 90's, I carried a cellphone, a Palm Pilot, and a crappy CD MP3 player. Migrated a few years ago to a cell phone, an iPaq, and a Nomad Jukebox.

I told anyone who'd listen, that whoever converges these devices gets my dollars. I currently have a Treo 650. And I can surf the web in addition to listen to music/podcasts, take calls, and do chat/email. Don't carry any of the other stuff anymore. The jukebox is hooked up to my stereo at home, although not needed because of my wireless network and media extender.

The next device might be that newfangled smartfone from Verizon with the slideout keyboard. In addition to broadband, it's got wi-fi.

And when slingbox comes out with their windows mobile client (if it's not out already), I'll totally be hooked up...

(Except for a 'fridge at work with beer in it...)

3/08/2006 05:00:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Cody,
You're a successful, good looking,single straight male living in the greatest city in world. Drink away, until 40. That is my plan. I am a little older, 37.

3/08/2006 11:28:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Cody,
Did Steven just call you hot? (with a perfunctory) Not that there is anything wrong with that...

3/09/2006 10:08:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Joe Blue,
I am straight, but I'll bet you anything that Cody does well with the ladies.
Steven

3/09/2006 10:46:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Steven,
It was too easy to pass up...sorry...

I bet Cody lays more pipe than Exxon. I bet he gets more ass than a toilet seat. I bet he has tagged more beaver than a Canadian pelt trader. I bet he has handled more box than a UPS regional warehouse.

The bottom line is he gotz skillz.

Word to your moms,
I came to drop bombs.

3/10/2006 10:38:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am in the same drinking boat as the rest of the posters. The reason I'm not worried about being an alcoholic is that I don't drink for a week or more every once in a while and it' never a big deal. At this point, after making it through college and drinking for so long I'm pretty confident that I just don't have that gene in me (please no scientific responses to that last tidbit). let's face it though even if you don't have a problem the stuff aint good for you! BTW, I posted this from one of those "new-fangled" Verizon slide out keyboard phones. I'm sitting AT a poker table in Las Vegas writing this waiting for some cards to play. the phone is thevx 6700. I give it a B+. Incredible world we live in now indeed.

3/12/2006 09:07:00 AM  

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