I Believe In Symmetry

The experiment continues...the not-drinking any more alcohol experiment, that is. It's really more of a social study, because not drinking has become fairly effortless. I don't have a serious drinking problem, so this makes it much easier. In fact, it's everyone else and their reactions, and the way I'm able to observe drinking life even more closely that makes it so interesting.

In Alcoholics Anonymous and addiction-recovery circles, the phase I'm in right now is referred to as the 'Pink Cloud'. This refers to the good feeling from being sober, the excitement that comes from the clarity and knowing that you're doing the right thing. Apparently, the following phase is the downer - the regret and the need to run back to the bottle. I don't know how long the Pink Cloud is supposed to last, I guess I should look into that.

Last night I went to a show at the Magic Stick. Matt Pond PA was playing. I like the band, I have an EP from them, it's good. When I sat down at the bar with my friends, I was asked if I wanted a drink. I ordered a club soda. Normally, when going there on a weeknight, I would have one to five beers or just as many vodka/sodas. I'd get a good buzz, or maybe even get drunk. But I got there late in the game.

By the time we finished dinner and got to the show, it was 8:30pm. Knowing that I have to work at 9am the next day makes it hard to want to drink too late. If I were drinking. On nights when I would make it out that late and start drinking, I would probably only have one or two drinks. Just enough for a slight buzz. So what's the point? I waste ten bucks or more to get a slight physical high? I'm around good friends, I already have a girlfriend I'm very much in love with (so I don't need to be thinking about meeting women), and therefore don't need a social lubricant. No need for drinks.

I know, it's relaxing, but I didn't need to relax, I was already tired from being up all night the previous night.

So I was sitting there at the bar, waiting for the band to start and I was bored. Completely fucking bored. I was watching the customers walk up to the bartender and flirt back and forth, watching all the hip, trendy, whatever kids hanging out, watching the drinking life. These observations are nothing new to me. I started working at a bar almost ten years ago, and have been fascinated with people's drinking habits and their behavior ever since.

Those observations have kept me away from drunken one night stands. They've kept me away from getting involved in doomed-to-fail relationships. In short, watching people's drinking behavior has put me off from the whole reason I went to the bar so much in the first place. My friend Andy used to say "you know why I go to the bar? There aren't any hot girls walking through my living room." Yet he and I both were reluctant to meet women at bars. It's a total catch-22. (Full disclosure: I did meet my girl in a bar, but I was DJing, that's different - but only slightly)

Oh, also on Saturday, I DJed for the second time in this 'experiment'. I've gone all night DJing completely sober before, but it wasn't a conscious decision, just a feeling. There's something about it being 12:30 at night, the bar is full, everyone's having a good time, and I'm just drunk enough to get really loose with what I'm playing and pulling out all the hits at just the right times. Now, I get more studious about it. My tangents and connections between songs get weirder and more varied. It all makes sense to me, and I know some others pick up on it, but I don't know how entertaining it is to the rest of the masses. I do know this: everyone seems to love hearing Slick Rick. However, they do not all like Ryan Adams or Jens Lekman.

The experiment continues...