Alcohol

I've never understood the connection between alcohol and a good time. Never have. Part of that may have come from my youth, watching my older siblings and their friends drinking and "having a good time," alhough I cannot recall anything really good ever coming from their drinking. When I was older and away at college, I saw my friends getting wasted, blasted and out and out drunk from the weekend drinking binges. How getting drunk is a good time is beyond me. Really, I never saw any good that came from drinking.

Before anyone speaks up about the failure of Prohibition, I'm not talking about that. I'm not advocating it. I'm just saying drinking is not for me. I have yet to see any good that comes of it, and too much pain. I've tasted alcohol in limited circumstances, and I didn't like it anyway.

So as I sat in front of my TV yesterday and watched the Cincinnati Bengals' season end on a fitting note -- a loss in a game they could have won had they showed up to play -- I wondered what would have happened in 2006 if their off-field problems -- many if not most caused by irresposible drinking -- had not happened. The blame for the team's collapse this year collapse this year can be spread around to many people, but the off-the-field arrests and resulting suspensions didn't help any.

P.S. While writing this, I've been talking with my middle child, who turns 13 next month, about drinking. I'm not telling him to never drink alcohol. But we have talked about the pain it can cause. We both know that in it's his decision. But I have every hope that when he grows up, he will make the right one. I don't want him ending up like a college acquaintance whose goal was get drunk as many times in one week as she could.