Drinking...

I wasted a lot of time in High School and college drinking. I grew up in Wisconsin...that's the culture there. You're just like, strange if you don't. And with all the insecurities I used to have it seemed like the ideal thing for me...an activity that doesn't set me apart but lets me come out of my shell in a fun way.

But then it became more of a habit than a hobby. If we were going out, we were going to get drunk. That's just what we do. But I'm really starting to regret that decision. Why did I always feel like I needed to participate in that all of the time?

Tonight I went to hang out with two former co-workers from Pirates at the Miller Ale House in Orlando, a place I have been many, many times since I moved down here. The difference this particular time was that these two guys don't drink, they don't see the point. So clearly I wasn't going to sit there and drink if I was going to be the only one.

And you know what? It wasn't bad at all. I was almost taken aback by the fact that I probably had as good of a time or better than if I had been drinking. I know what you're thinking too. Has it really taken 23 years of life for you to come up with the fact that you don't need to drink to have a good time? And the answer is no, I have definitely been out and not drank before many times. But it doesn't happen as much as it should in a setting like this one.

And I have slowed down since college, thank God. There is no way I could probably top the amount of drinking I did then ever again in my life. But now I think it's time to really slow down, save those brain cells, and concentrate on other things. It will be difficult when going out with people, but I can say that when I did the other night, I was the only one to even attempt to pace myself.

I know there are a lot of problems in this world, but up until recently have I only realized that I was viewing the whole world as one big alcoholic, and that really isn't everyone. And it's not so bad.