Sept 27 - Photo a Day - Love/Hate

The Hooch Cabinet

Booze is a double-edged sword in my life. At times I love it.... perhaps too much. And at others, I hate its allure, its influence on my and others' lives, its sneaky way of trapping so many in its net.

Alcohol has been my drug of choice since I was a youngster. University years, especially, were soaked in clubs and parties. Socializing in my beloved home cities of San Francisco, Seattle and now, Ottawa, has almost always included liquor. Many of my most fun memories with friends and family have been enhanced with bottles of beer or wine, and shots of every hard liquor imaginable. I can count on three fingers the flavours I don't like.

In my early twenties, a boyfriend nearly died of acute alcohol poisoning. On that horrifying night, we learned that you can drink too much, and AL ANON became a regular Tuesday night stop. Some friends spiralled out of control and hit bottom: a terrible thing to see. A number of them joined AA along the way, reclaiming their lives, and making their loved ones proud.

I scare myself sometimes, falling into the unconscious habit of having a couple of drinks (sometimes more) every night -- not to the point of drunkenness, but still... it's frightening when I find myself looking forward to the taste and the buzz. I've seen what can happen when you're not watching, and while medical studies show that a little red wine is healthy, more is not, and we only get one liver. On occasion, to prove to myself that I still can, I stop. That's why, for the past month, we have taken back the reins and only sip a bit on the weekends.