This was a segment on NPR's "Weekend Edition" about the New York writer Peter Hamill who spent most of his life on a barstool and wrote a memoir after he got sober called A Drinking Life.

You can either read the transcript or listen to the broadcast. Only takes two minutes.

For me, the passage from Hamill's book explaining why he drank rings true for me.
I have been known to frequent dive bars and saloons, but have never heard their attraction explained so well, or the end results of living a drinking life.

https://www.npr.org/2020/08/08/900300042/opinion-remembering-pete-hamill-the-tabloid-man-whose-greatest-story-was-his-own

thanks for posting, I enjoyed reading that

I started drinking at 39...I'm now 56...wondering if I should put it down...but I do enjoy it.

I'm 68 and still enjoy a good cocktail or beer.
Started drinking when I entered Baylor in 1970. (Didn't drink in high school.)
I also enjoy the social aspects of my favorite bars, and the ritual of making a classic cocktail.
Haven't let it become a problem, even though I've been "in my cups" a few times.

But it is not for everyone, and I've had some close friends who struggled with alcohol because they couldn't "just have one drink."

When that first one hit their lips, they were not going to stop until they got sh*t faced.
It was like a runaway train.

And what they were really doing was self-medicating to overcome a hurt.

I am sad that my favorite watering hole, The Fraternal Order of Eagles, remains closed due to COVID-19 concerns. Here's a shot from better days there.

Did I miss the obvious in the article ... when did he stop drinking?

They didn't give a date, just said that one day "he stopped drinking."

for those with addictive personalities or the chemical makeup that carries addiction, then drinking can be an awful, awful thing.



I guess I'm lucky in that regard. I sure do enjoy a drink or a glass of wine. I often think how I'd feel if my Dr told me to quit.

Kirby, another good thread, Bless you.

An old ranching buddy, Warren Nutt, always enjoyed a good cigar and a Tecate beer whenever we got together.
He went to the doctor a year ago, and the doc told him he had to give up both because of his heart.
Now when I see him, he always brings a good cigar for me, but not him.
As he said, "I've had to give up cigars and drinking, and I hate it."

He also said that getting old is no fun. "It pisses me off that I struggle to put on my socks."

Love wine, margs and Tito's and am blessed to have kept it moderate for most of my 57 years. Many aren't as fortunate. Margaritas are one of the top 10 things I'll miss when I'm gone, along with Baylor football and classic rock.

Pecos 45 said:

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I am sad that my favorite watering hole, The Fraternal Order of Eagles, remains closed due to COVID-19 concerns. Here's a shot from better days there.

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Great place. I used to live within walking distance of the bar and it's "amenities."