marqcoig

i love drinking

i love drinking. a few years ago, in a college level creative writing class, i wrote an impromptu poem, or rant i guess, about how much i prefer beer to desert. i stand by that rant, and i wish i had it. i love drinking. its fun. its worthwhile. its a part of my life, and i don't feel ashamed to say that.

i'm watching the Paul Newman film The Verdict, made in 1982. its about an alcoholic lawyer who gets shit done. he wins the case, but he never gives up drinking. he drinks because he feels good when he does. but he still practices law when he finds a case worthy of his conscience. i'm not saying all alcoholics have some lawyer super power, or any other power or skill that shines only when drinking, but in this film it says something powerful:doing the right things is most important. Money, booze, pain, failure, past...none of that matters as much as doing what is necessary to do the right thing. Paul Newman does the right thing, in spite of his boozing. his life revolves around booze because he feels the need to cope with the past failures (bad marriage, almost being disbarred, failed cases, etc). his boozing is a crutch, undoubtadely. but his conscience wins. his boozing doesn't hurt his life when something worth fighting for comes into his life. he still drinks, he still does the right thing. He Still Wins.

i'm not saying that all alcoholics are good people. i'm not suggesting that being a drunk is a "good" thing. i'm also not saying that all drunks are as good at handling stress and terrible situations as people who are mentally sound and don't drink. but this film does something that few dare; it portrays (sp?) a drunk in a positive light. he's not a loser because he drinks. he drinks because he becomes a loser. then, when he starts to win, he still drinks. its apart of his life, but it hasn't taken from it. its neither good, nor bad. for the lawyer played brilliantly by Paul Newman, in one of his greatest roles, he is simply a drunk who is not dead inside. he is still moral. he still has a conscience. it makes him feel elated when he wins, but it helps him cope when he loses. and isn't that the point of booze? it is a celebration of the good and the fun, but a reminder and a friend in solace when things are bad. its is there for us in all the times, good and bad. the problem only seems to come when we forget that is a friend. its not us. we can't let it become us, or what we're supposed to be. we have to still be adults--men and women who are in control . when the booze takes over is when we faiil. when we contorl the booze, and recognize our and address our love and ejnoyment of it. then its not alcoholism, it is a form of quiet, willing respect. booze can hurt, i know. we all know that. but for a great deal of us, it can help. it can be a quiet friend who is with us along a difficult or fun journey through life.