Alcohol

It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.

MATTHEW 15:11 NAS

One of the things people learn about me usually within the first day of meeting me is that I do not drink. This has always been considered an odd thing about me because I am not a Baptist. In Baptistland, alcohol is forbidden along with tobacco products, Rated R movies, and dancing. The thinking goes that if you can eliminate these things that you can eliminate evil along the way. But this is foolish. Evil is not found in a product or substance. Evil comes from the heart.

My decision to be a virtual teetotaller is not a religious one since it was a choice I made even as an atheist. My decision was utterly practical. Looking at the behavior of other people and myself, I realized that drinking is stupid. People see drinking as an issue of temperance, but I see it as a matter of prudence. How is  it possible to go to the bar or attend a party and not end up driving drunk? The limits on breathalyzer tests are so low now that you are going to be over the legal limit if you just gargled with mouthwash. (LAWYERLY TIP: Never blow even if you are sober.) For myself, I admit that I have driven a motor vehicle many times in the past after having a few or many drinks. DUI is the most widely committed crime in America now. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

The reason for the draconian measures regarding DUI is not because of drunken driving. It is because of drinking. Cellphone use and driving while sleepy are just as dangerous as driving under the influence. The danger is that you are riding in a giant hunk of metal hurtling along at high rates of speed. But no one really cares about the car issue. The real issue is that drinking issue. Mothers Against Drunk Driving or MADD is really the leftover of the temperance movement that gave this country Prohibition. Drunk driving laws are meant to punish drinking not bad driving.

I can drink with a clear conscience because I know alcohol is not inherently evil. I have had many good times when I drank in a responsible manner choosing the mean between deficiency and excess as Aristotle counseled. I have also met many recovering alcoholics, and I can tell you that they are just as annoying and repulsive while sober as they are drunk. So, why did I give up the sauce?

The answer to that question is very obvious. Who wants to drink alone? Drinking alone has always been regarded as the first step towards a drinking problem. So, you drink with friends. This isn't an issue if you always drink at home, but no one does this. They go to bars and parties which requires driving. Then, when the party has ended, everyone does those silly hypocritical rituals. Are you OK to drive? Do you need me to call you a cab? Complete and utter nonsense. Everyone leaving that place will be well over the legal limit even if they are not drunk. Basically, every night of drinking is followed by the gamble on the drive home that you won't get caught. People do the hypocrisy routine to reassure themselves that they are not committing a crime. Then, they load up in the car and commit the crime. It is what it is.

I decided for myself that I didn't care to keep gambling on this foolishness. My livelihood depends on me keeping a clean driving record, and a DUI conviction would severely limit my employment opportunities. So, I gave up drinking. It is a decision I have not regretted one bit. Being a shitfaced drunk is almost never a good thing, so it has all been to the good for me. I can also add that I do not use drugs of any kind for much the same reason. I like working and staying out of jail.

I do not think walking the straight edge makes me a better or moral person. Alcohol doesn't make you a bad person. It merely amplifies the person you are already. Unfortunately, for most people, the person they are already is a dumb ass. Alcohol makes you dumber. Not drinking has merely allowed me to keep my own stupidity to myself. And the only pressure I have ever gotten on this issue has been from the drinkers. This is because stupidity loves company. No, thanks. I'm going to stay smart. Go with prudence.

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