Drinks

On Simpsons they said that alcohol is the cause of, and solution to, all of man's problems. I'm pretty sure that is completely true. What they don't tell you is that the order is backwards. In fact, alcohol is the solution to, and cause of, all of my problems. And I have no idea whether the clinic was the cause or the solution.

Beer
Everybody starts with beer, and some people even like that stuff. It's easy enough. Your friends always have it somehow in high school, and at parties they give you the stuff basically for free. Of course there's no ID check, and even at a club, all you have to do is chat up a cute older girl, slip her a few bucks, and you'll have a drink in your hand in no time.

Vodka
Beer and vodka have one thing in common; they're not presumptuous. Nobody thinks you're being an ass because you're drinking vodka. And when it comes to mixing drinks, vodka is the easiest one of all. You can mix it with pretty much anything and get properly smashed.

Cause of
I thought I was drinking because I had problems. Isn't that why everybody starts drinking? All those homework assignments, and exams, and failed relationships would drive anyone to drink. At least that's what it feels like at eighteen. At thirty one those don't seem like problems anymore. Not after the kind of people you meet at the clinic.

Solution to
Those drinks made the problems go away for a long time. First in school, then in those early days that I kept a real job. I don't think I really needed it much after I discovered how useful computers really are, but it was surprisingly hard to stop. And why would I? There was no real harm. Just a few innocent drinks, and as long as no one noticed or smelled your breath in those morning repair calls, everything was perfect. Nobody minded and I was happy. How could it possibly hurt me?

Cause of
It would've been alright if it weren't for the crash. They told me at the clinic that the way I was going, it was only a matter of time, that by drinking constantly, and doing house calls for repairs, it was inevitable. I don't believe them, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that it happened and the police found out. Otherwise everything would have been alright. Even the judge, who asked all about my repair business, never found out about my taxes. Everything would be completely different now if I had stopped one shot earlier.

I think that shot saved me.