The Righteous Drink

3...2...1. The bell rings and all you see is a cartoonish puff of dust like in old cartoons. After being locked up for 13 years in public school, the American worker has been trained to sit down and shut up between the hours of 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. When the whistle blows or bell rings, we're given our freedom back for 48 hours of reprieve. For the past few weeks, the sun has been shining and the one thing on my mind, drinking. It's a pavlovian response to stimuli. At first, it's a pretty innocuous thing. I have cut down my drinking during the week, despite the urge to pound as much liquor into my system has possible. I refrain and try to live a healthy life. However, the drudgery of the day-to-day of customer service is enough to make the strongest minds break and alcohol delivers that sweet relief. It's starts off as a few drinks but things can quickly escalate, as they often do. Fridays, I'd start off with a 12 pack of cheap domestic. I can usually pound 10 before heading off to sleep. Normally, I can wake up without a hangover so I'll head to the gym and the sauna to sweat out whatever poison I had in my from the night before. Saturday is the focal point - if I'm going on a date, chances are drinks are involved and I normally can keep my wits about me but if things go well, then it's another drink. If there's no date, maybe a few more drinks as I watch Netflix or whatever I have stored on the DVR. A hangover may or may not ensue. Sunday Funday, as we Millennials call the Lord's day, is not a righteous drink. It's well intentioned, enjoying the last few moments before the work whistle is blown at 9 AM Monday morning and that's when it jumps the shark. Deep in our lizard brain, I think if you are unfulfilled with your day job, it is real easy to drink to excess. I didn't realize it until I sat down to type this out. This is where it is an unrighteous drink. I'm not doing it for the sport of it, for the flavor or for the social lubricant. It becomes something to prevent the oncoming train that's Monday. Sure, there are many people who would love to have my job but not for the reason you think. In order to play, you have to work. We'll do things you wouldn't if you were a first grader being asked what you want to do with your life. To our own detriment, we hunch over keyboards and squint at computer screens. The weekend past was rather eye opening for me. I spent most of Sunday in a bar drilling cheap swill into my face while watching soccer. It was enjoyable at the time, but I secretly wonder why I needed this escapism. Is there a solution? Maybe finding an engaging vocation that is not only financially rewarding but emotionally rewarding? That's a start - it's overcoming the fear that change ushers in. An ex girlfriend of mine said that the song "Little Lion Man" from Mumford & Sons was an admonishment. I saw the ghost of Christmas future and I saw it all. Honestly, I wasn't happy about it in the slightest.