We humans have been doing it since day one. Whether we let our corn ferment and drink it's brew, whether we gather mushrooms or plants from the field, some of us have been looking for alternate realities since day one. We live here on this planet, trapped for decades. And some of us need entertainment. Because the planet never changes. And the Big C can happen to anyone, even if they never smoke or drink and eat healthy all the time (and think pure thoughts.....;~)
>"...if your introduction to hard alcohol is green Tequilia on St. Paddy's day which tastes somewhere between listerine and what one imagines toilet bowl cleaner tastes like."
Too bad your first experience was like that. Sort of like a rape by alcohol.
Too bad you couldn't have been romanced with fine company and a good bottle of cabernet....and been gently broken in, so to speak. A fine wine with fine comapny on a fine evening....well those are days that are fondly remembered and celebrated.
>"Never really felt like a saint or a prude - but I never understood the eagerness of some of those around me to turn parts of their brain off."
It's not for all, perhaps you feel like you might lose control. Again I could say that even I still get dizzy at times with a drink, until my blood pressure settles down and I relax. Small amounts of alcohol break down barriers and make one less apprehensive. Tom is Mr. Apprehensive. I'd even go so far to say he is uptight. Perhaps he manages his anxiety with the help of his doctor. If not, I can imagine he must be a real pain 24/7. (Right Katie?)