Great question, right? Let me try to trace it for you.
Last Thursday I finished core work around 11am. I knew it was the last day before my wife and I started IVF, and I knew she had a thing until 10pm that night, so I think I viewed it as some kind of “last hurrah” in my brain. I went to this place by my old apartment, Woodshed Smokehouse, and had some beers. I talked to a server there about the end of his marriage. I talked to my cyclist friend about his inability to make ends meet at 52. I talked to the bartender about her six — yep — kids. I rolled. I went down the street to another bar, Roundhouse, and had 2–3 more beers. I talked to one friend about his kids, and how his five year-old almost pulled the earring straight off her teacher. I talked to the bartender about her career aspirations. I went home, probably five-six beers deep. I watched some true crime and ate a freezer meal.
I had this happy hour slated for 5pm with some guys I work out with, and this was like 12:30pm now. I’ve been day-drinking for way longer than I ever should have, so I know how the game works. If you have something to do at 5pm, or can even be late and get there at 5:30pm, drinking and stopping at 12:30pm usually doesn’t doom you. Is it healthy? No. Smart? No. But will it drop you? Not often.
