41 years ago today, I walked into my first bar armed with a friends i.d. I promptly proceeded to drink until I blacked out (and very likely beyond), got horribly sick, and woke up with a hangover so severe the inside of my eyes hurt. In June of that year (1973), the drinking age was lowered to 18. I spent the next two years repeating the above ritual almost nightly. 39 years ago today, I came full circle. First stop of the day was the Oak Room bar in St. Paul where I downed a double scotch -- Cutty Sark was the bar scotch and cost 60 cents a shot. My Brother, sister-in-law, and best friend (all of whom had managed, somehow, to keep me alive) then accompanied me on a brief road trip which ended with me walking into Hazelden (compliments of the University of Minnesota Health Services for which I paid $11 each quarter). I was still 6 months shy of my 21st birthday. Id like to say I lived soberly ever after, but, in truth, I had a couple bumps along the way. I had my last drink to date (a vodka martini up with olives) in May of 1985.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 17:01:29 +0000