So there I was late Saturday night chatting it up with Eddie, his wife, Lisa, and her friend, Nancy, at the End Zone Bar & Grill in downtown Hobart. I just met them a few minutes earlier but it felt like we were old buds. They even offered to buy me a drink, but since I drink only Cokes it would have seemed insulting to them to accept their offer.
Anyway, I popped in to that bar around midnight with my wife and her wedding-party friends because they insisted the reception we just left had to continue, well, somewhere. It seems that someone who obviously drank too much and who had no right picking our next destination, picked the End Zone and I was the designated driver, so there I was chatting it up with... well, you know, Eddie, Lisa, and Nancy.
That's when some guy who obviously drank too much started yelling at some other guy who obviously drank too much, and several other serious-looking guys in white "SECURITY" shirts - who obviously didn't drink too much - busted in to control the situation. Eddie, who like I said just met me, was kind enough to guide me away from the ruckus for my own protection. Sporting my sportscoat, collared shirt, and dress shoes in a sports-themed bar known for its drinking more than its sports and attire, I must have looked like I needed protection, but that's OK.
Anyway, a few minutes later four Hobart cop cars pulled up outside the joint, siren lights screaming, and a stream of Hobart's finest busted in to also control the situation.
Long blog short, "the situation" became controlled in short order.
(On a side note, one of the cops was the mayor's son, I was told, who I just mentioned in my column, which was to run Sunday, oddly enough. Once again it was Eddie the Protector who was nice enough to fill me in on that coincidence.)
Anyhow, after the burly security guys cleared things up, and the guy who obviously drank too much was taken away, and the cops fled the joint, a woman I met outside asked me a question that I'll ask you.
A little background for context: Usually when I meet a woman standing alone outside a drinking bar, she'll typically ask me one of two questions: "Do you have a light" (for her cigarette)? Or, "Can YOU get a (cell phone) signal?"
But this woman had something more profound to ponder: "So," she asked, "do you think people in there are drinking to enjoy or drinking to escape?"
Hmmmmmm, what a sobering query, I thought to myself.
It's obviously a mixed-drink question, with both answers being correct to some degree.
It's also a nature vs. nurture question, with the answer somewhere in between the two polarities. But where exactly? Hmmmmmmm.
I told the woman I wasn't sure, but I'll ask around.
So here I am, asking you. And you. And you.
Do you drink to enjoy or drink to escape?
And how do you know the difference?
Jerry Davich is the metro columnist for the Post-Tribune Newspaper. Since 1995, he’s written thousands of columns and stories with one goal in mind – to create a dialogue with readers, not a monologue. He hopes this blog expands his goal into cyberspace.
I haven't went out to bar in years but we use to go out to dance and have a good time. I was always designated driver because I never drank over couple of drinks all night and ended up eating ice or having a cola just to stay in to hear the band and dance. I can pretty much tell who ever is in the bar crowd that is there enjoying and who is there to "escape" so to speak...Most of the ones that are there to escape are normally alone by the bar and watching others have a good time and just drink one right after another till they finally decide to leave and most of the time they leave alone.
I drink because I enjoy the escape. It's hard to beat a glass of merlot (okay two) with dinner in the winter, a couple of martini's on the weekend (again, only two, I know my limit) and a cold beer (or two or three...) in the summer. I don't drink every day, I like it too much and can't imagine having to give it up because it crossed over the line into a problem. Besides, I'm a mom, wanting to be a good one keeps me on the straight and narrow.
I don't drink.. but way back when I was young had my few. Saw NO benefit in it from watching others.
Doing things they would not normally do when sober, Some then being "Hooked" and alcoholics.. you never know it you will be the one or not. Hangover morning is the pits, ever see someone hugging a toilet bowl?? or liver problems?
So therefore I say NO ONE can drink to enjoy... and if you think you can do it to "escape," don't fool yourself, Something else will come along you can't get away from...
And ONE Drink is a fallacy.. One is never enough, and 2 is too many.
The bar bands usually sound better after a few drinks....
I DRINK TO GET DRUNK! TO LEAVE THE PAIN OF RUNNING A BURDENING OPERATION RUN BY WORK ACHOLICS WHO STRESS THE HELL OUT ME.
I do not drink for escape nor do I drink for enjoyment. My father had/has issues with alcohol and growing up experiencing the swing in his personality was a nightmare. I see no benefits from the stuff and if it was used by him to escape, then I've seen enough escape to last me a lifetime. Beer did nothing but add to the anger that took residence inside of him. Incidentally, alcoholism was passed down from my grandfather who was a bootlegger during prohibition. Escape or enjoyment, none for me, thank you very much! It is a family legacy that I aim to avoid sharing with my offspring.
I know that when I was younger and in college, my friends and I enjoyed drinking. Partly it was an escape from the "pressures" of school life and also to loosen up since alcohol is a social lubricant.
Now, when I drink, it is just to have a beer or a glass of wine with friends or family for a special occasion.
For those who drink heavily, it's a form of escape. For those who enjoy in moderation, it's just a way to be social and enjoy an alcoholic beverage.
The reason i drink is out of frostration do to small paying jobs,prices going up, and just dont know where to turn. Bottom line is the Government. Our freedom is just gone.
I realize I drink to escape, (low income, being single mom for 10 years, chronic disease, raising two teenagers, loneliness, etc) whether it's one, two or three glasses of wine (my normal choice). I also think all people drink to escape something, otherwise we all would pretty much just order the "virgin" drinks. Whether it's one or three the alcohol affects us, and usually, (especially after just a couple) the end result of escaping is enjoyment.
I used to drink to escape, until i was charged with DUI in 2005. It turned my life around and i'm glad it happened to me. It gave me a full year to be alcohol free and take time out to think how selfish i was to get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive when i knew i was under the influence heavily. Since that time, i have never drank and drove again, and if i choose to drink now, i do so in the comforts of my home where i know i will remain. Thank GOD for his blessings!