TOO MUCH OF A GOOD TIME

 

How much does an alcoholic drink actually cost?

Well, you might reply, anywhere from $2.00 to $2000 depending on what it is and, more importantly, where you buy it.

But that[s just cost to YOU.  How about cost to society as a whole?  Well, I’m not about to get into a discussion of whether or not we would all be better if the stuff never had been invented.  We’d probably be healthier than we are right now, but perhaps a bit less content.  What I WILL do is illustrate the problem using a personal example:  two gin and tonics at a fancy local dive.

First drink:  Me. $8.50 (plus tip); Cost to Society, next to nothing.

Second drink:  Immediate cost to me $8.50; Cost to Society, maybe around $25,000!

You see – that second drink was probably enough to slightly perturb my already shaky sense of balance, causing me to fall –  right into some poor bloke’s nice dinner!  The eventual upshot was a slight concussion, a cracked femur – and five fun-filled weeks in the clutches of the US medical system (about which I will comment soon).  All paid for by Medicare, of  course

So, what did I learn?  Primarily that one is enough.  Also, that I’m not a kid anymore!