Dear Arthur,
My husband use to consider himself a “social drinker” but it seems like he is socializing a lot more often. Whenever I bring up the subject he gets upset. What do I do?
Signed, Gloria
Thanks for writing Gloria! One thing that I’ve learned during my drunken nights socializing with the in-crowd and bohemians of the night is that there’s no such thing as a “social drinker!” There is of course those among us who are so hell bent on self-destruction that we’ll do anything to escape familiarity of our friends and family. Strangers tend to be less judgmental and more willing to cheer for the underdogs, even if we’re half-ugly and drunk and speaking Spanish to Middle Eastern housewives. There’s a certain ignorant charm and rhyme to it all that’s both unforgivable and forgivable. Sometimes going home just isn’t an option that we want to explore!
Your husband may indeed want to become the Prom King of his local bar, however have you stopped to ask why? We live in an age where digital communication has replaced the awkwardness of actual conversation and human interaction. You can have entire households sitting together in silence glued to their virtual machines of choice, texting and chatting away the night. Or, the scene can be the nightly argument over something that your husband may not deem as important as spending a few minutes in solitude so that he can detox away the day’s stress before putting on his Superman cape and saving your day. Sometimes having that extra time to socialize isn’t such a bad thing?
Have I ignored the “drinking” aspect of your question? Nah! I’m just merely pointing out there is always a root cause to any situation. Once you know the CAUSE the SOLUTION is forthcoming! Keep me posted!