Those things were all wonderful. But the main reason I went to college was to drink a ton of beers.
I drank a LOT of beers. Sometimes I drank small beers and sometimes I drank tall beers. Sometimes I drank cold beers and sometimes I drank warm beers. Sometimes I poured my beer into Solo cups and sometimes I drank my beer straight from the bottle or can. Sometimes I just drank my beer and sat around, and sometimes I played games that involved the consumption of more beer. Sometimes I had beers on Saturday nights and sometimes I had beers on Tuesday mornings. Sometimes I taped beers to my hands, which is another story entirely. Sometimes I drank expensive beers and sometimes I drank cheap beers and sometimes I drank things that weren't beers at all.
This is not uncommon. Many people go to college and drink beers. Yet as time passes, these things fade. I still enjoy beers, as anyone who knows me would tell you. But I do not drink nearly the quantity of beers that I used to. I rarely drink cheap beers, I don't often play drinking games and I almost never tape them to my hands anymore. But every once in a while I will drink a lot of beers and will develop what the french call "Le Hangoveur" which is a signal your body sends you to say "hey listen, ya jerk - either keep drinking beers or stop drinking so many at once." And since it is rarely socially acceptable to drink beers at my desk, I simply accept my pounding headache and admit defeat.
Recently, I came to a realization. It happened following Week 10 of the NFL season. I had placed a significant bet - in fact my greatest wager to date - on the Denver Broncos. The fightin' Kyle Ortons lost their fearless leader, Chris Simms took over, and the Broncos lost this contest to the Washington Redskins. This, culminated with a few other unfortunate wagering mishaps, rendered me at a loss of more than 90 dollars over the course of my betting weekend. When my boss emailed me to ask how I was feeling after the tough weekend, I responded with a simple answer. "I'm never gambling again."
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? How many times had I said to myself or others on a particularly bad Sunday morning, "I'm never drinking again"? Thus the realization. For me, gambling is now what drinking was for me in college. Consider the parallels...
*Both can cause very unhealthy addictions, but are completely reasonable in moderation.
*Both have been the source of controversial damning by the government.
*Do either a little too much, and you can really regret it later...
*...but every once in a while, you can go a little overboard and it all seems to work out just fine.
*Both have the potential to be unpredictable and curious.
*You can always find something of either to suit your particular taste.
Every Sunday, I sit down with a pen and paper, open a few websites, turn on the TV and do a little research. I scan headlines for interesting tidbits, I look at attractive lines, I place a few (very) small wagers and then I sit back and watch it all unfold. Sometimes I'll pass an opportunity by, and sometimes I'll regret it and wish I had jumped on board. The same goes for drinking. Ever pass on a party that ended up being great? Very similar.
The key with both is moderation. You can consume alcohol in moderation, even if you occasionally have a few too many, provided you are not dependent on it. You should never feel like you HAVE to drink, right? Same with gambling. You can place some bets on Sunday and even if you get a little carried away, you will be fine as long as you aren't dependent on the action. You should never feel like you HAVE to place a bet.
Drinking and gambling. Their parallels are striking. And both make me so very happy.
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