Not So Tough

I remember the first time I took a drink. It was a New Year’s Eve party hosted by friends of my father, in a big, empty carriage-house. It was full of adults, with my friend Peter and myself the only kids I can remember. I think I was about 8 or so. At some point in the evening the adults thought it would be fun to give us kids some shots of booze and see what we would do. I sure didn’t disappoint! It wasn’t so much the booze that time that I relished so intensely; it was being the center of attention that I became addicted to. There were lots of laughs from those watching us, until I decided to try and beat up my friend and wound up getting my head smacked into a sharp concrete pillar. I was taken home, bleeding and wondering what happened. Not much changed with my drinking over the years.