A Set of Principles

I can still feel the burn of the bourbon as it goes down my throat for the first time. I was 14 years old with my first taste of what later became my lover, friend, and hell on earth. I knew in that moment of that first shot that alcohol was the answer to everything. My awkwardness in groups, my loneliness, it all got fixed by the bottle. I loved it so much. I couldn’t stop until I blacked out and then I would wake up and wonder what I did the night before. Alcohol helped me to not feel, think, or care anymore.