This right here
is the epitome of male bonding
one guy says, as we sit around the room
watching sports on the TV,
a case-ah beer and no one saying a word!

Mid-swig, I think
is this really
the best that we can do?

My closest friend–
a brother honestly–
once gave up alcohol for Lent.
And guess what?
For forty days and forty nights
we never saw each other.
Not even a text was sent;
nothing so simple as a how’s it going, man?

Then Jesus rose again from the dead
bringing back our companionship
and our thirst.

It’s been too long
we both said
as if booze was our only tether.
We’ve known each other for twenty years.

Everything seems to have to be done over a beer.
Wanna catch up? Let’s grab a pint.
Watching a game? First round’s on me.
Here for trivia? Can we get a bucket, please?

We make it an essential ingredient to the day-to-day
so it’s no wonder to me that some people
lose control. When community
ceases to function without,
the individual is not so far behind.

What happened to just sitting on a couch
or around a fire pit talking about life
without a substance to enhance the experience?
Can love only be shared when it’s intoxicated?

Stargazing on the boat the other day was amazing
but I still interrupted it for another IPA.

A group of us were gathered a couple weeks ago
pouring a shot of bourbon, aside from one
choosing sobriety after recent trouble.
Someone asked should we be doing this around him?
as if we couldn’t give it up ourselves for a minute.

Why do things have to break before we start working on the problem?

I’m not even immune to it myself,
trying to stay sober for a night.
But a couple hours in,
that liquor store across the street
starts lookin’ real inviting
and suddenly I have a six-pack.
Forget the money I don’t need to keep spending.

All for that droning buzz.
All to numb that growing edginess
All in the name
of feeling a little less lonely for a night.

It doesn’t have to be addiction to become a crutch.

To that end, I guess I’m fortunate
that I can’t stand a hangover
else the slope would get a whole lot slippier.

Makes me wonder what I could do
for those further down than me.
Let’s catch up, but over coffee instead.
Let’s watch the game at my place,
I got soda and tea.
We’re here to play trivia,
can we get a round of water, please?

Anything to slow the dependencies down.

And if you’re having a hard time,
please don’t wait ’til we’re both thirsty
to take a lean on my shoulder.

I could be cottonmouthed
I’ll still be there for you.

I could be dead tired
I’ll still be there for you.

Nothing asked, nothing owed
’cause the revolution has to start somewhere,
breaking free from the power of the drink
if only for a night.

If only to prove to ourselves that we still can.

Imagine what we could conquer after that.