Drinking

I know it is a common custom for many Japanese salary man to have a drink after coming home from work . The stereotypical image of the father, sitting at the table, and his wife bringing him a bottle of beer. The euphoric ‘aah’ escapes his lips as he takes the first drink after a long day at work.

I'm not sure how common this situation is anymore.

I drink too; sometimes. Not a lot. Recently I have been tracking how often I drink with an app on my phone. I don't want to drink too much. My goal is to drink no more than 2 or 3 drinks a month. I have been successful since May.

Don’t misunderstand me. I do have the desire to drink. I like a drink with dinner, or out at restaurant (another thing I don't do very often).

But…

I don’t actually like drinking much. When I drink, I can’t concentrate. I get sleepy. My mood usually sinks. My stomach gets upset. I feel even worse the next day.

After I drink I usually regret it. I wonder ‘why did I just drink?’

When I was younger it was different. I could drink a lot, have a great time, go to bed and wake up feeling great. Just another subtle sign I’m getting older.

By the way, when I do drink, I like a highball. I used to like ‘rum and Coke’ but that’s too sweet for me these days…