by Lida Pripchan
The attraction, union or closeness between individuals is ruled by circumstance but also by identification and antagonism.
Affinity,
either for a similar concept of life, for a shared ideology, for
interests in common. Antagonism, such as that observed between the man
and woman who achieve perfect unity by complementing one another. But
individuals of the same sex also can be united by antagonism, an example
of which is the relationship between a purely academic individual and a
practical one, or between a man who, though wealthy, lacks ideas and
one who lacks resources but not ideas. This introduction leads me to
the subject of habits, since antagonism and affinity have a lot to do
with them. So it is easy to see that a drinker can meet another and be
friends with him by affinity, but in the end one cannot tell whether the
friendship is due to friendship per se or to alcohol; alcohol, money
and food make many friends by themselves, but they are friends of
circumstance, because when these three factors disappear, so also do the
friends.
The opposite of the preceding case would be the individual factors disappear, so also do the friends. The opposite of the preceding case would be the individual who recognizes his excessive predilection for drinking and seeks out acquaintances that do not drink. It can be inferred from these two situations, that the first individual abandons himself without precaution to his appetites, while the second cautiously channels them into other paths. In this sense one should view youth as a stage which determines the formation of habits, particularly alcoholic ones, since one unfortunate trait or bad habit is like a pig, which when young, does not make much trouble, but fully grown created havoc everywhere.
During adolescence it is common to allow oneself to be influenced by others (peer pressure), to question, to break with convention, as it is almost impossible to realize that one can be unconventional and very original without doing harm to oneself. As a result it is a period of great confusion when one does not understand oneself but needs to be accepted by others. This results in imitation, but not exactly of what is best. Moreover, to imitate other people’s habits believing them to be one’s own is to live a dangerous lie, because the habits could well become one’s own. Becoming accustomed to what is inadequate is to fall into a spider’s web, from which it is difficult to extricate oneself later on. It is also hard to recognize what is going on… Changes occur constantly and with them new ways of focusing life, and although some individuals change more easily than others, there are some who never do, or if they do they don’t appear to , and instead of living through this stage and passing on to the next, they remain stuck in the same one all their lives.
The question most frequently asked of the alcoholic by the curious is: “Why do you drink?” I believe that when you ask this question, you expect a confession from a man ruined by adverse circumstances, but what you receive on the contrary is a very pleasant and entertaining answer on how amusing one becomes after a few little drinks. Let’s examine the best answer, given me two years ago by Mr. C. He told me: “Look, I’ve been drinking for years now. I’m a social alcoholic, that’s to say I enjoy the alcoholic habit in company, although I have always been very careful. But my wife considers me an alcoholic and not exactly anonymous. Why do I drink? That’s easy. For the same reasons that I drink anything; firstly for pleasure, next for pleasure and because it’s a habit, and then for pleasure and because it’s a habit and because you realize that you become married to alcohol which is an acceptable love but not very much respected, but with drink as your companion you can walk down the street with your head held high. Sure, you’ll find someone who will invent reasons for drinking, like a friend who says he does it because his mother didn’t nurse him (as if mother’s milk had alcohol in it!).
Someone else says it’s because he’s too shy, another because he’s too forward and alcohol puts a bridle on him (especially when he drinks “Caballito Frenao” ¹), others because they’re in love and don’t know how to appease their passion, others because it’s what the doctor ordered. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a load of baloney. You drink for pleasure, for pure enjoyment, because you feel happy and content and alive inside. Anyway, everything has to do with alcohol: business, politics, art, sports (because they always go on a binge after a championship), even witchcraft is connected with alcohol, you go to a spiritualist session or to Maria Lionza’s mountain², and just see how they put away those big bottles of rum – you’d think they’d called up the Indian Guaicaipuro! Give me a drink from just half of that bottle and I assure you the First Negro, and all his brothers too ³, would be down in me! Look, alcohol’s mixed up in everything.
Why do you think this country is as it is? Because all political meetings and all important decisions are settled with drinks, of course. From birth to death alcohol goes with everything: when a baby is born you have to celebrate his first tinkle, when your neighbor dies, as soon as you get through with your sobbing – let the party begin! Birthdays, baptisms, weddings (you have to be crazy or drunk to get married), silver weddings, golden weddings, copper weddings, Mother’s Day, Student’s Day, Father’s Day, Youth Day, Worker’s Day, the five hundredth anniversary of the town where you were born, Doctor’s Day, Nurse’s Day, Lawyer’s Day, Public Accountant’s Day, Social Worker’s Day, the following day, whatever day you want, the day you name and the one you don’t name too, the three hundred and sixty-five days of the year, and the month and a bit before and after elections. What are election campaigns all about anyway? Handing out liquor to the public to send their brains to sleep. Why is there so much corruption? Because the politicians steep the public in alcohol, so they can do whatever they want with them. Forget it, there’s no remedy, society has been alcoholized. Here’s to your health!”
The opposite of the preceding case would be the individual factors disappear, so also do the friends. The opposite of the preceding case would be the individual who recognizes his excessive predilection for drinking and seeks out acquaintances that do not drink. It can be inferred from these two situations, that the first individual abandons himself without precaution to his appetites, while the second cautiously channels them into other paths. In this sense one should view youth as a stage which determines the formation of habits, particularly alcoholic ones, since one unfortunate trait or bad habit is like a pig, which when young, does not make much trouble, but fully grown created havoc everywhere.
During adolescence it is common to allow oneself to be influenced by others (peer pressure), to question, to break with convention, as it is almost impossible to realize that one can be unconventional and very original without doing harm to oneself. As a result it is a period of great confusion when one does not understand oneself but needs to be accepted by others. This results in imitation, but not exactly of what is best. Moreover, to imitate other people’s habits believing them to be one’s own is to live a dangerous lie, because the habits could well become one’s own. Becoming accustomed to what is inadequate is to fall into a spider’s web, from which it is difficult to extricate oneself later on. It is also hard to recognize what is going on… Changes occur constantly and with them new ways of focusing life, and although some individuals change more easily than others, there are some who never do, or if they do they don’t appear to , and instead of living through this stage and passing on to the next, they remain stuck in the same one all their lives.
The question most frequently asked of the alcoholic by the curious is: “Why do you drink?” I believe that when you ask this question, you expect a confession from a man ruined by adverse circumstances, but what you receive on the contrary is a very pleasant and entertaining answer on how amusing one becomes after a few little drinks. Let’s examine the best answer, given me two years ago by Mr. C. He told me: “Look, I’ve been drinking for years now. I’m a social alcoholic, that’s to say I enjoy the alcoholic habit in company, although I have always been very careful. But my wife considers me an alcoholic and not exactly anonymous. Why do I drink? That’s easy. For the same reasons that I drink anything; firstly for pleasure, next for pleasure and because it’s a habit, and then for pleasure and because it’s a habit and because you realize that you become married to alcohol which is an acceptable love but not very much respected, but with drink as your companion you can walk down the street with your head held high. Sure, you’ll find someone who will invent reasons for drinking, like a friend who says he does it because his mother didn’t nurse him (as if mother’s milk had alcohol in it!).
Someone else says it’s because he’s too shy, another because he’s too forward and alcohol puts a bridle on him (especially when he drinks “Caballito Frenao” ¹), others because they’re in love and don’t know how to appease their passion, others because it’s what the doctor ordered. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a load of baloney. You drink for pleasure, for pure enjoyment, because you feel happy and content and alive inside. Anyway, everything has to do with alcohol: business, politics, art, sports (because they always go on a binge after a championship), even witchcraft is connected with alcohol, you go to a spiritualist session or to Maria Lionza’s mountain², and just see how they put away those big bottles of rum – you’d think they’d called up the Indian Guaicaipuro! Give me a drink from just half of that bottle and I assure you the First Negro, and all his brothers too ³, would be down in me! Look, alcohol’s mixed up in everything.
Why do you think this country is as it is? Because all political meetings and all important decisions are settled with drinks, of course. From birth to death alcohol goes with everything: when a baby is born you have to celebrate his first tinkle, when your neighbor dies, as soon as you get through with your sobbing – let the party begin! Birthdays, baptisms, weddings (you have to be crazy or drunk to get married), silver weddings, golden weddings, copper weddings, Mother’s Day, Student’s Day, Father’s Day, Youth Day, Worker’s Day, the five hundredth anniversary of the town where you were born, Doctor’s Day, Nurse’s Day, Lawyer’s Day, Public Accountant’s Day, Social Worker’s Day, the following day, whatever day you want, the day you name and the one you don’t name too, the three hundred and sixty-five days of the year, and the month and a bit before and after elections. What are election campaigns all about anyway? Handing out liquor to the public to send their brains to sleep. Why is there so much corruption? Because the politicians steep the public in alcohol, so they can do whatever they want with them. Forget it, there’s no remedy, society has been alcoholized. Here’s to your health!”
¹ Literally, “The Bridled Horse”, a popular brand of extremely strong dark rum.
² Well-known spiritualist rendezvous in Maracay, Venezuela.
³ Mythical spirit figures.
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