............................................ ............................................ A blog devoted to the ramblings of a small town, middle aged college professor as he experiences life and all its strange variances.
From my understanding of the term "Dry Drunk" I take it to mean a person who has quit drinking, but thinks about it quite frequently. I sometimes wonder if the intent of that phrase applies to me in terms of my pipes and pipe tobaccos... perhaps I am a "Dry Piper"?
............................................ ............................................ A blog devoted to the ramblings of a small town, middle aged college professor as he experiences life and all its strange variances.
About the Author: The Frumpy Professor has a Ph.D. in Zoology with specialization in endocrinology. He is active in both research and teaching. His rather furry-face is salt-and-pepper grey, and he sports wire-rimmed glasses. In addition to pipe-smoking, philosophy, drinking, and writing, he is an avid hunter and fisherman.
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3 Comments:
The term "dry drunk" originated within Alcoholics Anonymous as a way to shame people who got off of booze without using the AA twelve-step program. Their idea was that if you didn't reform your character in the precise way AA prescribes by working their program, you would necessarily have old behavior patterns that would eventually lead you back to drinking. Frankly it is almost a "cultish" term and isn't scientifically sound, as while AA works for many it is not the "one true way" to change alcoholic behavior patterns.
Kind sir, I think that for you the reality is far simpler. You are a pipe smoker. From what you have written, I suspect you will always be a pipe smoker. You just happen not to have smoked a pipe for 18 months. Yet you have the worldview of a pipe smoker, and your self-image (as seen in your dreams where you can be yourself with no one watching and judging) is that of a contented pipe smoker.
You seem to have a strong tendency toward self-criticism and melancholy, so it makes sense that you are skeptical of your "accomplishment" in abstaining for so long. Yet, if you took up your pipes again tomorrow, I strongly suspect that you would beat up on yourself for your "failure" even though your 18-month abstention is an accomplishment worthy of praise. So, since you are going to beat up on yourself no matter what, it comes down to a simple choice: go through your days lamenting that you are missing out on a pleasure that is a deeply rooted part of your being, or go through your days lamenting that you did not abstain for a longer period of time.
My personal take on this is that you will eventually resume externally the identity that you retain internally: that of a contented and confirmed pipe smoker. Since you will eventually do so, why prolong your melancholy over missing your pipes? You might as well fire up a pipe and start wondering whether you should have abstained longer.
That probably puts me in the minority here. I know you have readers who hope you will never again put match to burley and take in the satisfying aroma and taste of a fine tobacco. They want you to be separated forever from your old friends, your pipes. They want you to pretend to be someone you are not: a non-smoker. Well, for 18 months you have proved that you are indeed capable of doing all of that. The question will be: is that how you want to spend the rest of your life? Only you can answer that question.
I sure not dry fabric collector. Just bought some today.
Coffee is on
what Pat said.
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