AA – Alcoholics Anonymous.

My Opinion: A necessity for some, a pain in the ass for most. I have learned a long time ago that alcoholism is nothing to joke about – I apologize for starting my blog off with such a depressing note, but you can’t get much higher in the alphabet than AA – but someone needs to address the people who don’t suffer from alcoholism, yet through guilt or some other deceptive measure are roped into attending AA.

There are many out there with the genetic disease that forces them to drink – “The Craving,” as us Irish call it – but there are just as many out there who drink only because they like to. These are the guys and gals who get royally wasted on a Friday night because they want to forget all of the shitty things that they had to put up with during their work week. The boss was on your ass…have a cocktail. Your car broke down in the middle of a busy four-lane highway…have two cocktails. Your wife’s been busting your balls about drinking too much…just drink until you can’t hear her anymore.

The people who enjoy having a few drinks after a rough day are not the ones who would benefit from the AA system. For a person to actually change their life in AA, they have to have hit (pardon the cliché) rock bottom and they have to hit it hard. They need to brush their teeth and rinse their mouth out with vodka. They need to sweeten their coffee with vodka. They need to carry a flask of vodka in their sock to work. And for lunch, what do you think they drink? Gin. (Why gin? Because it is a delicious and refreshing afternoon beverage with the subtle hints of tropical fruits and citrus. Plus one must deviate from vodka at least once throughout the day to prevent uniformity). For those few who have long ago learned that they can’t go through life without being three sheets to the wind, AA might be right for them.

But still, AA won’t work unless the person is ready to change themselves. To those who have decided this, good for you. To those who refuse and would rather go living their lives with a martini glass in one hand and a don’t-judge-me attitude in the other, good for you too. Cheers.