Last Friday when I saw Dr. Paddison, she reminded me that alcohol was a bad mix with my medicines. The holiday season is quickly approaching and alcohol goes right along with the merry making. She mentioned that one of her other patients is alcoholic and bipolar. Dr. Paddison is very worried about this anonymous patient because they struggle so much. Apparently many people who are bipolar try to self-medicate. Alcoholism and Manic-Depression are frequently comorbid conditions.
Having said that, like a “good” polar bear I once again engaged in risky behavior: I drank. Well . . . I only sipped. But this was still probably more than I should have. On Saturday night we attended a dinner party at a friend’s home. One of the guest owns part of a winery in Eastern Washington and therefore is quite the connoisseur and always a great supplier of fabulous wines. I think there were at least eight bottles of very good wine on the table. Then there was another fellow in the group who sampled and critiqued sake with me and Humberto a few months ago. I had to be satisfied with one taste of each vintage that everyone else was raving about. Finally, when “Single Malt Scott,” the groups attorney who brought along his case of 20 or so different bottles of Scotch offered to share I couldn’t take it any more. Scott, who ironically once prosecuted DUIs is quite the character. When his friends accused him of being the groups ”dirty old man” he quickly fired back, “I’m not old!” I think I tried sips of five or six different varieties with Laphroaig 10 being my favorite, hands down. When I smelled it I instantly thought of my lapsang souchong, a tea that one either loves or hates. Then I thought of the sea weed that I use in my miso soup. I understand why people drink the stuff in front of the fire place after a day out on the slops. It certainly warms up the throat! Maybe I should keep a bottle around for when I do get a sore throat? How can something made out of the same three ingredients taste so incredibly different when made by different distilleries? A mystery. In any case, thankfully I did not suffer any ramifications from my curiosity. My sips were just sips. And sips they will have to stay.
