Why do so many of us love the passed-out raccoon in the liquor store bathroom? That fuzzy little body stretched out on the bathroom floor after a full-force face plant in between a trash can and the toilet pulls at our heartstrings. He looked vulnerable. We all know he was going to have an absolute whopper of a hangover. My head started pounding, and my stomach started churning in solidarity. It was a good reminder that the only time I feel that way now is if I have the flu; it is no longer a regular thing that I do to myself. Even someone who has never had a hangover can imagine the pain and have empathy. Poor little guy.
There’s a lightheartedness to the debauchery of the raccoon I have decided to name “Eggnog,” given one of his beverage choices. There was just too much revelry. He just went for it and partied until he dropped. It was truly an open bar for him. He wasn’t drinking to escape pain or suffering. He wasn’t counting his drinks and making rules for his consumption. Eggnog wasn’t sneaking drinks. Yes, he was drinking alone, but I am going to let that go. Once he sobered up, he was able to shamble away and go on his merry way.
Eggnog seems to embody the imperative to embrace the present and live in the now.
We love Eggnog because he can drink without consequences. If he’s a youngster, he won’t be forced to watch after-school specials about the dangers of alcohol or attend alcohol education classes. He won’t be deemed “a problem child.” Eggnog doesn’t embarrass his family. He doesn’t live under the threat of dire consequences—losing his partner, family, job, and standing. He doesn’t dispose of his bottles and cans away from his home, or in the tell-tale rattling of the recycling bin. Eggnog’s drinking was without shame.
Many of us humans wish that we could do the same as Eggnog and have no negative consequences to our drinking. However, our consumption always carries all these risks and more. Some of us will drive drunk. Some of us will make other reckless choices because alcohol is a disinhibitor; we’ll do things we normally would not (or so we tell ourselves). One choice may destroy someone else’s life or our own. We may begin to lose the respect of others. We may also start to lose our self-respect.
We, humans, can understand many negative consequences of alcohol consumption. Actual or potential bad consequences may be a deterrent for some. We can imagine many of them and still be surprised by the ones that seem to come out of left field. We also understand that we must take responsibility for those consequences, even if they are completely unintentional. Eggnog neither understands nor bears the weight of consequences and responsibilities. Most humans would like to have a free space on the game board of life and get to be like Eggnog, if only for a night.
