The Unbearable Lightness Of Being Drunk, Lonely, And Remorseful

Of the various states of mind that I occasionally find myself in, perhaps three of the most ubiquitous are drunkenness, loneliness, and remorsefulness. I hesitate to speculate on the preponderance of these states with regard to my friends, but … ok, I don’t hesitate at all; in fact, it would be irresponsible not to speculate … given the amount of drinking and general commiserating that goes on, I don’t think I’m an outlier here.

Any one of these, in isolation, presents no problem whatsoever. We, as human beings, have always enjoyed a nip or three of the goofy-juice throughout our existence as a species (and indeed, this is not exclusive to humans.) As social creatures, we yearn for the company of others, and while we may value our moments away, by ourselves, isolation is ultimately antithetical to happiness. And without recognition of past mistakes and regret for past actions, there would be no advancement on either a personal or societal level. Drunkenness, loneliness, remorsefulness … the triumvirate of existential states that drives and defines humankind.

Even experiencing two of these states at the same time is generally no cause for alarm. Being drunk and lonely can often, from what I’m told, provide a set of circumstances under which one becomes less lonely, if only for a short time. Drunk and remorseful? It’s quite possible that Hank Williams would never have written a single song without this creativity-boosting combination. And being lonely and remorseful – well, that’s just part of the healing cycle.

Hear my words and heed my warning: all three states experienced simultaneously will destroy your soul. Utter and complete destruction of your very being. You should really try to avoid this. Trust me.


Oh, what the hell am I talking about? Go nuts, ya crazy kids …