Thanks, society

Well, that didn't take long.

Last night, my son told us that he really wanted to go out and buy some beer. Because that's what people do when they turn 21. (Thanks, society.) And even though he doesn't like alcohol, he likes the taste of beer. Then he asked why we think he's gonna go out and get "shit-faced"--his words, not mine--all the time.

So, less than 11 hours after I made a blog post expressing fear that my son might want to start drinking now that he's legal, that fear walks right up to me and kicks me in the gut. Hard.

My wife and I tried to explain our concerns to our son. We told him that with his addiction history, drinking probably wouldn't be the best thing for him to do. I asked him why he would even want to start drinking, especially after all he's been through; and after he's seen close up in AA meetings how alcohol can ruin so many lives. I didn't really get an answer, though.

I don't want to sound negative, but I fear that this situation is a timebomb, ticking and just waiting to explode. I think my son thinks drinking beer has nothing to do with smoking pot or snorting heroin. That drinking and drug use are totally unrelated. But with his past history of addiction, I would say there's a very high probability that he's wrong. If he starts drinking, I shudder to think what might happen. Especially with a history of alcoholism in my family.

I also told my son that if he chooses to start drinking, he'll have to do it while living somewhere else. I felt bad saying that, but my family has been through hell and back with the marijuana and heroin use. There's no way we're going to go through it all again with alcohol. We just don't have anything left in the tank. If my son wants to celebrate his entry into adulthood by becoming a drinker, he can become a full-blown adult and get himself a job and a place of his own to live.

Less than 11 hours. Damn. That didn't take long at all.