Page 118 of Where Do We Go From Here?
W: So.
K: …
W: I don’t really know where to start.
K: That’s fairly common. Just start anywhere. All roads lead to Rome, as they say.
W: Yes, I’m sure they do. So… OK. Can I ask you a question?
K: Of course. Fire away.
W: How do you define analcoholic?
K: How do I define an alcoholic?
W: I mean, how does one know if one is an alcoholic. As opposed to a normal heavy drinker.
K: Do you think you might be an alcoholic?
W: Maybe. I’m not sure. That’s why I’m asking.
K: OK, well, let’s talk a bit about your use of alcohol, then. Does that sound like a good idea?
W: Yes, it probably is.
K: Do you think that you drink too much, perhaps?
W: I think that Ihave beendrinking too much. Yes.
K: Do you think you’re able to be honest about how much you’re drinking? It’s not always easy to count these things accurately. Especially when one is drunk.
W: No, I can. I was in denial about it at first. But then I was in this cabin up in the Alps and I had to go get the stuff on foot… Anyway, to cut a long story short, I know exactly how much I was drinking. I was up to about two bottles a day. Sometimes two and a half.
K: These are bottles of…?
W: Wine. White, red… anything, really.
K: Well, two and a half bottles of wine per day is certainly more than the human body can tolerate for any period of time without it leading to health issues.
W: Right.
K: I notice you’re using the past tense. Youweredrinking two and a half bottles a day.
W: Yes, I stopped completely on Boxing Day.
K: This Boxing Day, just past?
W: Yes.
K: So that’s, what, about two weeks?
W: Yes.
K: And when you say, you stopped… Do you mean you’ve reduced or?—
W: No, I haven’t had a drop. Not a single drop since Boxing Day. Well, it was actually the day after, I think, but…
K: So you’re entirely sober now.
