An Argument Against the Fabric of the Holiday Season

It isn’t easy to avoid alcohol during the holidays. Sometimes I feel like Santa Claus himself wants nothing but to sit me on his lap and pour tequila down my throat. Not drinking, however, awakened me to so much that I’d never seen before; I notice things that flew right past me when I was sloppy with bourbon cocktails. Among my observations:

1. People aren’t attractive when they drink a lot. This is particularly bittersweet, of course, since most of us drink to feel prettier. The smeared eyeliner, the teeth stained red-wine purple, the staggering to the bathroom: Even the most devastating woman at the party looks bad falling off a bar stool.

The excellent Sarah Hepola lists 20 things she’s noticed about drinking since she quit drinking. It will not make you want a drink.

Photo by Michael C. Gray, via Shutterstock