Saturday, November 30, 2013

the anniversary

tomorrow marks 8 years without a drink. i've mentioned this before but for the millions who haven't heard it before, here's the story. i stopped drinking on december 1 for one very good reason. i wanted to get in good shape and be ready for all the christmas parties and all the alcohol that goes along with xmas parties. but the best laid plans occasionally go astray. one thing led to another and i missed all the xmas fun. fuck me, i was tricked into sobriety. so here's my advice to any young reader who may drink a little too much from time to time. if some fucknut tells you to take a rest from drinking to get in good shape for future drinking, don't do it! it's a fucking trick and you may end up like me, a boring old teatotaler.

my mentally ill friend is falling back into despair and lunacy again. maybe it's the upcoming xmas season or the change in the weather but he's drowning in self pity and won't seek any professional medical help. notice i use the word "professional". he is getting amateur help, me. the state would classify me as an amateur but eliot and countless satisfied customers would dispute the amateur label. his problems are as plain as the nose on his face but like any mentally ill person he's living on that river in egypt, de nile. he's stuffed to the gills with the 3 poisons of the mind; greed, hatred and delusion. have you ever tried to tell a man that he has these three wonderful character flaws? at the rosewater foundation, confidentiality is paramount so i won't divulge any further details. and until i've achieved a little success with him or release another patient, i can't take on any new cases. it wouldn't be fair to give a patient less than the gold standard of care the foundation has spent decades establishing.

remember, the more power you have over someone, the greater your duty to use that power benevolently. if someone asked me to describe eliot in one word, it would be benevolent. eliot has been mentoring me in the benevolence racket for years. it is a long journey but as eliot often says, the longer the view, the wiser the intentions.

in case anyone has forgotten my mission statement: the first thing you see when visiting me, ENJOY THE MOMENT

the last thing you see, I LOVE YOU SONS OF BITCHES.

and don't forget, i love you sons of bitches.

33 comments:

BBC said...

Good song...

I'm drinking less simply because I figured that I have had enough over the years and don't enjoy it all that much anymore.

But drinking less doesn't change my opinions and attitudes about a fucking thing.

Farmer Giles said...

Billy, my friend, you have a choice, amigo. You can be a boring old fart teetotaller, or you can be an out-and-out, out-of control acute alcoholic. The choice is yours, no-one elses. Only you know the true reasons why you stopped drinking. Good advice, mate, but personally, I'd say to the younger elements, if drink enjoys you more than you enjoy it, and it begins to control and destroy your life, then perhaps it's time to think about whether screwing-up your life's worth it.

I think this is a cleverly written cryptic message to your mentally ill friend, Billy, :-P

Personally, I choose sobriety. I was a pain in the arse when an alcoholic, and am a pain in the arse when sober. Therefore, I've come to the conclusion that at least when I'm sober, I can remember being so and don't have to make excuses for being a 'menace to sobriety'! :-P

To You & Yours, I Wish You a Happy & Peaceful Day!

Take Care & Stay Lucky!

Peace,

Steve...

PS Don't take life too seriously, especially about matters that're unimportant. It's the important facts and matters in life that you can still remind people about! Seriousness and laughter can live side-by-side!

Ciao!

Farmer Giles said...

Mike Jared: I'm, er... recently retired...

Borat: You are a retard?

Billy, check-out the film Borat, mate - you may indeed be able to laugh at it! :-P

High five!

Peace,

Steve...

Jesus the hobo said...

Well, congrats on 8 years sobriety. I'm drunk and have been for the past 42 years. I'm drunk on the fumes of resentment. It fuels my determination. Gets me through the day as I seethe and writhe in angst whilst my eyes burn holes in the backs of the heads of selfish idiots.

Truthfully, no one likes to be called on their b.s.. They will likely just dismiss any logical reasoning regardless. So I adopt the "do not engage the crazy" and stay out of it, but by all means be a courteous listener, and if a real conscientious friend, then be stern and harsh when they become unhinged. If they can't snap themselves out of it, it's your duty to push them back in line. Don't be an enabler my benevolent friend used to say. And when I came unhinged he'd slap me in the face and shake me back into reality.

But be careful of the benevolent despots. Even the wisest of men know that if (or whether or not) we are all created equal, we have an equal balance of good and evil within us, as well as an equal balance of responsibility to ourselves and one another.

Trust no one completely but thyself. You are the only one who can truly help you. We have to learn how to help ourselves before we can help anybody else. Good luck and as always, best wishes for the holidays and the new year.

~ J

BBC said...

jesus babbles a lot....

Farmer Giles said...

High five, let's enjoy the moment and love each sons of bitches, and bitches of sons, huh? :-P

Peace & Lots of High Fives Love For All The Worlds, Especially To The Peoples of Kazakhstan!

Take Care & Stay Lucky!

peace,

Borat the Deranged! ;-P

billy pilgrim said...

king - excellent point on the natural aging process.

jesus - thank you for the poignant and thoughtful comment. it's been struggle trying to walk the fine line between supporting and enabling him. i'm indeed tempted to kick him in the nuts but he seems too fragile. as an added aside, he has not been a nice person and has no relationship with his children or ex-wives.

farmer - your mocking of my mission statement is testing my benevolence to the nth degree.

your flippant attitude toward my mission statement causes me great pain. in our lives pain is inevitable but suffering is optional and as such i'm tempted to say that i don't suffer fools gladly but that would allay my mission statement.

JM said...

Congrats on the sobriety! And if you can honestly give a point of view and have personal knowledge to back up a living situation, then you are not an amateur, you are a survivor...

TheWayfarer said...

Comfort the afflicted...
Afflict the comfortable!

In all cases, I'd rather be happy than right any day.

Hope your holidays are the same!

TheWayfarer said...

Comfort the afflicted...
Afflict the comfortable!

In all cases, I'd rather be happy than right any day.

Hope your holidays are the same!

Gorilla Bananas said...

Well, teetotalism can't be that bad if you've managed it for 8 years without losing the will to live. You've even got the patience to be a surrogate shrink for your friend. But do you smoke weed? That's better than alcohol, no?

BBC said...

Everyone is welcome to go have loving relationships with the people I am disconnected from.

Carry on.....

billy pilgrim said...

angel - a survivor, i like that.

galt - comfort the afficted and afflict the comfortable. i'll use this one day, with your permission of course.

gb - i've been known to enjoy the jungle flora from time to time.

king - i won't seek a relationship with any of your disconnections, but thanks for the permission.

Farmer Giles said...

Billy, my friend, I forgot to congratulate you, when commenting yesterday on your blog, with regards to the fact that you've been abstinent from alcohol for 8+ years. That, my friend, is a major achievement in itself, and one that deserves much praise and encouragement.
Anyway, my friend, I think I've just set the record straight, and look forward to sending a similar sentiment in the next eight years!

To You & Yours, I Wish You a Happy & Peaceful Day!

Take Care & Stay Lucky!

Peace,

Steve...

thimscool said...

Would that you'd deigned to be born nearer my present residence I'd have arranged for your services to cleanse the mind of a friend I know who is gravely afflicted.

But your clever ancestors landed you in Vancouver. Jesus.

Any agents in my area?

BBC said...

Chilly this morning but looks like we will be getting some sun.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
billy pilgrim said...

farmer - thanks, they say the first 8 years are the hardest. it'll all be clear sailing from here. the world is my oyster.

thims - i'm currently at an impasse with my friend so it's time to step back and re-assess my approach. i have about 50 pages of notes to go over. no shit, 50 pages but they're hand written with a lot of spaces and doodles so i kinda enjoy going over them.

king - it was frosty this morning with all the puddles being frozen over when i rode to the bakery. got some excellent day old asian twist raisin bread.

bea - you can't speak that way about the aquarian.

BBC said...

Bea may be Harry, I know he has a number of profiles.

Went to a chink buffet for lunch, it wuz good.

billy pilgrim said...

king - i don't think harry has anything to do with bea. harry is usually very erudite, bea is not.

texlahoma said...

Congratulations on the 8 years!

That's hard for my mind (and liver)
to grasp.











BBC said...

It's fugging cold, the stuff in the outside fridge is starting to freeze.

"Honey, this young skunk is freezing, look at it shaking."

"Put it between your legs."

"But it stinks."

"Cover its little nose."

Unknown said...

I said something about the Aquarian?

Are you quite sure?

Unknown said...

Why does BBC think he needs to speculate on my boner fides ?

He seems to have no discretion whatsoever.



Damn my dicks cold!

Mr. Shife said...

Congrats BP. Eight years is awesome, and good luck with Eliot. He's in good hands. Enjoy your weekend.

Farmer Giles said...

Billy, [whispers extremely quietly], Anyone home? Anyone still alive? Is this really the beginning or the end of Armageddon? :-P

To You & Yours, I Wish You a Happy & Peaceful Day!

Take Care & Stay Lucky!

Steve...

TheWayfarer said...

I swear I'll give up drinking as soon as pot is legal here!

thimscool said...

I smell a rat!

BBC said...

woof woof woof...

Unknown said...

49ers over Seachickens, 19 - 17

Hahaha

Fuck you and your 12th man too, you Seattle crybaby whiners.

Now get in that superbowlofshit and lose again you pussies.

Leslie said...

Word.

Leslie said...

Wait. What? There's no room for either of them in the Super Bowl this year, sorry.

Farmer Giles said...

Where the fuck's that fuckin' hilariously funny Canadian cunt whose blog this is? "Give me the head of the Canadian cunt!" :-P

Take Care & Stay Lucky!

Peace,

Steve...