The Last 10 Years (part 1)

Each day this week, I plan to outline my behaviour during the last 10 years of my drinking. Keep coming back. Maybe by Friday, a pattern will emerge.

By August of 1993, I had been on the road, living out of a suitcase, for almost 5 years. My home base, since early 1989, had been in the UK. Most summers, from April-October, I spent there, working. During the winter months I would be sent to various locations in the Mediterranean and West Africa. Our work was very dependent on offshore weather conditions.

When in the UK, I travelled often; to Wales, Ireland, northern England but mostly to Aberdeen in Scotland. I'd often fly across the North Sea to Holland and take a train from Amsterdam to a small port north of there. Sometimes a trip every week or two -- to somewhere.

I could get around any terminal at London Heathrow with my eyes closed. Sometimes I did.

I knew all the good pubs. In London, Guildford, Seven Oaks, Pembroke, Middlesbrough, Hull, Manchester, Aberdeen, Edinburgh. In Cork, Ireland. In Amsterdam and Den Helder. In Esbjerg, Denmark.

After about 5 years, I needed some time away from work (notice I didn't include time away from pubs). I finally finagled 3 weeks off in August. I went to Amsterdam and took a train to Hamburg, Germany. Spent a few days there then back to Amsterdam for about 10 days, then back to London. The last few days of that time off, I was dreading going back to work. I must include here that I was spending 14-18 hours per day - drinking. The day before I was due back, I realized that I just wasn't ready to return, mentally. I sat in my second home (a pub) and thought it over very hard. The next morning, I walked into the office and resigned. Told the boss I was just totally burned out and couldn't work any more. I had been with the same company* for 12 years. Faithful. Dependable. Now I was done.

Two days later, with everything packed in my 2 suitcases and a loaded bank account, I moved to Amsterdam. My Paradise of Vice.

* it changed ownership in 1992 from American to British, but they still owned me

to be continued