August 2011

The Ethics of Drinking: The Drunk Confession

A common scenario: Two friends spend an evening in their cups. At some point, usually in a deep state of intoxication, one of them confesses something very personal to the other. Assuming the confessee remembers the conversation, what are his or her ethical responsibilities concerning the confession? Is it right for the confessee to pretend nothing was said? Is it right to acknowledge and address the confession when both parties are sober? Should the confession be taken as truth or as the unreliable mutterings of a drunk? These are complicated questions with potentially serious social ramifications, so it's the responsibility of anyone who decides to engage with alcohol and those who drink it to have a plan in this regard.

The Ethics of Drinking: The Drunk Hook-Up

Alcohol encourages altered behavioral patterns. That's a fancy, Psych 101 way of saying that drunk people do things they normally wouldn't do. Among the many funny, strange and terrible things people do under the influence of alcohol, one of the stone classics is the drunk hook-up. Now, I personally believe it should qualify as some sort of physical feat to successfully consummate a relationship, no matter how brief, while affected by a depressant that just loves to inhibit motor function, but there are also major emotional ramifications in the aftermath. There is a right and wrong way to deal with the morning after drunk sex and I'm here to make some important suggestions in that regard.

How To Drink When You're: In Seattle

I dearly love my rainy Emerald City. It's a very 21st century kind of place thanks to its mix of tech industry modernity and localism in the food department. Of course, I also love Seattle because it's one of the best drinking towns in America. It doesn't have that reputation, though it deserves it as much as any berg big or small in these United States. Seattle may not party like New Orleans or stay open as late as Las Vegas, but it has some incredible booze cred as far as my lushy little liver is concerned. Of course, visitors and newcomers may not know this, so here's the how-to for Seattle neophytes.