The 2 Questions to Ask Yourself, (really ask yourself) about Your Drinking.

The ice was melting fast in the string bag holding my six-pack of beer that I used as my makeshift cooler.

The sun was hot that afternoon on the beach in Marco Island, Florida, as I relaxed with a dozen industry friends after a morning of convention meetings. I kept the bag tucked under my beach chair in its shadow to keep my precious cargo as cold as I could, even though I wouldn’t have hesitated to drink warm beer.

I was as loud as my friends and I soaked in the sun. I tried too hard to be funny, and a sense of invincibility slowly washed over me as I drank fast to finish my beers before the ice lost its battle.

I knew I drank too much. I even joked about it that afternoon calling myself an alcoholic, as though it was a badge of honor and not the deadliest of chronic diseases. I knew my drinking was excessive, but I also knew a lot of other people who hit it hard and seemed to be just fine. It felt like I was walking a thin line that separated normal from calamity, occasionally stepping over, going too far, and experiencing massive bouts of shame and regret as a result.

“I know I have a drinking problem. They say admitting it is the first step, and I like to take things…