Drunk: a version of me about 25 percent ditzier and 15 percent more outgoing than usual. I try harder, but I'm definitely dumber.

This plays out interestingly in conversation. It means I miss a lot of openings and connections, 'cause I'm already a bit slow on the uptake, and the alcohol doesn't help. I remember the conversation the next day and think, Oh, so that's what s/he was talking about. My enthusiasm carries me right past a lot of subtlety.

Talk comes more easily, as my self-censoring undercurrents of thought shut up for once—but the quality of thought may be somewhat diminished. I say a little more than usual, and understand a little less.

I write this not because I think you'll be interested, but because I'm working to tease apart the intricacies of my interest in alcohol.

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