People drinking during the day are very unpleasant (to me)

Today I met with a schoolmate from a quarter of a century ago. I attended a boarding school in England, and several months ago, he reached out to me with a potential consulting project for the company he works for. Last night, he flew into Miami, and, conveniently, I am in Florida now so we had lunch in Delray Beach. My friend wasn’t drinking, but he had come with a buddy who had two beers during our lunch. My friend’s friend lives in Miami, but he’s from Belgium (does that explain the drinking?!)

It was very hot, and the beers looked lovely, actually. I love cold beer, especially IPA. You’d know I’m not a sobriety fanatic if you've read my writing long enough. I advocate for moderation. In fact, I often get annoyed reading patronizing sobriety stories in the spirit of you-are-an-idiot-if-drink-alcohol. I’ve enjoyed beer and wine for decades now. I’ve had “dry” stretches, but it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I enjoy a drink almost daily. It’s one of my indulgences, and it contributes to my overall well-being. It’s okay to have some indulgences, even if at face value, they are “bad” for you. That alcohol is bad for you, I don’t doubt. I’d be healthier if I didn’t drink at all.

I have certain rules, though. I always have my drinks in the evening. For one thing, I would never exercise with alcohol in my blood. I run every day, so that’s one constraint on my alcohol consumption. No running, no alcohol. I do a lot of running in the afternoon or evening, so drinking before that is…