I Don't Want

Introduction

This was from a post I wrote on Seven Days In from 2018. It was only two hundred words, so I thought I could extend it as it brought a couple of other things to mind, so I have used that as the start to this Vocal Confessional story.

If you want to visit my blog, which is now just mainly about the books that I am reading, it is here:

I Don't Want

I was thinking of maybe writing a poem that started:

"I don't want coffee

I don't want tea

I don't want alcohol

I don't want soup ..."

Then I couldn't stretch it out any further.

I never understood the phrase "I need a drink" referring to alcohol. I've only ever needed a drink when I have been thirsty. I also understand the need for stimulation, so coffee and other caffeine-based stimulants can be beneficial.

Most alcohol tastes atrocious, though I did acquire a taste for Guinness when I was in hospital recovering from ITP in the mid-eighties, and the odd alcoholic drink has been pleasant, I still love the smell of Southern Comfort.

Flavoured Ciders are the new alcopops. Cider is apple-flavoured, not berry, mango, or whatever. They are very easy to drink, though, and I also used to like drinking Cider; it was usually quite refreshing.

I don't mind Diet Coke and often use it for a caffeine fix, but am well aware of the damage Aspartame can do, so if I do indulge, it's generally two 500ml bottles a day, or maybe two 330 ml cans. It does surprise me that a 500ml bottle is classed as two servings.

So, as I've been on about drink, what about The Dubliners' "Seven Drunken Nights"

That was the end of the original post, but I was thinking of writing poetry three years before I joined Vocal, and I think that having a writing platform where you can put your words down is conducive to creating our work, whether it be pen and paper, typewriter or computer.

Part of me wants to continue that poem, but another part of it sees it as negative vibes, like a small child saying they don't want this or that, especially and the dinner table. I suppose cats are a bit like that, find something they like, stock up on it, then they ignore it.

Then there are my thoughts on alcohol, I still find most of it attrocious and haven't touched it for twenty-five years, although I do enjoy Guinness Zero, which tastes very nice.

All the beers, wines and things are all the same to me. A doctor once told me that alcohol was the purest form of sugar, so as a diabetic, it is a must-avoid for me.

I have also lost my taste for Diet Coke in favour of Pepsi Max, and I actually liked the flavoured versions even though I say that a cola should taste of a cola, not lime or mango. I supose favoured lemonade is the same, shouldn't it just taste of lemon?

So basic drinks that are flavoured with something else, I find particularly a strange concept, but I have tried them and I like a lot of them.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this mess of a story, with its unfinished poetry and flavoured drinks.

It was what I was thinking about seven years ago or so, and I still have never grasped the concept of "needing" an alcoholic drink. I know alcohol is a social disinhibitor, and I have overindulged countless times in my past, resulting in my cirrhosis and eventual liver cancer, but I never needed to drink.

Thank you once more and if you want to find out about the Liver cancer it's documented here: