Alcohol has the magical ability to change a person completely. One moment you are hiding in the corner, next thing you know you are dancing on the bar.

You like to get drunk because alcohol smacks your brain around in a number of ways that feel pleasant, or at least different, or at the very least better than going without. And that is really how all mood-altering drugs work.

Drinking does not make you a bad person – in fact it seems to put you in good company and thereby make you a good person – if you can resist its addictive lure.

Because recreational drug use including drinking does not lead to addiction for most people. The problem is that people who start to drink too much get pulled away.

For those who get caught, the fun soon disappears.

Once you become addicted to alcohol, the fun of the high is eclipsed by two opposing fears. The fear of going without, versus the fear of being unable to stop.

There are the unpleasant bodily effects that plague you when you stop for a few hours or, worse, a few days.

Add to that your emotional emptiness, your depression, and increased stress responsiveness that overcome your mood at the same time. Taken together, these effects make up the dark side of addiction.

But when it comes to alcohol and other drugs, it is the realisation that the thing you rely on to relax is the very thing that stresses you out the most.

It is hard to find a way out of the recurrent cycle of anxiety and temporary relief, over and over, and that is the epitome of a losing battle.

I eat food to satisfy my hunger
I drink water to quench my thirst
I use my mouth and air to blow balloon up
I prick with pin to watch it burst
To make noise I use my breathe
To unlock doors I use a key
When I’m looking for something I use my eyes
I use booze to unlock me

I sweep so I can sleep
I sweep so I can sleep

I wear shoes so I can run
As to avoid the broken glass
I wear the pants because they suit me
And to discourage the pinchin’ of ass
I’ll tell a joke to make you laugh
I’ll close the door to have a cry
They say that change and pain is a positive thing
Have I changed since you died

I Sweep so I can sleep
I Sweep so I can sleep

Don’t ask me why I smoke
I don’t know
But I drink to get drunk

Don’t ask me why I smoke
I don’t know
But I drink to get drunk

Don’t ask me why I smoke
I don’t know
But I drink to get drunk

Don’t ask me why I smoke
I don’t know
But I drink to get drunk