The First Time

Even though I was 22, as of late 1993, I still hadn't ever really drank any alcohol before (I'm not gonna count the times when, as a child, my dad let me have a sip of his Schlitz Malt Liquor). At the time, I was in my 5th(!) year of college and living across from Goltz Pharmacy in Winona. I had made some friends and was thinking about trying some boos. I asked Jim (the resident expert on such things) what alcoholic drink would give me a buzz the fastest. He said the best at a reasonable price would probably be Mad Dog 20/20.

So me, Jim, and another friend, Brian, walked to Third Street Liquor and made our choices. I did pick MD 20/20 and walked back home with it.

The three of us sat at the kitchen table and began ingesting our liquers. I took a few drinks. I swear, in just a few minutes, I felt this sweeping wave of bliss come over me (Jim had said that if one hadn't really had alcohol before, it wouldn't take long for it to take effect). I was euphoric and so relaxed that I actually laid on the floor for several minutes. It was a good feeling.

I don't really have any other remembrances of drinking much after that, though, other than a New Years' Eve here and there. But this story has got me thinking... Maybe I'll buy an MD 20/20 in the near future and see if it still has the magic touch.

I did return to the Third Street Liquor store a few years later. My brother, Matt, was now living across from Goltz, wasn't of age yet, and wanted me to pick him up some of the good stuff. I agreed. His choice of poison: several 45 ounce bottles of Colt 45.