The Justification

07/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



It started with a breezer

The drink of choice for teens

It was what you did with your mates

On the weekends when parents were away

Or we’d buy a bag of goon

And pass it hand to hand

Play stupid little drinking games

Until we couldn’t walk or talk



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



No one cared what damage it would do

If you went on a three-day binge

Because that’s just what kids do

And it was a part of growing up

It was ingrained into our psyche

No matter what education we received

That drinking was what you did

During the good times and the bad



        You use it when you’re happy

        You use it when you’re sad

        You use it when you’re angry

        This is not a passing fad



If you were celebrating your birthday

You’d have a drink or seven

Pre-drinks at Steve’s place

(Or at least in the shed down the back)

Then down the pub for the “party”

The official part of the celebratory night

And when it came to closing time

You’d be off to someone’s flat



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



You’d have a shot before a date

To calm unsteady nerves

And then have a couple more

As you wait for your meal

You might have a few more drinks

Instead of a dessert because

You’re so much more entertaining

And you’re more confident, to boot



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



You’d have drinks at the uni bar

In the middle of the day

You’d celebrate good grades

And commiserate the bad

Yet while your friends had one or two

You were passed five or six

But no one was noticing

Least of all yourself



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



As you got older, and wiser supposedly,

You’d have a glass of wine at night

With the meal you’d thrown together

With whatever bottle was cheapest

It was your way to relax

To unwind at the end of the day

Until a glass became a bottle

And it started before the meal was served



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



When you went to your grandmother’s funeral

You had a tipple or two

Because you were grieving

And everyone else was indulging

But at the wake you really let loose

And nobody said a thing

Because it’s acceptable when you’re grieving

To get absolutely smashed



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



The day of your wedding is foggy

Because you had a few with the groomsmen

Then a few more while you had photos

And on the drive back to the reception

But a few just wasn’t enough

You toasted the whole night long

To the bride, to yourself, to the in-laws

And to anyone else who was around



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



You went out for drinks to celebrate

The birth of your very first child

While your wife lay in hospital exhausted

Even though you’d been drinking all day

The lads bought you round after round

Because that’s what good mates do

When you’re celebrating such a moment

They won’t let you pay all night



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



Surely you know you have a problem

When the world comes tumbling down

The wife who loved you with all her heart

Has packed her bags and left

The kids don’t want to know you

Or let you attend their school events

And the mates who once stood by you

Are avoiding you instead.



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



You used to drink with other people

Now you drink all on your own

You used to have a reason

But you don’t need one anymore

You can’t hold down a job

Your folks think you’re depressed

The cops have taken your license

And You haven’t washed in weeks



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



It wasn’t like you suddenly fell

Into a bottle by accident

You slide down a long and winding slope

But one of your own making

You could have stopped after the bar fight

Or when you passed out at the barbecue

But you didn’t listen to reason

And didn’t want to see



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



You refused the help that was offered

Then acted like it was their fault you drank

And drank and drank and drank and drank

And then when you’d had enough

You drank a little more

Until all that was left of you

Smelled of the bottom of a bottle

And cheap booze oozing out of your pores



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



The rock bottom you will eventually find

Won’t be your lounge room floor

It won’t be the hard gutter

Or behind prison bars

The bottom that you will find

Will be the grave you have dug

When you couldn’t put away the bottle

To save the life you had