Slog - Comments on Back on the Booze

Comment by Papayas

Papayas — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:23:33 -0800

Does he claim not to drink? I forget. I know he supposedly doesn't do coke anymore.

Comment by elswinger

elswinger — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:24:54 -0800

I didn't actually post this but if it means I'll get points I'll take em. :)

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:27:50 -0800

I'm looking forward to some drunken rages. Maybe a naked Bush stumbling out of his bungalow to puke on the lawn. Yes, I'd like that.

Comment by monkey

monkey — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:29:56 -0800

He's a recovering alcoholic but the close-ups of these pics show he was drinking a non-alcoholic beer.

In the world of AA that's not the best idea ever.

ALTHOUGH, it was the next day after this picture was taken that he "called in sick" to this morning's G8 meeting. Wicked hangover? Still rolling? Who knows.

Comment by kim

kim — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:30:33 -0800

considering he skipped the festivities at G-8 because he was "sick," this leads me to believe by "sick," he meant "in need of a fix." the beer-to-get-over-a-flu tactic always works for me.

Comment by Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:30:43 -0800

Think of the drunk-dial possibilities he has.

Comment by DOUG.

DOUG. — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:30:51 -0800

"Back on" implies that he actually stopped.

Comment by Ryno

Ryno — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:31:51 -0800

Someone on a Gawker media empire site said it best. Recovering alcoholics drinking near beer are probably sneaking alcohol when others aren't watching. Truly sober recovering alcoholics seem to exist purely on diet coke.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:34:40 -0800

I posted it.

sorry, just thought the image said it all.

Comment by Dougsf

Dougsf — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:47:29 -0800

Aw c'mon peoples, I got plenty of "now sober" friends that drink the non-alchy beer. Nothing really scandolous about it... you people sound like a bunch of pot-leads-to-heroin old ladies.

If I'd seen that photo unaccompanied by comments, I'd just think it looked like ice tea.

#6 - ha ha ha

Comment by Hernandez

Hernandez — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:51:05 -0800

I would to if I were you, Georgie. Just stay away from the big red button.

Comment by Brendan Kiley

Brendan Kiley — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:57:07 -0800

My mistake. We're helping administer these posts at the office and I gave this one the wrong author.

Sorry.

Comment by Jason Josephes

Jason Josephes — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:01:32 -0800

I hate posts like this simply because we don't know what he's drinking. It could be non-alcoholic beer (I, too, have known former soaks who drink it) or even apple juice. THe picture's too small and while it could be foam, it could also be reflection off of the surface of the liquid. Either way, he still sucks.

Comment by ECB

ECB — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:02:52 -0800

Here's a link that shows the bottle, proving it's non-alcoholic. Still, the point about recovering alcoholics and near-beer remains true.

Comment by tarminian

tarminian — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:06:04 -0800

Non-alcoholic beer? In Germany? Riiiiiight.

Comment by maxsolomon

maxsolomon — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:12:42 -0800

he's not a 12-stepper, he got cured by Jebus. so if he wants to drink near beer, he has God on his side.

also, beer settles your stomach when you're feeling poorly, as it has bubbles.

lets get back to baching Paris & leave our christian leader alone!

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:17:32 -0800

They could have photo shopped the linked image to make it appear to be non-alcoholic, just like they manipulated the intel to make us invade Iraq ...

Comment by Lloyd Clydesdale

Lloyd Clydesdale — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:22:24 -0800

Does anyone like non-alcoholic beer?

Comment by Brendan Kiley

Brendan Kiley — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:54:35 -0800

Non-alcoholic beer makes as much sense as non-stick glue.

Comment by Dougsf

Dougsf — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:58:57 -0800

My roomate's boyfriend drinks the stuff, so it's around the house. Not many places carry it, but there is some pretty decent stuff out there, I can't remember the brands though.

Just recently I accidentally opened one - and I drink A LOT of beer - and it wasn't bad at all. Actually it just kind of tasted like good beer, but a little bit off.

I think the recovered alchy + near beer = relapse "truth" is still BS. I don't think it's that simple.

Comment by PdxRitchie

PdxRitchie — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:05:06 -0800

I think we'd be a whole lot better off if he went back to drinking. Maybe he wouldn't want to kill everybody if he was able to relax with a nice cool tall-boy here and there.

Comment by DOUG.

DOUG. — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:15:49 -0800

@21: I disagree. I bet W's a mean fucking drunk. Cheney too.

Comment by Lloyd Clydesdale

Lloyd Clydesdale — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:19:33 -0800

Not the greatest correlation, but the only time I ever smoked those weird herbal mixies that are supposed to replace tobacco was right before I started smoking again.

Comment by lilblackcat

lilblackcat — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:21:42 -0800

#6 Wicked funny!

Comment by Ari Spool

Ari Spool — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:23:31 -0800

He's just drinking the dehydrated pee of babies to stay young.

Comment by Matthew

Matthew — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:24:45 -0800

I don't know...I always thought he was pretty likeable in this clip:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3bKnbX8OsuQ

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 17:23:51 -0800

drunk presidents ... now on vid!

Comment by Dr_Awesome

Dr_Awesome — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 17:58:24 -0800

You mean he's been thinking all that shit up the last six years SOBER? No way!

Comment by gnossos

gnossos — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 18:59:13 -0800

Speaking of drunk presidents...did I totally miss it or did no one slog about about the new bio of Nixon by Elizabeth Drew? In she recounts that during the last months of his term he was routinely drunk for days on end and that it was understood by his staff that they would ignore any commands given during these binges.

I cannot wait for the inside history of the Bush years.

Comment by SDA in SEA

SDA in SEA — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 22:58:48 -0800

The man can't string a sentence of proper English together to save his life. I'm crushed to learn he does this stone cold sober. Hitchens is more eloquent while drunk off his ass than Bush is totally sober. Why is this man president?

Comment by anna

anna — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 10:10:57 -0800

All circumstancial evidence points to him drinking again(if he ever really stopped) and believing the near beer is covering(the logic of an active alcoholic). It probably works with his ignorant base, but not Laura who(alegedly) has moved to a hotel across from the White House. There are many effective ways to become sober, but they all require humility. Don't believe anyone who BRAGS about how they only needed willpower and Jesus, as Bush does.
Non-alcoholic beer may be better these days, but I doubt its good enough to drink for its own sake. Unless you want a beer belly. I noticed none of those testifying about their near-beer drinking friends lives with the ex-alcoholic. It is part of the cover to please outside friends and family(or voters) who know about the person's drinking problem. Keeping a case at the girlfriend/boyfriend's house is a perfect example of this covering behavior, stops the nagging for a while.

Comment by Oh, now, really

Oh, now, really — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 12:25:16 -0800

Anna,

All right. I'll pipe in.

The non-alcoholic beer generalizations are a little beyond the beyond. My husband's an ex-alcoholic, stone-cold sober for 17 years, and for him the discovery of some good brands of n.a. beer have been a totally innocent pleasure. A cold "beer" on a hot day is a nice thing for him to get to have again. (Clausthaler. That's the best one, we've found.)

For somebody who's just making it through by the skin of his or her teeth, it could be a different story. But non-alcoholic beer isn't even a vague candidate to send my honey careening into the gutter.

But he did once inadvertently bite into a truffle with some liqueur in it. He was like, "Right. That's it. I'm off to the pub." It was funny.

You maybe had to be there.

Comment by Boomer in NYC

Boomer in NYC — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 13:45:41 -0800

The Boyfriend says there was an odd lil' article in an old New York Times Magazine, an interview with the President's personal chef, who named the brand of scotch Bush enjoys on Air Force One. There apparently was no mention or question of this at all anywhere, in the article or in response to it. If I can dig up the article, I'll post a link.

Comment by Dougsf

Dougsf — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 17:15:33 -0800

Clausthaler... that's the one. Not terrible.

Comment by Bill

Bill — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 15:21:32 -0800

MSN I NIIPET
MSN

Comment by Bill

Bill — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 15:21:45 -0800

MSN I NIIPET
MSN