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After a couple years of working and partying at The Turret, it came to mind that there was a lot of drinking going on. I had not been doing so for about 2 years previous to coming out. Finding myself waking up with a head as big as the room (and wait a minute! This is not my room....!); waking up somewhere and not knowing how I got there or who got me there and did I really sleep with this guy? At least I was not one of those that would pass out on the side of the hill or on the grass on the commons; but my situation was just as bad. I was one of the lucky ones that realized where I was headed (eventually) and stopped drinking completely. I never seemed to miss it and I could have a bottle in the house that would evaporate to a point that I just ended up pouring it out.
There was no GAA(Gay AA ) at this time and I'm quite sure that it would have been a great asset to the community for those that wanted help. Going to a regular AA meeting and saying you are a " drunk and gay " was just not an option for a lot of people,but some of my friends did go and seemed to somehow get the help they so needed.
Never liking grass or Poppers(Lockerroom) that just gave me a migraine headache (I had to sleep on the couch for a week when a lover of mine spilled a bottle on the bed). After that no-one was allowed passed my front door with them, I could never figure out why anyone wants to smell like dirty socks anyways!
Outside the main entrance of the The Turret bar, Donny was filling his popper sniffer one night (which was on a chain around his neck) and as he was pouring from the bottle to the sniffer, he took a long haul on the cigarette hanging in his mouth; the sniffer and the bottle exploded into a huge flame that lit up the whole top of the stairs and singeing Donny's perfectly combed hair. Some women were exiting the washroom and dove back in, out of the same fear I saw on Donny's face. Mikey, who always seemed not to be far away from any situation let out a "Paaaaaaaaaa" (that's what he called you when he was excited). The flame died quickly (I had never seen flameout that quick) and the slightly embarrassed Donny went to get another bottle at the AlternateBookShop.
I gave up drinking for about 10 years on my own and now I go out once in a while and if I want a drink or three I do so; but this does not work for everyone. I still danced and had fun at The Turret after stopping drinking and I started to know who I am; I still didn't know where my life was taking me but I could at least see it through a clearer set of eyes.