DRUNK texting. Why do people do it?

That’s a question my friend, M, asked me two weeks ago, after she got a 4am text message from her ex.

“I don’t know what you’re doing and maybe I don’t want to know, but I think of you,” he SMSed. “I don’t like this world, it’s not fair... We’re supposed to be married and have kids by now.”

Turns out that the guy had had close to an entire bottle of vodka (that would explain the bad Twilight novel-style wording) and was feeling lonely. Inhibitions thrown to the wind, he decided to text M, who broke up with him two months ago.

He had to apologise to M the next day and explain himself, to his great shame.

Alcohol in general has, in my younger years, played a part in many a poor decision, too – many of them in the dating, texting, and leaving-messages department.

But, more disturbingly, I believe it had an impact on my work as well.

Here, I must state that I’m not an alcoholic and have never been one. But, in my early 20s and living in Seattle, like many of my friends around my age, I spent my weekends (and some weekdays) out dancing and drinking.

I’ve had a transformation in that department in recent years, and I hardly drink anymore. A glass of wine over dinner, or a beer or whisky over conversation or on the rare night out, are enough. The bottom line is that I don’t enjoy drinking as much as I used to.

But, now stone-cold sober(as George Michael said), I’ve had time to think about the decisions made in my younger years.

Nothing serious ever went wrong, but my boss at the time did make one comment about me: “She’s a good worker, but she does party a little too hard.”

I heard of what she said through a colleague, and I pooh-poohed that sentiment.

Like many young professionals, I would go to work slightly hung-over at times, but I always got my job done. Apart from the one comment, I got stellar reviews from my boss, too.

But I see now that what she was saying was that I wasn’t always at my best. And to not be that is doing myself a disservice.

That spilled over into other areas of my life, such as my relationships – from my choices of men, to the choices I made while with them (see above on drunk texting, etc).

I’m glad I’ve made a change in my life, and I look back on my former boss’ comment with gratitude.

From her words, I see that living life fully really means striving to be at my best, all the time.

And, if drinking takes away any part of that, I’d prefer to stay away from it.

That’s what I’d tell my friend’s ex, the poor guy. It’s just easier to not make those little, avoidable mistakes if you stay away from the bottle.

Yes, drink by all means, but do so in moderation. And stop and think before you have that extra one. It might give you the space to be a better you, at work and otherwise.

And, guess what – you might never drunk-text anyone again.

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