Common Sense? Never Heard of It.
It’s been a very busy weekend indeed.
Saturday, I’m at Indigo Bayshore. On Sunday, I’m at Indigo Toronto’s Eaton Centre.
Yeah, I’m branching out. Normally, I’d never do a Sunday signing—traffic’s usually dead—but I struck a deal: I’d take a Sunday if they gave me a Saturday. So, I’m back at Indigo Eaton Centre again on Saturday, September 4th.
Now, common sense would say I should drive up the night before. But here’s the thing—I’ve never been known for having common sense.
Funny, that.
I was talking to a friend recently about my addiction, and he asked, “Were you never concerned about the consequences?”
My answer? “No.”
That’s the thing about addiction.
If you’ve ever sat in a room with AA or NA folks, you’ll know the saying: “When you feel the urge to use, pick up the phone instead.”
I mentioned that to another addict not long ago. His reply?
“Why would I pick up the phone when what I want to pick up is a drink?”
Exactly.
This is why, when we’re deep in it—really sick with our addiction—we don’t get “Get Well Soon” cards. We get “Go F#k Yourself”* cards.
People who haven’t been there don’t get it. They think, “You were sober when you made that choice. What’s wrong with you?”
I get it. I understand where they’re coming from. But addiction? It’s not about willpower. It’s not about common sense. It’s not even about logic.
Here’s my truth:
In the back of my mind—and I hate admitting this—I still believe I can be a “social drinker.”
After 40 years of addiction and all the insane shit I’ve done?
That thought alone is insanity.
And you’ve heard the definition, right?
Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.
We call that stinking thinking.
And addiction? It doesn’t stop at drugs or alcohol. It bleeds into everything. Work. Relationships. Decision-making. When I had questionable behaviour, my ex-wife used to say, “That’s the addict in you.”
She wasn’t wrong.
So yeah, maybe it’s because I’m an addict. Or maybe I’m just wired this way. Either way, I don’t always operate with common sense.
I’ll leave you with this:
What even is common sense?
