Not to dismiss the author, but a good chunk of the negative experience and reduced social interaction are just part of getting older. It's very common to drink

Not to dismiss the author, but a good chunk of the negative experience and reduced social interaction are just part of getting older. It's very common to drink alcohol when younger, and drink less to nothing past 30. > It’s a sudden realisation that the reality is not as pleasant without alcohol as it is with alcohol. The same happens with party drugs. Of course you love the world and yourself while your brain is getting showered in exceptionally high levels of dopamine/serotonine/whatever, and afterwards the sober world is comparatively boring and depressing. But you cannot live inside a perpetual high. It would become the norm, and end up boring too, like an everlasting orgasm would soon be a nuisance. We must go down to go up again, and chemical highs can help sometimes, but not anymore than videogames help killing time. The greatest highs are those that are difficult to achieve. But even then, the come-down is hard. Bronze-medal winners come home the happiest: Silver winners are devastated because they almost got there but made a terrible mistake; Gold winners have nothing else to go for anymore, and are disappointed that the applause and congratulations are over in a day after a life of dedication.