I completely understand trying to forget his problems on the dancefloor. Everyone does it.
But when his excessive clubbing is what got him fired in the first place, I would think he would show moderation.
It seems so similar to drug use. I had a friend who got addicted to meth and lost his job because of it. Than he used all remaining money to buy MORE meth. Now he's lost in the wind and I haven't heard from him since.....
I think it's a lot more like drug use than the obvious. After all, "clubbing" isn't a SUBSTANCE that somebody ingests, but I think that those who truly enjoy it to the utmost are getting a sort of "high" from the release of adrenalin, dopamine and other natural substances which are pleasing or motivating to the brain. The thrill merges with the alcohol (which is indeed a drug), and the high which is produced is different from merely being drunk. Some of the hardiest and most motivated clubbers drink only moderately; it's the experience they crave and not necessarily the alcohol.
Those who go out every night, like DiamondSkin's friends in Washington DC, probably have addictive personalities. They could have just as easily become addicted to strong recreational drugs, or video games, or pinochle, or roller coasters, or fishing, or their computers, or gambling. It's merely the luck-of-the-draw that clubbing happened to become their chosen addiction.
C;lubbing also happens to be more practical, often. In many cases it's a short drive or bus/taxi/'subway ride, or even a walk down the block. It can get expensive, though not as much so as some "addictions" which require a lot of travel, etc.
Though I have a fairly strong dislike for clubbing (as mentioned in my earlier posts here and in other threads in the past), I can also fully understand how other people can become highly addicted to it.
There is no question that clubbing causes an altered consciousness - it just happens to be one of the types that doesn't appeal to me.
It's very much like somebody saying "I have no use at all for websurfing and I only use the computer when it's necessary" or "I tried pot once and got high, and I didn't like the feeling at all." A high that appeals to somebody may be entirely uncomfortable to someone else. [I use these two examples because, here in Macomb, I know people who are TRULY addicted to the computer, and to pot. Yes there IS such thing as a strong mental addiction to pot, though it's rare.]
But for DiamondSkin's friends' sakes, I am saddened to hear how they're throwing themselves into the dustbin. My reaction would be the same if it was due to sone other out-of-balance form of addiction.
