By James W. Dolan

Nobody has a good word to say about drinking. Sure I know it's dangerous, can lead to abuse, and generates a lot of trouble. It's the cause of many personal and social problems. It probably has caused more pain than pleasure.

It has been banned and damned through the ages yet the practice persists. There must be something good about it otherwise those various brews and beverages that have the power to bedevil us would not have survived.

I would never encourage anyone who doesn't drink or shouldn't drink to touch the stuff. Like all the other pleasures in life, its benefits can be overrated and its risks overlooked.

But there is something to be said for a cold beer on a warm summer afternoon or a glass of wine with supper and a good whiskey over ice. Even some of those multicolored "foo-foo" drinks with umbrellas, fruit juice and the like can hit the spot. I doubt blenders ever would have been invented were it not for these friendly concoctions

We drink expecting it will affect us - hopefully for the better. Presiding over drunk driving cases for many years, I was always amused when the accused testified the drinks didn't affect him. That was the standard response. I used to ask myself: "Then why bother?"

Let's be honest! People drink for the affect, not to quench their thirst. For that you can use water. It probably works better. Alcohol affects people in different ways and therein lies the dilemma. When the affects are adverse, it may be too late. The damage has been done.

When the affect is mild and benign, drinking can be a pleasurable and even beneficial experience. When it is not - watch out! By any realistic measure the risks of drinking are greater than the rewards. The sensible thing is to avoid it but human beings have a track record of rejecting the sensible for the pleasurable, often to our great disappointment.

I enjoy a drink but fear alcohol. I do not like to feel out of control and know that in excess it can produce that effect. For me, the use of alcohol involves reconciling those two conflicting emotions. It involves remaining sufficiently aware to assess the affect it is having upon me and being able to stop. At that point fear becomes the motivating force.

Like fire, when properly used, alcohol can provide a warm glow and a feeling of contentment. It can provide oil for the tongue and a ready smile for the lips that enliven a gathering of the clan. It can ease the disappointments and frustrations of the day and help put things in perspective.

I prefer Irish whiskey. It is the right combination of color and taste with a dash of whatever it is that makes Ireland special. Somewhere in that amber glow is the joy and sorrow of my ancestors. It provides a connection.

Those spirited lozenges, maligned and praised through the ages, may be a product of our fallen nature. The insidious potion has built and destroyed, damned and saved, and in all its many forms confused us. It generated and then overcame a constitutional amendment. It made some men rich and others poor. It inspired some and brought despair to others.

It's one activity where quantity adversely affects the quality of the experience. In moderation, it is one of life's simple pleasures.

The volatile mix may be the devil's own blend but has been used as an inspirational tool. Saints and sinners, priests, poets and politicians have imbibed. It has destroyed some politicians and made others better. Some say that Winston Churchill was rarely sober. It also has made those who have stopped, stronger.

I've met many who should never have a drink and a few that didn't but probably should. It might improve their disposition. They say it's good for your heart but bad for your liver. Take your choice.

So raise your glass and repeat after me: "I've drunk to your health in the barroom and I've drunk to your health at home. I've drunk to your health so damn much, I've nearly ruined my own." Cheers!

James W. Dolan is a retired Dorchester District Court judge who now practices law.