Backpacker enters stage of alcoholism where 9 am beers are no biggie
Having decided that 9 am beers are fair game, Scottish backpacker Lachlan Acton-McAlister has unwittingly transitioned into life as a stage-three alcoholic.
The 33-year-old, who is halfway through a year-long trip in South America, has become so used to binge drinking that he’s started incorporating 9 am beers into his breakfast ritual.
“One or two cold ones with brekkie, no harm done,” laughed Acton-McAlister. “They say ye can’t trust the drinking water in these countries, so I’m just playin’ it safe haha.”
Despite having such bad cirrhosis that he can’t get travel insurance, McAlister said he has no plans to cut down any time soon. He described the amount he’d consumed the previous day – five pints, “a fistful” of tequila shots, and some bourbon straight from the bottle – as “just a quiet Monday evenin’ in Montevideo.”
“I’m on holiday laddie!” he said. “When I get back home I’ll cut down to five drinks a day, just like everybody else. Until then, there’s nothing wrong with getting on the sauce a few times a day, is there?”
At publication time, Acton-McAlister was heading for celebratory shots at a nearby bar having discovered he’ll be eligible for disability benefits if he gets his drinking problem officially diagnosed.
