You Don’t Have a Drinking Problem. You Have a Masking Problem (That Drinking Temporarily Solves)

By mid-afternoon, it’s already there. A heaviness in your shoulders. A pressure behind your eyes. You’ve been “on” since 9am, moving through conversations you’re not just having but actively managing. Monitoring tone. Editing responses. Running who you are through a filter in real time so no one around you has to adjust.