For me, it was never about the first beer. 

The first beer was to get started, to improve my mood. To leave behind the day and reset, perhaps start an adventure.

I drank my first beer with my other hand up, to order a second. What if I finished that first beer and the second wasn’t there?

When I was drinking my second beer, I’d scan the table. Was there enough in the pitcher for my third? Could someone be drinking my next beer and emptying the pitcher?

After the second beer, I would pause.

Is this a new place? How is the crowd? Are my friends here? Her, might she like me? What if I get bored?

I decide whether I’ll stay, stop in next door, or head home. It’s early.

But if the company was good and I felt fine, I’d need a third to begin an adventure.

The bartender asked, “One more?”  “Who’s counting,” I said. “Another.”

By Tom Sakell