My Father’s Weakness for Beer Never Lessened His Strengths
Mentioning &quot;high-functioning alcoholic&quot; reminded me of a story about Churchill&#x27;s drinking habits (and a modern-day journalist being unable to match it):<p><i>He died 50 years ago this month - the anniversary of his funeral will be marked later this week -- at the ripe age of 90. A miracle, considering he had drunk an estimated 42,000 bottles of Pol Roger champagne through his life; he thought nothing of starting the morning with cold game and a glass of hock and ending it at 3am with the best part of a bottle of cognac.</i><p>(via <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.telegraph.co.uk&#x2F;food-and-drink&#x2F;drinks&#x2F;the-day-i-tried-to-match-churchill-drink-for-drink&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.telegraph.co.uk&#x2F;food-and-drink&#x2F;drinks&#x2F;the-day-i-t...</a>)<p>Churchill was nevertheless able to write numerous political tracts, pamphlets, speeches, a six-volume history of the first world war, a six-volume history of the second world war, and a four-volume history of the English speaking people. He won the Nobel Prize for literature, and throughout his long political career served as Home Secretary, Minister of Defense, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and PM (twice).