Mike recounts his first experience with alcohol, as a teenager, when a planned gathering of friends only gathers himself and one other person.  He proceeds to drink all the beer intended for a much larger crowd.  The booze gave him a high he never felt, feeling confident and comfortable for what he thinks is the first time.  Mike now knows he started chasing the high ever since that night.  In high school, he turned to drugs, which would affect him into adulthood, being unable to hold down a job due to drinking and cocaine use.