Drug use in our Games Workshop...

It's kind of funny how it happens. So sudden, so shocking... Yet, it doesn't hit you until it's too late and you're trying desperately to come up with answers. But it happened and it changed all of us for better or for worse.
I used to be clean of any such substances. I mean, occasionally I'd see someone using but I didn't care because I wasn't being forced to do it. Some of my friends partook too and insisted it was harmless. Right. They are not saying that now..

He got us all. That bastard.

At first no one suspected Chris (the previous store manager of our store) - he was a laid back guy with a passion for the hobby. I mean, you could see it in his eyes. He cared for the store, he cared for the community as a whole and his contagious laughter and funny outbursts are still entwined in our conversations inside out favorite GW. The man was a legend and wherever he went, he was being followed by a cohort of faithful friends and customers. I still wonder why we didn't see it coming.

I still remember him from time to time. Leaning on a chair in his comfy pants, looking hilariously suspicious (or even suspiciously hilarious) through his glasses, always scratching that dark Italian beard of his.. And then he would reach beneath the counter for yet another sip of that delicious, syrupy narcotic of his..

"Dr. Pepper. Drink it slow, drink it cold." he'd say.. The words of a true addict.

Dr. Pepper was unknown to me at that time. I never had it in my childhood, because it is rare to find in Europe where hashish is the commonplace. Who knows, maybe my parents were trying to protect me from this sweet, sweet death.. Obviously suspicious to the unknown I never really dared or wanted to try it. But Chris pushed and pushed.. He used to "use" at least a few times a day. Every day. He would have one  Dr. Pepper every time I walked into the store. Every time he went out to grab lunch (they even smuggle it in that Chinese place up the hill as part of their "lunch special"). He would take a sip every time he managed to hit the trashcan with miscellaneous crumpled-up paper. That was not so frequent.


Oh, and he would do it in such a teasing manner. You could hear the elixir entering his veins and that sound he made after each sip. A sound of pure euphoria. A sound that made us thirsty and wanting.

Trust him. He's a Doctor.

First, it was the younger children. His friends helped by using it almost as frequently as he did. Then he corrupted my friends and pretty soon it became the only beverage available to me. Even one of my favorite bands of all time was promoting it. But it didn't end there.. Soon he managed to incorporate new ways of using Dr. Pepper - lip balm, Dr. Pepper BBQ chicken...
I had to choose. I was surrounded by it everywhere I went and it was becoming a part of my life that I didn't sign up for. So I did.


And now, as I sit exhausted after a long day at work I can't help but feel like a soulless husk every time I look at my empty bottle of Dr. Pepper. The way it's sugary goodness courses through my body, awakening both the creative hobbyist and the beardy player in me....

I suppose it is kind of funny how everyone at Games Workshop Deer Grove started drinking Dr. Pepper. It has become one of the "things" here and it's here to stay! I know that I was influenced by Chris and I'm sure I'm not the only one. But that's a good thing. It's rare not to see half a dozen cans of Dr. Pepper on the counter now.. and even the logo brings back memories from not so long ago.

Damn. I NEED a Dr. Pepper. NOW.

And you? What do you drink while you play with your toy soldiers?