Where's the Alcohol?

As far as that other vice, alcohol, there isn’t much to be found in We Picked Up.  Archie the Drunk on Day 4 certainly liked his Southern Comfort and nearly caused major havoc. But he is an outside force. As far as Roger and Otto go, neither has much urge to indulge. The whole realm of booze really didn’t cross our minds—not to mention the fact that we were four years underage in 1971.  If anything, Archie’s behavior turned us away from any such thoughts. "Scared us straight," must be the expression. Cindy Latourette at Huntington Beach seemed ready to tip booze. But Roger narrates on page 244, “When she found out I didn’t imbibe, she didn’t hold it against me.  If anything, it increased my stock.” As with many of the other temptations in the “sex, drugs & rock ‘n roll” handbag of excess, you’d be hard-pressed to name the incident when Roger has a beer.  That comes on the way home in the Mojave Desert.  Ted and his fat mother are sitting with a broken down Ford station wagon at a parking oasis.  The first time Ted offers a beer, Roger drinks Coke instead.  But the second time he offers, Roger accepts. The incident passes without further description. I can’t think of a single other place where either of the characters take a drink.