When I entered high school I was an A-student but not for long. I wanted the fancy clothes. I wanted to hang out with the guys. I went from being an A-student to a B-student to a C-student but I didn't care. I was getting the high fives and the low fives and the pats on the back. I was cool.
It was Julie Burchill who decreed that beyond a certain age a man should not be seen in a leather jacket.
I think I don't regret a single 'excess' of my responsive youth - I only regret in my chilled age certain occasions and possibilities I didn't embrace.