My dad was an alcoholic ….. made a lot of wrong choices we believed at the time. It made a tough life for so many. Terrible disease. It is tough to have empathy or sympathy when you believe it is a choice. In so many cases it is not.
Mine too. He made our life insane. Total chaos every night. In those days , we did not call it a disease. We called it a choice. The choice to be a drunk and an embarrassment to one's family. You will have to drop by sometime and enlighten me, Wade, about when it is NOT. ( Not here in the comments, though)
.. intriguing ‘Topics .. here in ‘Substack .. ‘sobriety.. ‘addiction .. ‘substance abuse .. ‘Comorbid Mental Health Issues.. ‘AAA .. ‘Family Violence.. At some point ‘God’ - and/or ‘Salvation’ almost inevitably enter the picture from ‘Stage RIGHTEOUS - often bulwarked or embellished via biblical fiction .. or some sort of dogma
It’s my belief & experience - there’s ‘far more to it’ than ‘just the alcohol & the buzz or blur.. or the ‘anger or frustration .. or the ‘craving.. the chemical aspects, neuro transmitters .. but what would i know .. didn’t even get a mom or dad .. were long gone by the time we were rescued & i was a blank slate at two - zero memory.. but by early twenties was a veteran of Addiction Field Work, Maximum Security Offenders & the Emotionally Disturbed & soon to become an Extremely Well Trained Bartender - lighting quick ambidextrous hands & could yarn at a standup bar or ‘beverage room’s from either side .. anywhere in North America & make Mucho Cash $ & drink for free.. no hangovers - toke if I wanted ..
.. the ‘answer is always inside the person .. it’s not the booze or the cocaine .. nor is it both.. nor is it about ‘getting laid’ or necessarily driven via ‘one’s peer group.. it seems more to me about ‘retarded or ‘interrupted - growing up into ‘adulthood’ - a ‘socially polite way to suck yer thumb.. in public - an ‘inadequacy or insecurity one prefers to camouflage - a ‘cop out’ ?? Might be not far from the Truth .. sez I - A ‘Disease of Volition.. or bottom line - just Personal Failure ? 🦎🏴☠️💋
Golly! That comment was four times longer than my post! I must have touched a nerve. You have a long story to tell, Mr O'Donnell. I hope you will polish it up over at your Salamander Horde.
concise. well writ )))
Good for Brian.
And good for Sharron, and us to read!
My dad was an alcoholic ….. made a lot of wrong choices we believed at the time. It made a tough life for so many. Terrible disease. It is tough to have empathy or sympathy when you believe it is a choice. In so many cases it is not.
Mine too. He made our life insane. Total chaos every night. In those days , we did not call it a disease. We called it a choice. The choice to be a drunk and an embarrassment to one's family. You will have to drop by sometime and enlighten me, Wade, about when it is NOT. ( Not here in the comments, though)
I could still hear your voice reading this.
Oh, Brian and AHH Sharron: how you surprise in 50 words!
Coke: not healthy, but alcohol? The power of addiction is something else.
You've nailed it once again.
50 words. Wow!
Thank you so. much, Jill. Your story about exploring the bat cave scared the pie out of me this morning.
I hope the pie did not have the consistency of bat guano!
Euw...
Lost in a world of forgotten.
I guess so!
There are chains. But there are also chains. 😐
Urggh. You sound like Yoda, Jack. ha ha ha
Nicely done in 50, Sharron.
Thanks, handsome.
.. intriguing ‘Topics .. here in ‘Substack .. ‘sobriety.. ‘addiction .. ‘substance abuse .. ‘Comorbid Mental Health Issues.. ‘AAA .. ‘Family Violence.. At some point ‘God’ - and/or ‘Salvation’ almost inevitably enter the picture from ‘Stage RIGHTEOUS - often bulwarked or embellished via biblical fiction .. or some sort of dogma
It’s my belief & experience - there’s ‘far more to it’ than ‘just the alcohol & the buzz or blur.. or the ‘anger or frustration .. or the ‘craving.. the chemical aspects, neuro transmitters .. but what would i know .. didn’t even get a mom or dad .. were long gone by the time we were rescued & i was a blank slate at two - zero memory.. but by early twenties was a veteran of Addiction Field Work, Maximum Security Offenders & the Emotionally Disturbed & soon to become an Extremely Well Trained Bartender - lighting quick ambidextrous hands & could yarn at a standup bar or ‘beverage room’s from either side .. anywhere in North America & make Mucho Cash $ & drink for free.. no hangovers - toke if I wanted ..
.. the ‘answer is always inside the person .. it’s not the booze or the cocaine .. nor is it both.. nor is it about ‘getting laid’ or necessarily driven via ‘one’s peer group.. it seems more to me about ‘retarded or ‘interrupted - growing up into ‘adulthood’ - a ‘socially polite way to suck yer thumb.. in public - an ‘inadequacy or insecurity one prefers to camouflage - a ‘cop out’ ?? Might be not far from the Truth .. sez I - A ‘Disease of Volition.. or bottom line - just Personal Failure ? 🦎🏴☠️💋
Golly! That comment was four times longer than my post! I must have touched a nerve. You have a long story to tell, Mr O'Donnell. I hope you will polish it up over at your Salamander Horde.
nice!
Thanks, kid, for wandering over here to 🌿Leaves - one tiny asteroid in the Great Substack Universe. So many writers, so little time.
A powerful and heart wrenching tale, Sharron.
Alcoholism. It touches all of our families in some way.
Expertly concise, Sharron!
Thank you, Nathan. I have a strong opinion on this topic, based on personal experience.