There is an unspoken hierarchy among alcoholics. Big-time alkies drank whiskey or tequila or vodka, straight out of the bottle. They were respected. They had serious problems. The bottom rung was us beer drinkers. We were the lightweights. Many alcoholics didn’t even recognize us as one of them. “How can you be an alcoholic? You [...]
In the Seinfeld episode, “The Pez Dispenser,” Jerry and his friends plan an intervention for a friend who is addicted to drugs and alcohol. The intervention somehow becomes a get-together of unintended guests and one of Kramer’s “polar bear” swimming friends tells of his experience with interventions. “We used to do that when one of [...]
In my family, several members have died “from alcoholism”. Of course you can’t die from an addiction – you die from a disease caused by the addiction. These people died from cirrhosis of the liver or alcoholic hepatitis. Either way, alcohol killed them. Alcohol does a real number on the liver. By keeping the body [...]
We often think of alcoholism as only affecting the alcoholic. Alcoholism, however, is often referred to as “the family disease” because of its effects on everyone around the alcoholic. If a parent is an alcoholic, it affects the children and the spouse. Children who grow up in alcoholic households suffer from personality issues and disorders [...]
I have never been to rehab, although I know a few people who have. A good friend of mine is a graduate of the original Betty Ford Center and his sobriety has lasted several decades. God bless Betty Ford! The only version of rehab I know is “Celebrity Rehab”, which looks like a country club [...]
When I was in college, our drinking habits did not have a name. We simply “partied”. Apparently, we were binge drinkers. Once known as “heavy episodic drinking”, the modern definition of “binge drinking” is consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in one session. Some definitions reduce that number to four drinks for females. The type [...]
One of the most charming aspects of Alcoholics Anonymous is its complete anonymity. People are not forced to reveal their name if they don’t want to, and the use of last names are completely frowned upon. “Outing” someone as an alcoholic in the outside world is a major “no-no”. I worked with a man who [...]
If you are an alcoholic, you may at one time or another, asked your higher power or even yourself, “Why Me?” Why was I chosen to suffer this affliction? Why do I have a lack of control when others can drink at will with no problem? During most of the 19th and 20th century, alcoholism [...]
For every movie about alcoholism, there are several more about drug abuse and its consequence. And, there are even more that glorify drug use. “Say hello to my little friend,” says Al Pacino in perhaps the most memorable drug abuse movie of all-time, “Scarface”. Drugs are glorified throughout the movie as a means to power [...]
One of my favorite Jerry Seinfeld episodes involves a discussion between Jerry and Elaine. Elaine asks, “So you’re saying that 95% of our population is undatable?” “Undatable!” Jerry exclaims. “Then how are all these people getting together?” she asks. “Alcohol,” is his answer. There is a certain amount of truth to this statement. Social drinking [...]
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