How To Help An Alcoholic
Our family has a member who is currently suffering from a number of psychological issues. Alcohol is not involved, but the story is similar. This person is angry, paranoid, depressed, and causing problems for both their immediate and distant family members. The question has arisen numerous times – how do we get this person straightened [...]
Celebrity Alcoholics
Why is it that I have such a hard time seeing Marsha Brady as an alcoholic? Was she not perfect (except for that broken nose)? Didn’t she have it all? How did Marsha Brady (Maureen McCormick) turn into an alcoholic? Why did success not buffer her from addiction? The singer we know as “Pink” (Alecia [...]
God Bless Betty Ford
I must have been around 13 or 14 years old when it was announced that Betty Ford was a drunk and a drug addict. Shame on her! Imagine being the First Lady and feeling the need to get stoned 24/7. What kind of role model is that? Well, Betty Ford is perhaps one of the [...]
Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
As a manager, when I hire someone, the first thing I tell them is that if they have something important to tell me or something I need to remember, that they need to “write it down”. I jokingly tell them how I “fried my brains in the 80’s”. This is not far from the truth. [...]
Is My Sobriety at Risk
I was thinking about heading down to Mexico – about an hour south of here – to pick up a new fake Gucci purse, some discount non-prescription penicillin, and maybe a handful of valium for the upcoming holiday festivities. Meeting my new husband’s family members, fireworks and a few long flights certainly call for a [...]
Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy
Uncle Jack used to drink. A lot. I can never remember ever seeing him without a drink in his hand. In the daytime he would drink beer. Maybe he would have a glass of wine with dinner. After that, he hit the hard stuff. He would stick with Jack Daniels, or any kind of whiskey [...]
Hangovers
Two hangovers stand out in my life. I was 14 or so and spent the night discovering the joys of boxed red wine with my mother. We sat on the shag carpet in the family room and finished off two large boxes of wine, as she delineated all the problems in her life. I’m sure [...]
How To Be A Healthy Alcoholic
In many ways, I am unlike many alcoholics. I quit drinking only one time – the last time – and it has lasted for 14 years (so far). Many alcoholics quite numerous times. Heck, one of the guys on “Celebrity Rehab” has been in rehab alone nine times! Before quitting altogether, however, many alcoholics simply [...]
Marketing Alcohol to Teens
For teens who are lucky enough to grow up in households where alcohol is not a mainstay, their first influence to drink usually comes from the media. Advertisers spend millions and millions of dollars to woo young drinkers to try their products – as soon as they turn 21. Yeah, right. Most parents are aware [...]
Non-alcoholic Beverages
After I quit drinking, it took me a couple of years before I would try a non-alcoholic beer. My AA friends were adamant about not drinking non-alcoholic beers. The “slippery slope” argument applied. Even a sip of N-A beer would lead me back to Bud. I was surprised how good my first O’Doul’s tasted. Not [...]