Another one bites the dust. A pal of mine has been slapped in the face by the ugly hand of alcoholism. He drank, argued with his wife, hit her, she called the cops, he went to jail. I have faith in him. I believe that he will go to counseling as he promised, and that he will give up alcohol.
Here's the thing about giving up alcohol. It is like giving up a close friend. Granted it is the friend that always gets you in trouble, but there are good qualities too. Like the way you can relax in social situations. The way you can head right to the tavern after a really tough day at work and knock back a few and feel so much better. The way you can crack open the cold beers with the guys and watch football. And then there are the not so good times, you know, when you forgot to get home in time to go out with your family for dinner. Or the time you said something really inappropriate at the office Xmas party. Or the time, you were so hung over you couldn't take your kids to the zoo like you promised. The list goes on and on. Giving it up is tough. It is like a death and you need to mourn. You need to grieve the fact of not ever having alcohol to lean on anymore. You can't have a glass of wine, a beer, a shot. What will life be like? For some, the longing never really goes away. For others, it is final like a death is final. No more. Done. And you move on. On the positive side, you will have more money and more time. You will not have to fear your kids will grow up hating you for being weak. You will feel stronger and more in control. And the part about no more hangovers is priceless.