As I have spent countless hours personally debating, reading, googling and re-debating if I was consumed by my own addition to alcohol, I came across some interesting factoids that really impacted my view.. broadened it greatly if you will.
One of the craziest statistics that I cam across was that 15 MILLION people in the US are affected by alcohol abuse or dependency in one way or another. So my question to me (and some of you); “Why do we still think we are alone?” After thinking about this astonishing number, I came to the clear realization that many of the people that I know from past to current, also fall into this mega-statistic. In an answer to my own question I just poised a sentence or so ago, I came to this solution: I felt alone because I was in denial. I hid from the fact that I was part of this addicted “society. I lied to myself, my family and friends about my will power to stop “when I wanted to”, so at no time was I able to talk with these others that were acknowledged alcoholics about my reality. So there I was.. part of a HUGE network of people with the same disease…but felt alone. Now that I have begun to arm my self with knowledge, support and desire to put this disease behind me, I am no longer alone and it feels fantastic!
The most astonishing statistic I came across is that alcohol abuse and/or dependency causes approximately 88,000 US deaths per year. There was a point in time when I KNEW that if I continued on the same road I was on, I would too die of this disease. Maybe it would be from one of the horrible health issues that alcoholism contributes to. Just maybe it would be from driving while under the influence or possibly it would be from my own hand, while I was too drunk to have self-control and rational thoughts. This is a very REAL scenario for most of us. We can not deny that alcohol abuse and dependency WILL lead us to our deaths. Sounds brutal and very unemotional for me to write this now, but I want all of us to remember that these words I type and the statistics I have spoke of, lent to my continued survival and integrity in great ways and I hope it helps you too. Stay strong and educate yourself on your addiction! Best to you all!
Sober Satire 