Today we are told that alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack. As someone who has lost four dear friends to alcohol – but none to drugs – I can believe it.
In all cases, these clever, witty and amusing friends around my age suffered from personal unhappiness and inadequacies. They turned to the bottle for comfort and couldn’t stop drinking themselves to death. When one tried to give up after being told he only had 1/3 of a liver left, it was too late, the damage had been done and his fate was sealed, leaving behind a grieving widow and two distraught sons.
Unfortunately for these troubled souls, the bottle became their best “friend” during their darkest hour. As a friend, myself and others provided a shoulder for them to cry on, but did not have the solutions to the difficulties that pushed them over the edge.
I miss my friends very much and I am still unable to delete their numbers from my mobile phone. I wrote about Sue’s sad demise three years ago, my first friend who died from drink; her face is still grinning at me next to my desk where her photo is placed. It wasn’t long before two other friends died from drink related accidents, and then my writer friend with the two sons.
Who hasn’t had a drink or two to drown their sorrows when they have felt depressed? The danger is when it spirals out of control. Drink is easily accessible and affordable. There is no shame in buying it – except when it is 11am and the hand that pays for it is shaking. This is what I saw in my local store a couple of weeks ago. I recognised those tell-tale signs and felt great sadness for this woman and her young family….
Hi Ellee,
Are you worried by the rush to defend alcohol and criticse the findings of the report? I was working in a public affairs role when the laws to bring in 24-hour drinking were introduced and it seemed to me that the wishes of the industry were being prioritised over proper consideration of any potential harm to individuals and communities.
I live on my own and it is massively tempting to have a glass of wine to unwind at the end of the day. So I don’t! because it seems to me that choosing to drink to affect my mood is the first step on a journey that I don’t want to walk.
I am sorry that you have lost friends and hope that they are now at peace.
I’ve been known to drink hard and have a ruined career to show for it. In many ways this saved me. It made me stop and think hard about doing it.
Like you many of my friends and relatives are slaves to alcohol. It is tragic to behold. One of them is only ever ‘normal’ after an infusion of alcohol. He becomes difficult when he’s sober. “The only drink problem I have is that I only have one gob !” And it is just like that – drinking all the time. Such a lovely fella too.
I don’t blame anyone for their alcohol/drug dependency – I just say that there for the grace of God go I.
Sheila, well done you for having such strong willpower. I think it’s down to the individual – and maybe their genes – on whether they can resist drink the way you do and avoid addiction. It’s a bit like a car, which is only dangerous if being driven badly.
Kevin, I don’t blame/judge people for their addictions either. Sorry to hear about your friend too, and it’s so easy to be glib about it. I’m glad you turned the corner after your fright. Losing a job like because of drink is a real wake-up call.
The Labour govt should not have introduced 24 hour licensing laws, nor downgraded cannabis