Cirrhosis Isn’t Pretty
I have been at the beginning and the end of the alcohol addiction cycle, fortunately for me, as an observer.As a person of Irish descent, drinking is part of our cultural experience. It is officially "winked at," and the neighborhood pub is as much a part of the Irish social fabric as it is a place to purchase a drink. In Chicago, where I reside, every neighborhood has a corner bar, where neighbors meet to visit with friends, stop by with the kids on a Saturday afternoon to grab a free hotdog and watch a sports event on TV. Some people don’t drink but most do. And as every bartender in the world will tell you, each bar has its regular group of alcoholics. After all, that’s where the booze is!
I’m a Baby Boomer and I often look back on my life and reflect about things that either happened to me or people whom I know. And one of the topics is alcohol. I remember when I was a teenager and in my early twenties, beer drinking was like a collegiate sport. The Bud Light commercials really capture that market. What you don’t see on TV, however, is the down side of that frivolity. Some of the same people having a good time together end up in a downward spiral of misery–all because of their alcoholism. I wish young people who laugh as I used to at stories of how my friend Joe got so smashed he couldn’t find his car the next day as he was going to work,could see how miserable some of these same people are when they’re older–all because of aclohol. That’s what happens when you park your car on the street in an urban residential area after a few toots. Consider the fact that Joe was actually driving the car when he was so loaded he couldn’t remember where he parked it. But everybody laughs at that story when it’s being told the following Friday night at the River Shannon with the gang.
I don’t mean to sound like a downer, but what I say is sadly true. I posted a story on Rehab Help Online about one of my best friends and former business partner’s bout with alcoholism and cirrhosis,and as the title suggests, Cirrhosis Isn’t Pretty.
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