The Water Cooler – Do You Know Someone Who Suffers From A Drug And/Or Alcohol Addiction?

I’ve known lots of people, but most of them wised up and are now off the drugs and/or alcohol. Some of them got help through either AA or NA, some of them sought help from God, and some of them did it all by themselves without any outside help. It affected their lives differently, most of them hit rock bottom, and lost their jobs, their family, and their marriages. Some of them didn’t appear to have a problem, they lived their lives normally, and people didn’t know they had an addiction problem, but they knew it, and did something about it.
I also worked as an RN in a methadone clinic for 15 years, so I got to know many addicts. We had people from all walks of life. There were the usual bums and homeless, but we also had patients who were at one time very successful until they lost it all due to their addiction. We had a police homicide inspector, a couple of lawyers, doctors, businessmen and women, teachers, and PhD college professors. What I found sad and disturbing is that there were a lot of successful women that turned to prostitution in order to support their habit. I don’t know what the price of heroin is these days, but when I was working in the methadone clinic, most of them were spending $100 a day or more, and they would do what ever they had to do to get the money. The thing with heroin is, after a while it doesn’t get them high anymore, but if they stop using, they will get very sick, with vomiting, diarrhea, hot and cold sweats, nausea, and insomnia. They use the heroin to keep from getting sick, and withdrawal can last from 3 to 5 days, sometimes even longer.

One uncle was a meth addicted; he is now sober after going to rehab multiple times. Grandma helped with raising his kid.

Grandpa was heroin addict.

Another uncle started out with marijuana then cocaine and finally meth. He ignored his family and got high every day. He committed suicide. The autopsy report listed many illicit drugs.

I knew someone addicted to alcohol, but the alcohol won. He tried AA but he was not religious and found it very alienating. He was good at hiding the addiction or arguing that it was under control.

Not right now. However, one of my best friends, who lived here in Concord were an alcoholic. He was very frank about it, he tried to quit once, but couldn’t stick with it. He was functioning, meaning he went to work everyday and made decent money. He was also one the most interesting, funny and entaining people I have ever known. He knew all about the civil war, WWll. We shared a love of history, music and movies. We did not agree on politics, he was very conservative, but had enough other interest to talk about, and we would have lively debates on politics. He was talented, played the piano, did a mean version of Rod Steward Maggie Mae, and had a small (very small) part in “The Right Stuff”. Eventually his drinking caught up with him, he got diabetes, and couldn’t work, because of his eyesight. He passed away 3 years ago at age 68, I always felt when he retired he would not live long, because he would drink everyday. I still miss him.
My daughter had a drinking problem in her twenties, not sure how severe, she was not exactly open about it, but she told me she stopped, because she felt she could not stop when she started. She had graduated from college and were living and working in the City. Soon after she stopped she decided to go back to school and get her Master’s Degree, she went back East (DC) and got her Master’s. Not long after she came back to the Bay Area, she met her husband. He had also had an addiction problem, including drugs. He too were clean and sober. He started out as a barrister at Blue Bottle coffee, and worked his way up, he is head of quality control, and the company sends him all over the world, Africa, Switzerland, Japan. My daughter and her husband have 2 children 3 and 7, and bought a house close to Pasadena, so a happy outcome.

I drank a fair amount in the late sixties and early seventies, I still like my Chardonnay, however I always had in back of my mind, it was not going to control me. I have tried a several times, don’t care for it. Did a few other drugs in the eighties, just once in awhile at parties, felt the same, it was not going to control me. I know that addicts don’t always have that control. My friend didn’t, probably did not help that he grew up with a dad, although very successful in business who also was an alcoholic.

Wow!
Heavy Topic!
Yes and yes and yes…
In my opinion, baby boomers that were brought up in a culture where their fathers participated in a 2+ martini lunch taught us that it was completely acceptable to have some drinks at lunch and go back to the office and then have some drinks after work and drive home.
Times have changed, hopefully the next generation, and I think it has already, will be be different, be better.
Alcohol addiction affects the lives of EVERYONE that is close to the alcoholic.
We all know this, right?. RIGHT!
The alcoholic is, of course, physically AND mentally affected by the poison that it puts in their body.
His or her friends and family are affected by having to deal with a situation that they would rather not have to deal with as it is a touchy subject.
Do we intervene?
Do we say something?
Do we hope it will just go away?
What do we do?
Alcoholics Anonymous is said to be the most successful method to stop drinking.
Go to a meeting.
Couldn’t hurt and it will only help.

https://www.aa.org/

Enough said.
Once again, in my opinion.