Did you know (according to The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence):

*There are more deaths and disabilities each year in the U.S. from substance abuse than any other cause.

*About 18 million Americans have alcohol problems.

*More than half of all adults have a family history of alcoholism or problem drinking.

*More than nine million children live with a parent dependent on alcohol and /or illicit drugs.

My family has been effected by alcoholism, perhaps yours has been too. I grew up in a home with a man that relied on alcohol to ease his unhappiness with himself. To this day, I still suffer it’s pain…the memories….the lost time, lost opportunities.

I think in my family, specific individuals do not realize those around them could see what they were doing. It’s like they thought they could drink and no one would notice. It’s unfortunate. It’s very obvious to every one around them.

I’m not sure what else could be said about this…I’m not sure what I really want to say about it, except this:

I am a victim of alcoholism.

Though I don’t drink, I am one of those nameless, faceless individuals that have been ran down in it’s path.

I didn’t (don’t) want to see my loved ones in the condition in which it leaves them.

I didn’t and don’t deserve to be treated the way that I am by individuals who wish to engage in substance abuse.

If you have a problem with this awful substance, please know the following:

You will not and you can not give anyone your best…especially those you love.

You will not and can not love anyone but yourself when you look to a bottle for comfort.

If you are a husband or wife…your spouse is expecting and deserves more of you than what is left when you have finished drinking.

If you are a parent…shame on you! Your child is watching everything you do. Don’t think for a minute that they don’t notice. It’s hard not to notice when the one person that you look up to more than any other becomes someone different….a stranger….sometimes violent, always wrong.

I am a victim of alcoholism.

If you have a substance abuse problem, please know that there are those who love you. Open the phone book and find help for yourself, or just don’t take the first drink.