Success is Not For Me Alone...

Had a long discussion with Ferret this morning about getting sober. 

"How did you get sober for so long?" he asked me.

"My parents helped.  They wouldn't allow me to have my disability money and that curtailed my drinking.  I am not very gregarious about making money and thus had to do without. I just couldn't drink."

"Didn't that piss you off?" Ferret asked.

"I was furious," I replied. "I felt like a small child, but I was also acting like an insolent child when I was drinking."

"I could get a home if I quit drinking," Ferret said. "I am spending a fortune on beer and wine."

We then talked about Clara and how she got sober.   Ferret wasn't too keen on the idea of staying at the Rescue Mission in Columbus.  He said he couldn't deal with all those crazy and drunk homeless men.  I laughed.  Pot calling kettle black, I thought.  

"You are going to have to go to whatever lengths it takes for your sobriety," I told him trying not to sound too preachy.

I left Ferret as he was nursing a bottle of Thunderbird wine and drove home.  Alcoholism is a vicious cycle to be caught in.  It seems the more you want to quit drinking, the more you will drink.  I don't know what the future holds for Ferret, but he managed to quit drinking and get a job before.  I hope he can do it again. 

Alcoholism is a progressive disease, as well.  They often say in AA that when you "go back out" it gets worse each time.  My parents methods were harsh, but it taught me to learn to live without drinking.  I used to would think I could never get through a day without a twelve pack of beer.  Now, I shudder at the thought of drinking one.