During my 76 years, I have seen my share of alcoholics. They all very in many ways. Some get angry or even violent when drunk. Some get happy. On the other hand, some just simply sit there and let the world go by. A few know better than to try to drive . Others, well you might need to hide their keys. A few have a reasonable memory of what happened while inebriated. Others, when they sober up will say they must have had a good time. Their wallet’s empty. It does make a person wonder what the started with.

None the less, all alcoholics do have a few things that are absolutely common. They want others to drink. It helps their guilty conscience. When they start on one of their binges, they are usually specific about what kind of alcohol they drink. Once partially under, they just might drink antifreeze if you put it in front of them.

Invariably, while their mental abilities are reduced, they will say that they are fully able to function as well as when sober. In some cases, this distortion will be maintained even when they can’t stand.

Frequently, people under the influence will try to do things they would never try sober. Ironically, they are less likely to be successful while impaired.

To be sure, I really wished I hadn’t seen any of it. To be sure, those around the alcoholic generally suffer more than the alcoholic. In some cases, those that suffer the most don’t even know the one under the influence.

However, what ever the common facts of the alcoholics, two things are always, and I mean always common. They all took their first drink and they never know when they will take their last one. Then too, most of them have one more thing in common. Most wish or will wish they never took the first drink. However, as they say, that is just one of those things that can’t be undone.

Then too, this is all shared by most of those with chemical dependencies. It is only logical. Alcoholism is a chemical dependency. The only big difference is that alcohol is legal. Well, there is one other difference. It causes more problems than all the other drugs combined.