Wallowing in deep sorrow is a precursory experience we all inhabit at some stage in life or another. Deep depression nips at the heels of perfectly respectable folks, while anxiety leaves others nail-biting. Although fellowship is found, as misery loves company, so is the little orange top to a person's favorite fizzy drink.
Alcohol consumption was at an all-time high in my neck of the woods. One despairing remark after another justified another round of beer to the point where a person couldn't walk without kicking an empty can or bottle.
In elementary school, I walked out to the one-room apartment in my family's backyard where my uncle lived. "Uncle Bear," I said. "You drink too much." His reply was a surrendering, "Aw hell!" I kicked a few empty beer cans around outside the apartment, then looked up at him and said, "You could at least clean up your empty beer cans." Later, they were all picked up.
My uncle was an alcoholic, well-known in the community of drinkers. In fact, when he passed away from brain cancer in his 60s, a nearby pub put a bar stool out for him and drank rounds in his honor. When the bar stool crashed to the floor one day, there was a moment of silence. One of the bar patrons called out, swearing it was my uncle who moved the stool from the grave.
The family inheritance of alcoholism didn't end when my uncle passed. It was passed down to future generations, as it had occurred in generations before him. Cutting into the causes behind this phenomenon became a life passion and one of the fundamental reasons I attended college to study psychology. My most burning desire was to know what happened to my family, which included many alcoholics and drug addicts.
Sadly, the Psychology Department at CSU, Chico didn't have all the answers for me. However, I had a better understanding of the effects of alcoholism on the brain, which helped shine a light on my uncle’s behaviors.
However, the deeper meaning behind alcoholism and its prevention came through the meditation group I attended. Self-awareness is a key component for overcoming any addiction behavior.
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