Standing on the building
seeking a facelift from time.
Scaffolding on the roof
unable able to hold
those who don’t want to be held.
So high above
So far below.
The distance between the two
separated by only seconds.
Feeling the air, hearing the thud.
Now motionless, breathless below.
In pain no more.
This was written for THE MAG 154
Write a poem or short vignette using the picture featured in this post as your inspiration. Feel free to take the image to use for your post.
The following is only my opinions based on my observations and experience growing up in a house with an alcoholic. I have read many studies over time, but really only touch on them briefly. They are much more complex than I will ever understand. This may be considered by some rambling or written without any expertise in the study of the consumption of alcohol and its effects. Perhaps that true. It was just on my mind and I wanted it to come out. I really only touch one grain of sand in the beach that is alcohol.
couresy of rumroadravings.com
Dear Alcohol
You have been around for as long man has walked our beautiful planet. Ancient civilizations worshiped you. You were refined during the man’s medieval period. The Anglican Church leaders of the early modern period of history stated you were a “gift” from God. You arrived in America during the early days of our discovery. You could be found in nearly every one of our original colonies. The taxes placed on you early in our history helped pay our Revolutionary War debts. Later in our history, your taxes help fund the War of 1812. You were a “medicine” during the great American Civil War. You were banned with the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment yet you would not only survive but prosper. Even the mere mention of another prohibition would certainly bring out the lively debates we are experiencing now with the talk of gun control.
You Mr. Alcohol, in all your variations of taste and potency are here to stay in America. As long as the money flows, so will you! And boy are you flowing! According to this 2011 New York Times article you are even helping our government during our tough economic times! How patriotic of you! Congratulations! Many people can toast you and help the economy simultaneously! A true American Hero.
Cha Ching! That’s the sound all brewery’s across our great nation hear over the sound of smashing metal or the yelling of an intoxicated abuser at his kid hunkered in a dark corner of his own room. Just like most things in America, money rules!
I don’t claim to be an expert in the field of alcohol, alcoholism or domestic violence. Mr. Alcohol, I have read many studies that claim that consumption of you does not increase the chances of domestic violence. There are countless studies I read like THIS ONE which almost exonerate you from any correlation with domestic abuse. This is where things are indeed tricky. My years in a house which you were prevalent makes me deduce that You were a major contributing factor to domestic abuse. Now maybe we have to closely define domestic abuse. There is so much varying information available that researching gave me a headache! I came across THIS, but really didn’t clear the murky waters so to speak. Maybe it is like an amber ale compared to vodka. Who knows. It is complicated, that I understand.
Everything is difficult to explain I suppose when it come to you Mr. Alcohol. What is clear to me is I was in a chaotic house where You were the center piece of mental and physical abuse. This chaos caused me to have an unhealthy mental state of mind throughout my lifetime. Studies have shown many character flaws that are common in kids that grew up in an environment where You were prevalent. I am proof. I live it daily. I suffer. My kids suffer. The sad part in all this Mr. Alcohol, is I don’t drink you nor have I had it in my home for over 25 years. I guess I am not supporting our country in these tough economic times. How unpatriotic of me.
Society is, generally speaking, concerned with driving under your influence Mr. Alcohol and that is a good thing I suppose. If we can save a life or a family from suffering that is terrific. I fully support it. MADD is a great organization with lots of political power and their WEBSITE is loaded with statistics proving their contribution to protecting our citizens.
courtesy of CNN.com
However, does society even care what happens after they enter the home? Society doesn’t want to invade ones privacy so it acts like it’s no real problem. So let the alcoholic drink as long as he doesn’t endanger society by getting behind the wheel. How about the alcoholic endangering the members of the household either physically or mentally? Does anyone care?
I believe my father, at his core, was a good man. A good man with a drinking problem perhaps? However that doesn’t make him a good man to me. I am sure that others have the same experience or opinion. I feel something has to be done to protect children in the country that are being raised in alcoholic environments. I don’t have the knowledge nor the intelligence to come up with a solution. I am sure someone does. There are too many people suffering for long periods of time because of You, Mr. Alcohol. Alcoholism causes kids miss their childhood. Causes kids grow up to fast. An environment of alcoholic parent(s) and kids is not conducive to a loving environment. Kids miss learning about their parents. They are given a horrible example of grown up behavior in this environment. From my experience I find it is unhealthy and leads to a lifetime of suffering in some shape or form. Our country needs to wake up and understand what is happening with alcoholics and their families. We need a MADD to help fight for kids growing up in alcohol related chaos and abuse. Those kids have a right to a good upbringing. As Americans, we owe that to them.
I am sure there are plenty of Americans that drink responsibility. I am sure that domestic violence happens in households that involve people who don’t drink. I accept that. I was in a home with YOU as the centerpiece for eighteen years. I now understand I wasn’t an only child. I had many brothers. Jack Daniels, Miller light, Gin and Vodka. All were with me on practically a daily basis. If I did the math, I am sure more money was spent on those siblings than on the only human son in my home. I am a statistic. I just don’t know which one. I feel it really is all about MONEY. Those in power and or the companies who are making billions annually don’t want to the public to understand what is going on in alcoholic families. As long as alcoholics or drinkers don’t drive, then it is generally thought that society is doing its job. But they are not. This satisfies the monster that is alcohol companies cause they “promote responsible” drinking and still make the profits. Cause people are still drinking. Alcoholics are still alcoholics. And they purchase You Mr. Alcohol.
Thanks for listening Mr. Alcohol. This is written from my experience in my childhood. My father died a week before I graduated high school. I now understand that I am an Adult Child of An Alcoholic Parent. I live with that daily. I did some research before I wrote this, but this is mainly my observation and experience. I’d love to be able to get one parent to recognize the problems caused by abusing you Mr. Alcohol. Or get a kid to understand at a young age that they are not alone in their experience with Mr. Alcohol within their household. That help exist.
Thanks for your time.
A toast to you! Good Day.
Mind of Shoo
Mind of Shoo 