Selfishness

It’s always tough to tackling topics on alcoholism and addiction without sounding as if either a snob or a hyprocrite. It would be different if some of the characteristic traits of the disease involved uncontrollable veracity and excessive charitableness, but unfortunately the aspects of the condition we discuss are usually less than flattering. So it is with the caveat that I’m pointing the finger at myself, a recovering alcoholic, first when I say that the only characteristic of practicing alcoholics that would give deceptiveness a run for its money is selfishness.

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My wife who is taking some time off to see her family in Thailand called me all upset early this morning from Japan’s Narita airport. She had made a mistake and told them to pick her up at noon when she was actually going to arrive in Bangkok at midnight. At the time she could not get through on the phone to our home in Thailand and was going to have to board the plane so she asked me to notify them of the proper time. Hesitantly I agreed, but I dreaded the call because the only thing worse than my phrase book Thai is the English of my family from the Asian Pacific Rim.

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I ran across this advice column in the SouthTownStarin which a 40 year-old alcoholic with two years sobriety is considering leaving his family. He resents the behavior of his wife and son who are spiritually draining him to the point that he has decided upon a divorce. Apparently though he still feels guilty about the decision and so has asked for the advice of a newspaper advice columnist.

While this type of situation is probably better left to the psychologist to tackle, there is one portion of it I would like to comment on. As a recovering alcoholic myself I know how hard it is to break out of the rut of selfish thinking that is so indicative of our disease. It happens all too often that we feel resentment when those close to us don’t seem to appreciate the benefits of our recovery. Yeah, that’s selfish, but the statement made by this asshat is totally over the top!

I am ready to get a divorce and move on because life is too short. I never abused my family in any physical way - just the mental anguish of living with an alcoholic. ~ Southtownstar

JUST THE MENTAL ANGUISH OF LIVING WITH AN ALCOHOLIC!

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