“These alcoholic types can never safely use alcohol in any form.” — Dr. Silkworth
That may mean beer, whiskey, tequila, or gin. But if we look at this thing with an open mind, a lot of us have gotten drunk on other stuff too. Relationships. The fantasy that if we just act a certain way, say the right things, ignore obvious red flags, or deny devastating facts, this one will finally work out and we’ll live happily ever after. Money. The belief that if we just hit some magic number in the bank, life will finally feel normal and we can finally exhale. Control. Approval. Attention. Security. Same movie, different bottle. The mental obsession side of this illness can put us in places we swore we would never end up, and sometimes the strangest part is landing there completely sober, looking around asking ourselves, how did I get here again?
Because the drink was never the whole story. Something in us is always reaching, always looking to be settled, safe, whole, connected. The human soul still wants to connect to something bigger than itself, and if we ignore that, it has a funny way of coming back wearing a fake mustache.
What are you calling normal that might just be another form of alcohol?
