My neighbor died yesterday-alcoholism

[NancyinArkansas]

I just don t understand why a person would drink himself to death. But I seen it in my family growing up. One ran out of booze and drank a bottle of alcohol and died. If it is in the genes, I did nt get it. But it is so sad to see a young man dead of this desease . He had been to rehab many times ,but went back to drinking when he came home. Don t people know heavy drinking will kill you? Nancy

[MOgal]

Nancy, I had a call yesterday from a friend/former neighbor telling me that her 48 y/o daughter is in the hospital with liver failure. For years, the daughter had abused alcohol and illegal drugs and now there is little the doctors can do for her. They will probably rule out the possibility of transplant but even if they do put her on the list, how long to find a suitable match?

I'm as confused as you on the topic. DH and I both had alcoholism in our families. We are also grateful that those genes passed us by.

My condolences to you and to the man's family.

[crtreedude]

One of the parts of alcoholism is that they person just doesn't want to deal with life. So much easier to get drunk. The problems don't go away of course, but just get bigger.

For a percentage they eventually get their wish to no longer have to deal with life. It is truly sad.

[suburbanite]

I had the family of an alcoholic come to me claiming that he'd been poisoned. I startled them by saying, "Yes, he was." But then I went on to explain that he'd done it to himself and the poison was the alcohol.

He died of liver failure, of course. There seems for some of them nothing short of incarceration can keep them away from the stuff, and as you know even in prisons people can generally get a hold of their drug of choice.

[Ezrandi]

It is a disease. My father is a recovering alcoholic, and thus making his children and grandchildren at risk.

In the end its not really a choice.. He was telling me about how there's a little voice in the back of his head that tries to trick him into drinking again.. But the problem is.. Even now, after so many years of sobriety, one drink brings him right back to where he left off.

Its been a hard road.. and he's come oh so far! But there's always that danger that the voice gets the better of him.

Im sorry to hear about your neighbor.. Its a horrible way to die.

[pookshollow]

My first husband was an alcoholic - he could control it enough to work, but once he was on his way home, straight to the bar. He's gone now - got drunk, passed out and died of hypothermia on Christmas Day, in his own home.

I never understood it either. He could stop if he wanted to.

Sorry to hear about your neighbour.

[mare]

for some people i dont think is as easy as "he can stop if he wants to" what a sad way to live and die.

[DenverGirlie]

my cousin drank himself to death a few years back. He beat lukemia as a child, but the bottle got him in his 50's.

[YounGrey]

Oh sad, sorry

[donsgal]

Originally Posted by NancyinArkansas

I just don t understand why a person would drink himself to death. But I seen it in my family growing up. One ran out of booze and drank a bottle of alcohol and died. If it is in the genes, I did nt get it. But it is so sad to see a young man dead of this desease . He had been to rehab many times ,but went back to drinking when he came home. Don t people know heavy drinking will kill you? Nancy

My first dh had a good friend name Gabe who was a terrible alcoholic. He was very intelligent (I would guess a very high IQ 150+) very good looking, one of those guys who could fix anything. But he had a terrible drinking problem. He tried to quit many times and was often sucessful but then would fall into his old habits, etc. It finally killed him when he hit a concrete bridge abutment (on the wrong side of the street, I might add), going too fast. It was a tragedy not only because he had died, but because a good life had been wasted. Nobody could help him. Everybody tried. I believe he was about 30 when he died.

donsgal