Alcoholism

A detailed Summary of Alcoholism

Some may call it a disease, others may say it is just weakness, but one thing that everyone agrees on is that alcoholism causes inner and outer conflicts throughout life. Alcoholism causes depression in some cases, and rage in others. In my case it was both. It created a war between my parents, brother and sister that continued for over a year. It was at a time when new people were entering my life, many of whom did not stay for long.

It had all started in eighth grade. I was in a school named "Holdrum Middle School." Everyone in the school was either a bookworm or an outcast, and people of like tendencies always seemed to stick together. I was an outcast, not really familiar with the way life was run, always joking around in class and never doing any work what so ever. Within the outcasts, I was the outcast. The public high school kids had always come back to the middle school to harass the younger kids, and I was the one to always be picked on. I never had it easy with the other peers in school, but having the older group of kids messing around with me didn't make things easier. I had friends, but what kind of friends where they? They were never around when their help was most needed. Near the end of year, I had f

Realizing what I had become really threw another twist on my life. I still thought of alcohol as appealing even after all I had been though, but I knew if I drank my actions turned for the worst. Even though I knew what I was, I continued to drink. I continued to spiral even more out of control. The situation got so bad that I was barley capable of concealing it anymore. Even my best friend and former drinking buddy, Nick, stopped abusing alcohol. He saw the changes in my personality and behavior. The occasion came that he confronted me. He was genuinely concerned for my mental and physical heath. He made me realize how many people I was hurting and that I need help. I decided that I would visit the one teacher I felt comfortable talking privately with. His name was Mr. Guiger, he was my freshmen theology teacher. He was a kind, compassionate man with a sense of humor. Mr. Guiger was a bald, short, stocky man who had a neatly trimmed beard. I approached him one day after school. That day, he made me feel better. He gave me the determination to fix my addiction. Several times a week I would visit him in his lightly decorated, office-like classroom. As the end of freshman year was passing, I finally was able to stop my drinking problem.

Peer culture had the biggest affect on me throughout my alcohol abuse. Nick, my best friend, enjoyed drinking with me. We always had so much fun hanging out with nothing but the cool night air and a bottle of Jack Daniels. Liz always had a good time with me. We were always drinking and doing whatever our hearts desired. She always wanted to be over the top. Liz thought she was in the 1960's, and was "one with the earth." She was a very energetic girl who liked classic rock. Just like Nick, she was considered to be a friend to everyone. Alexis was just like Liz. All she ever did was drink. She even drank more than me. Annie was no different than my other friends. Drinking one was of her preferred past times. Everyone one of my friends thought the best of alcohol, and never told me different from what they thought.

The four of us became inseparable. We drank every weekend or weeknight that we had a chance. The summer was coming up soon and we were excited at the possibility of drinking away every night for three months. We had soon realized that we had them all fooled, our parents, girlfriends or boyfriends, and our other peers. We drank almost every night that summer enjoying all of it. We thought we were unstoppable, but every good thing has to come to an end. The summer was coming to a close and we were headed off to different high schools. Nick and I were going to Don Bosco in Ramsey, New Jersey. It was an all boys' catholic high school with a very prestigious reputation. Annie and Alexis thought about going to Immaculate Heart Academy, an all girls catholic school but decided to go to the public school instead. The last night we had spent together was fun filled with lots of Myers rum and Absolut vodka. That was the last time we all hung out together as a group.

With both of my parents coming from a Catholic background, and sheltered lives, it was not easy for them to see the problem I had. Both of them were very caring and nurturing, but very naive. I grew up in a very settled environment. My mother loved to listen to her classical music, and my father to the Beatles. My parents were both from sheltered and lower class families. Because of this, they never had the opportunity to experience what we do today, like drinking and drugs. I was never caught only because my parents did not know what signs to look for.

My parents started to notice a change in my personality. I had begun drinking with Liz at play practice, and also by myself at home. Drinking at home was my new favorite thing. I would get a twelve ounce bottle of coke filled with whatever I could find in my parent's liquor cabinet (taking only that which they would not see was

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2782
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)

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