I realized after I posted, that describing an alcoholic as someone with "control" seemed a bit odd. I guess I mean that he was never belligerent or mean. He maintained the facade of reasonable and organized even under the influence.
I cut him some slack because he lost his leg in WWII at age 18 when he was shot twice and left for dead. Gangrene set in before they found him, and when he finally woke up, his leg was gone. He was on morphine, which I guess was no big deal then, and became addicted. I think a lot of men returning from war turned to alcohol. My father did. I am not sure he was an alcoholic, but he drank a lot. He kept the same job all his life, was a good father, and I don't think he ever exhibited those characteristics Elroy describes. So I just don't buy this one size fits all description.
We all have these characteristics in one degree or another. Alcoholics may exhibit some of them in more pronounced fashion, but I bet in them, as in any population, you have a bell curve, or a sliding scale, some exhibiting no more than the non-alcoholic. |
