Has Anyone Here Seen Alcoholism Ruin Someone's Life, or Cause Their Death?

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
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USA
I've lost a close family member due to lung cancer. I can't even say they smoked that much, but obviously it contributed to the cancer that spread and caused death at an age much too young. I haven't known any severe alcoholics who couldn't keep a job, pay their bills, or function in society. I've never known anyone personally who died from alcoholism related conditions like cirrhosis of the liver, etc .

Has anyone here witnessed someone's life deteriorate or be completely lost due to excessive use of alcohol?
 

Oh yeah! I am so grateful that I've never liked drinking. I did lose a friend's father to liver damage. They removed two thirds of it. I know of many lives ruined by alcohol and a few by drugs.
 

I've got a neighbor whose life has been ruined by alcohol. Up until about 4 years ago, he kept a big trash bag in the kitchen filled with crushed beer cans....he probably went through aat least a 12 pack every day. He once said that he probably blew over $200K over the years at the bars and drinking beer. He is well over 300lbs. He lives alone, so I check in on him regularly. about 3 years ago, we were in the city for several days during Christmas, and when we came back, I called him, and got no answer, so I went over there. He was stumbling around the house, and incoherent. I called an ambulance, and had him rushed to the hospital, and called his Sister in Nebraska. It turns out that he had had a stroke, and had been stumbling around for days. He refused to go to a care center, and his relatives stayed with him for a few weeks, until he could begin to function again. Now, he takes basic care of himself, and can ride his lawn tractor, and drive to town for groceries, but he is on a dozen drugs, and still has speech problems, etc. I know that one day I will go over there and find him laid out on the floor.
 
Yes seen plenty of it. Liver and other health problems, traffic and other accidents, choking to death on their own vomit, suicides, etc. Those kind of things are likely all around you. Seen it with other drugs too, both illegal and legal. Over doing it with drugs is easy to do and it dang sure doesn't make you as smart as you seem to think it does at the time.
 
I am watching a neighbor do a slow death and she says she would rather die drunk than live sober. Sad
 
Yes, have seen numerous lives ruined by alcohol. At work: currently have an [inmate] worker serving 16 years for DUI-vehicular manslaughter(2 fatalities).
 
Sadly, yes.
Alcoholism ruined my Mom's life and the lives of those around her.
I managed to escape, but my little brother took the brunt, was locked in the closet when she drunkenly entertained.
Never realized until much later that alcoholism is a disease!
Not only my Mom, but also Grandad-Mom's father-, and my cousin had it.
Mom finally stopped drinking but it was too late, and she died of cirrhosis of the liver at age 58.
Grandad overcame the addiction/the disease and lived to age 92; my cousin also is still alive (age 90).
 
Yes, a close friend and neighbor a very long time ago. She lost everything, husband, family and almost her life. What was really strange when she started drinking and then heavily, was the fact that her own mother was an alcoholic who had committed suicide by slitting her wrists while in the bath about 2 years prior.

Thank goodness she finally sought help, reunited with her son and has many sober years behind her now.
 
Yes, I had a good friend named Joyce Redbear. She was a native American. She was such a kind soul. She died of cirrhosis of the liver. We drank together a long time ago. She was quite a bit older than I. Veins in her esophagus would hemorrage and it was a terrible way to go for her.
 
I have seen this happen to both family and friends.
My first Job was in the Wine Trade. initially I enjoyed it, learning about Fine Wines and dealing with customers on a one to one basis.
Over the years , things went sour as I was forced to watch , people who were not only regular customers but some of whom became close friends, slowly change over time, and deteriorate as people the more alcohol took control of their lives.
When you are young, you are not always sympathetic to individuals you simply regard as weak , but as awareness grows and you witness the effects on people you like and care for, such assumptions are rapidly dispelled.
It could be the death of a spouse, the loss of one's business, and a thousand other things.

The truth is that we do not appreciate the tragedy' of other peoples lives until we witness the effects for ourselves.
I left the wine Trade for the reason, that I could no longer excuse my part in aiding their self-destruction.
Things are a little different today, but back then in G.B. you could not legally refuse to serve a customer unless they were physically violent towards you.

To paraphrase Nietzsche " Alcoholism is death as a slow suicide "
 

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