A Slave To The Bottle

Living In Denial

Lenny loved his wife Beulah.  He didn't really cheat on her.  Yes he did at times dance and talk to the ladies at the juke joint but he never really slept with them.

He just listened to the music,  watched Marcus play that harmonica so well and he was just lost into his world of alcohol.  It soothed him everyday now when he would get off from work.  He just had to go to that juke joint.  It was as if he was in a trance.  He never now came home without reeking of alcohol.  But everytime he would say that he had only had 1 drink too many.  And of course he had brought a truck for the business and even though it was mainly a dirt road,  he still sometimes couldn't keep a straight line on the road but it wasn't too many people in his pathway to come home. 

Signs of A Functioning Alcoholic

1. They drink instead of eat

2. Can wake up without a hangover

3. Not drinking makes them nervous and irritable

4. Behavior changes. Aggressive and make impulsive decisions

5. Can't stop at a few drinks

6. Periods of memory lose,  blacking out.  Not remembering what happened

7. When confronted about their drinking habits,  they are always in denial that they even have a problem

8. Always have a good explanation for why they drink.  Stress at work,  or need an outlet to vent or have fun

9. They hide their alcohol. Drink alone or sneak drinks so that some won't see it.  Even sneaking some at work without anyone noticing it.

Of course Lenny displayed all of these signs but he would justify all for them because he just would keep saying that he just had 1 drink too many and that he was unwinding after work.  Just chilling. You know.  Happy Hour.  Just a few drinks after work will make you soon forget about your job. 

After all drinking is fun.  It can't possibly be harming me or anyone else.  I mean I do come home from work just late.  I do love my wife,  I just need a social life.

When I try to be intimate with Beulah, she seems to not want to do it because she feels like I've had too much to drink but really I didn't.  Sometimes I have erectile dysfunctional problems because I  am just tired,  but she says that it is because of the alcohol that I can't perform properly and that she hates the smell of me.  I mean I don't smell anything wrong.  I'm okay.  I mean I get up every morning and go to work and I still bring home the money.

I don't really cheat on her,  I'm just relaxing and unwilling after a hards days work.  Ain't nothing wrong with that.  Is it?