According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) there are 1400 alcohol-related deaths in the U.S. every year. It is easy to imagine these must be hapless losers lying in doorways, or tragic victims of drunken drivers – a fate we could all unfortunately be subject to. And even though it is unpleasant to be around people when they are inebriated, they generally sober up by morning, don’t they? So, if reading the NIAAA statistic doesn't move you to intervene in the life of your alcoholic loved one, I invite you to read Greg’s story. And then get the person you care about into alcohol detox and rehab before it’s too late.



Greg recently turned 23. His parents, Mary and Dan, had just finalized a divorce. He was not happy about his parents splitting, but he was aware that his dad had a serious drinking problem. He did not fault his mother for wanting out of the marriage. After all, he wasn’t sticking it out either: he had moved several states away from his home town with hopes of creating a life away from his dad who regularly drank himself into a stupor. Greg had no idea what was behind his dad’s alcohol abuse, and had never tried to get him into an alcohol detox program.

After moving away from home, Greg did well. He had landed a good job. In a few short months, he was offered a sizable promotion and the prospect of taking on more responsibility in his company. Then one weekend, his Dad apparently could no longer bury his pain in alcohol, so he took a 22 revolver, put it against his head and pulled the trigger.

Greg was notified immediately by the hospital. With the divorce now final, his mother was no longer in the picture, leaving Greg his dad’s only next of kin. He would have to take charge of his dad’s affairs, which meant turning his back on his developing career and going back east.

He was on a plane the next day. He did not know if his first duty would be to authorize the doctors in intensive care to pull the life support system his dad was on, or arrange for the funeral and handle any estate he might have left behind. As things turned out, he was called upon to arrange for his dad to live out his final days in hospice care, a complete invalid, unable to feed himself and unable to take a single sip more of the booze that put him there.

Greg’s boss and co-workers were shocked but sympathetic when they learned of his family tragedy. Greg explained that he always knew his Dad would not live a long life because of his serious alcohol abuse and the havoc it played with his health. He said he had been preparing himself for his dad’s early death for some time, but he was still in his 40s and that time seemed far off. He just never thought it would end like this. He confessed he never understood why his Dad drank the way he did, and he felt helpless to do anything about it. Now he lives with the knowledge that he never even tried. And he now knows that he could have saved his dad’s life had he gotten him into alcohol detox and rehab.

Sadly, Greg’s story is the outcome of a deadly game of Russian roulette that families across the nation play every day. Greg urges anyone in this situation to get out of the game before it is too late. The first step is to contact a successful alcohol detox program.