15 for 15 Contest --- Closed

I grew up in an alcoholic household. My stepfather is a "recovering" alcoholic. What does that mean, exactly? "Recovering" just means you are one drink away from lying in that gutter again.

My stepfather's father was an alcoholic, as were his three brothers and sister. One brother spent most of his adult life in jail and died of a drug overdose. Another brother was found dead out in the desert from a self-inflicted shotgun wound. The youngest brother beat his girlfriends. His sister was just a plain old drunk.

Most of his cousins are alcoholics. You can bet that most family reunions on that side were not a fun thing.

My mom's side of the family didn't escape the long reaching effects of alcoholism. My aunt married a man who was an alcoholic and who liked to beat her until she peed blood.

You'd think I'd stay far, far away from anyone who enjoyed the libations too much. But I've married a man who is most likely on his way to alcoholism, too. And it's no surprise that his father is an alcoholic and his older brother has had problems with alcohol as well.

My mother-in-law's side of the family is riddled with addicts. Her father, her brothers, her sister, all addicted to either alcohol, drugs, or both.

Now I have two sons and a daughter and I fear for them, their treacherous, traitorous genes.

If my husband were to see a truck, its load spilled all over the highway, and realize what its cargo was, glass shattered, the asphalt wet and sticky, the air filled with the scent of hops and barley, he'd probably weep.

Me? I'd think it the greatest thing ever.