A Note from Kelly King: Last week we posted an article on the messy results of alcohol. Today’s article lists reasons one woman chooses not to drink. Because alcohol has affected her personally, she has asked to remain anonymous.
Because I was there.
Because I have stood by the graveside in the rain as another one of my family members was killed in an alcohol-related accident.
Because I hid under the bed when a raging uncle came home.
Because as a child I felt helpless to defend my grandmother against being beaten by a drunken family member.
Because my mother would say, “Think of them as they are when they are not drinking. Kind, fun, loving, always bringing surprises.”
Because I love life too much to miss out on any of it by lying passed out or raging uncontrollably.
Because there is nothing fun or attractive about being drunk.
Because I have seen how choices are taken away as drinking becomes the driving force in a life.
Because I have watched one generation of excessive drinking become two, then three, and now four generations.
Because the secrecy and lies of the hidden alcoholism and the problems created by it were confusing as a child growing up in an environment of duplicity. There was fear on Saturday and church on Sunday.
Because it could me be.
The truth is I do not know if I would be lost hopelessly into alcoholism. My mother would say, “Just one drink could be the beginning.” I believe that to be true. With addictive personalities running rampant in the family and knowing my own personal self, I stay away.
The truth is it has to stop. I want more for my children and their children and the generations to come. I do not want them to live in fear, shame, and guilt. I want them to live in freedom.
The truth is as an adult in ministry, I see other families ruined by alcoholism and addictions. My heart breaks for them. I know the deep stabs of hurt that are slow to heal. I know how long the wounds linger, continuing to infect other areas of our lives. I see the choices that never would have been made without the fuzziness of drinking. The sins that are committed that destroy lives and families.
The truth is even if I did not come from a family who struggles with addictions, I do not want to miss out on the abundance that life has to offer.
Why do I not drink?
Because “A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance” (John 10:10). Alcohol is a thief. I will not allow a thief to take away from the abundance of living life in Christ.
Because the secrecy still strangles me. As a result, this post is written anonymously.