“Call Me When You’re Sober”, a post featured on bassbeat.net dealing with alcoholism garnered quite a bit of interest.  The thought of posting part two came to mind while watching a national news report about the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution dealing with prohibition.

**While the manufacture, importation, sale, and transport of alcohol was illegal in the United States, Section 29 of the Volstead Act allowed wine and cider to be made from fruit at home, but not beer. Up to 200 gallons of wine and cider per year could be made, and some vineyards grew grapes for home use. The Act did not prohibit consumption of alcohol.  Distilleries and breweries in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean flourished as their products were either consumed by visiting Americans or smuggled into the United States illegally.**

Prohibition began on January 16th, 1920 and was extremely challenging to enforce. Hence the “bootlegging’ era which caused the speakeasy to open, runners to transport booze illegally and violence to flourish among gangs claiming territories.

Some of this correlates with addiction, don’t you think?  People I thought I knew well would sneak booze and drugs into their daily activities with the help of runners who owed them. It wasn’t until these habits began to impact their marriages, jobs, friendships and daily routines that I really became concerned or noticed. At one point, I was under the impression our pal, who worked the overnight shift, was taking naps in the middle of the day; only to discover that they were shooting/boozing up and hiding for hours on end. Hours became days and weeks became months, which led to broken friendships, divorce and loss of work.  After a challenging meeting and eventual intervention, thankfully, my friend checked-in with a good organization and with continued support from those same family members, friends and co-workers, pulled through.  I learned that addiction is a daily challenge to deal with and that, sometimes, the urge to drink or take drugs seems to fade over time with plenty of help. Not always the case.

It is difficult to discover that your best friend, spouse, child or parent is in the clutches of addiction and I hope you click around the Internet to find help for those close to you and for yourself.  I’ve included a couple of links that might get you started on your journey.*** Keep the faith!

http://www.guidestar.org/nonprofit-directory/health/addiction-substance-abuse/1.aspx