| Alcohol is one of those addictions that unfortunately | | | | thing to do in between sets is to sit around and drink, |
| starts off very early in a person's life. Most people | | | | especially if you're trying to impress the groupies. After |
| who become addicted to alcohol have addictive | | | | doing this routine for a while it is very easy to get into |
| personalities to begin with but usually it takes more | | | | the habit of drinking constantly. It doesn't happen |
| than that to send them over the edge to a full blown | | | | overnight but in many cases it does happen. The only |
| drinking problem. We're going to examine some of the | | | | difference between early on and later drinking is that |
| factors involved in turning someone into an alcoholic. | | | | the music has stopped, unless you're the Rolling |
| Most people who start drinking begin to do so when | | | | Stones, but the drinking hasn't. |
| they are very young, even under legal drinking age. | | | | The even more tragic onset of alcoholic behavior is |
| This happens when older friends sneak alcoholic | | | | when a person's life takes a drastic turn for the worse. |
| beverages into parties. At first the youth will just have | | | | Usually this kid who has already started drinking socially |
| a couple of drinks. After the party is over this person | | | | will have something terrible happen like the loss of a |
| may not drink again for months until the next party. | | | | parent. Maybe the kid had a bad romantic breakup. |
| Then, after a while, they begin to realize that when | | | | The number of terrible things that we are subjected to |
| they are drinking they feel pretty good. They usually | | | | in life are too numerous to get into and it only takes |
| haven't begun heavy drinking yet, but when legal age | | | | one event to put a social drinker with an addictive |
| hits they may hit a bar on the weekends as a regular | | | | personality over the edge into full blown alcoholism. For |
| routine. Still, they aren't even close to becoming an | | | | these people, drinking is an escape. They drink |
| alcoholic. | | | | because they feel bad and want to feel good again. |
| Unfortunately, the real problems don't begin until things | | | | As the late John Spencer, a recovering alcoholic at the |
| either go wrong or the person is put into a situation | | | | time said on a great episode of West Wing, "I don't |
| where they are around alcohol a lot. Let's examine the | | | | understand people who take only one drink. I don't |
| latter first. | | | | understand people who can leave a half a glass of |
| A common problem as a youth is that many young | | | | scotch. How can you only take one drink? How can |
| people love the idea of playing in a band. We've all had | | | | you not want to feel like this longer?" |
| fantasies of being in a big rock band. Many of these | | | | Of course there are those people who are alcoholics |
| kids actually pursue this dream. Unfortunately, most | | | | because their mother or father was an alcoholic. Yes, |
| bands start off playing at bars. That is pretty much the | | | | alcoholism is inherited. |
| norm. Most bands will play as much as three times a | | | | This is one of the worst addictions there is and can |
| week. This places them in the presence of alcohol on | | | | only be treated with professional help such as AA. |
| a regular basis. If you're playing in a band then you | | | | There is hope for an alcoholic. |
| know that you play multiple sets in a night and the only | | | | |