Go Ask Alex

A PTSD Adventure

(Post Traumatic Substance Disorder)

I was raised a poor, black child. Oops,wait a minute, wrong story.

Today as I celebrate three months without a drink, ( My last drink was on February 22nd. ), my thoughts turn to writing. This is something I haven't done in a while. Serious drinking can sometimes make it difficult to type.

What I have done is quite a bit of reading. Recently, I finished a book written by Mary McGarry Morris that was titled: Songs In Ordinary Time. In it there is an alcoholic character by the name of Sam Fermoyle. While in a sanitarium, he makes the following observations to a Dr. Litchfield: " Hey! Okay, I'll tell you the honest-to-God truth. You see, a lot of people think I'm a natural-born loser, but actually I can win anytime I want. Okay? You like this, don't you? You see, the trick is I'm a lousy winner, but I'm a hell of a beautiful loser. I am comfortable with defeat. I know it well. I understand pain and anguish. They never pull any punches the way happiness does. You see, when you're happy, you're always looking over your shoulder for the big sucker punch. But hell, when you've been down as low and as long as I've been down, you don't have a worry in the world, because the only way from here is up, right?"

Nietzsche it is not, but I thought it profound enough to christen this little writing exercise.