[Magdalen] Wages of Alcohol

[Cantor03 at aol.com]

I spoke today with a neighbor of mine from when I lived in Eau  Claire.  
He is a retired physician, also, and had what I've always thought of as  an
ideal relationship.  He is gay, and I knew his partner.   Ironically, the
two of them were around and supportive when I went on the wagon
almost 32 years ago.  They were together some four decades.
 
I'd known from a conversation a couple of years ago that the  physician's
partner was having some alcohol problems, but the problem  subsequently
blew up.
 
To cut to the chase, the partner has had peripheral neuropathy, and  can
no longer walk.  There has been an encephalopathy with a  complete
personality change and he has alcoholic cirrhosis with classical  ascites.
(swelling of the abdomen).
 
He scarcely knows his parner, and does not want to see him,
anyway.  He is institutionalized since he can no longer take care  of
himself.
 
This is a tragic but predictable outcome of intractable ethanol  drinking.
 
But for the grace of God........
 
 
David Strang - Recovering alcoholic, thanks be to God.