Both Sides of the Fence

I took my first drink of beer at the age of 3. My mother was in a relationship with the man who became my stepfather. He was an alcoholic who drank nothing but high-proof bourbon. I grew up around this life and, at the age of 9, I was stealing alcohol from my stepfather. By the time I was 11 he didn't care, and we would get drunk together. My whole family is alcoholic and I thought I was an alcoholic because of where I came from. Even though I was only a child, I was drinking like an adult. It made me feel part of what was going on.