Choice Between Evils?

The first time I heard someone say that "death or insanity awaits the alcoholic who persists in drinking," I thought it was an overstatement. I had seen many alcoholics of advanced age who continued on their miserable way but somehow clung to life. I knew many others who, while somewhat dotty, did not go insane. But what I came to understand was that most of us who drank would surely aggravate whatever physical ailments we had, and shorten our lives.