Family History

I grew up in an Anglo-Irish family, where the men, I now know, were alcoholics. They were nice men who enjoyed a good time but drank too much, and their drinking was always abnormal. They would go on benders and then be remorseful. They would say they would never drink again, but of course they did--they were either drunk or guilty. And that's the way I drank, too. I was compulsive right from the start of my drinking and did great damage to my family and anyone who came into contact with me. I promised not to do it again, but I always went back on my word.