Off the Merry-Go-Round

At the age of 16, I started sneaking around and buying beer. I would beg for it and steal change to buy it. I wanted beer every day and I would do whatever it took to get it. I loved it so much that I lost my dignity, my self-respect, and all of my friends. No one wanted to be around a drunk or be bothered with me. My reaction to this was to just go somewhere and hide out from everyone. I had no idea that this was known as isolation.