A Member of Alcoholics Anonymous

I was raised by two alcoholics and suffered through that sour and unmistakable smell coming from a human being when large sums of scotch and whiskey are consumed. This alcoholic home experience included family violence. My mom shot my stepdad right in front of me. They were both drunk most weekends during my youth. As an observer of alcoholic parents, I saw up close what an altered state looked like. Fridays at 5pm they were themselves. By midnight they were someone else. (By the way, my stepdad survived and moved back home after a two-week stay in intensive care. This seemed normal to me.)