To Hell And Back

No, I was not in a fiery car crash or trapped in a burning house. I’m a retired career fireman who spent 2-1/2 decades responding to hundreds of fires, rescues, and countless EMS emergency calls. The “hell” that I am referring to is my own personal one that I have lived for so many years, but never really realized it until it was almost too late. During my career, I survived many injuries and several deadly close calls on the job. But my worst near death experience was my own inability to put down the bottle.