29.4.07

ONE DRINK OR MORE ?

Statistics show an amazing amount of alcoholic women, I don't remember the number and I don't care. Anyway numbers are numbers and doesn't mean much because a lot of women drink secretly and no statistics can count them.

The first alcoolic woman I saw in my life was the mother of a girlfriend. I didn't know why she had so strange eyes and didn't walk right. I thought she was sick and that finally was the truth. Everybody whispered behind her back because every day she went to the shop around the corner to buy herself a bottle of wine, where every women in the area did their shopping.

Sometimes she had no money and she asked one of them to borrow her some. But after a while women found an excuse, as she never gave the money back. So she asked the shop owner, who pittied her and gave her the wine. (husband had to pay later) My mother too slandered over her and told me all these stories. I didn't understand anything, the only thing I felt was pitty with her. My friend too treated her very badly. Then, one day I didn't see her any more and I suppose she went to a specialized hospital.

The next one was an around 50 year old woman with whom I used to work. Once taking a file out I found 1 full and 3 empty whisky bottles. Now I understood why she had these mood changes. She bitched over everything and when she came back from the filing cabinet, she was suddenly all smiles.

Years later when I were in the 50th I noticed that a lot of women around me appreciated very much (too much) cocktails or wine. Especially those who didn't work anymore or those who realized that household and family wasn't enough to fullfil their lifes. Children had grown up and they felt useless. When I was hospitalized for depression alcoholics and depressives were on the same floor. I heard a lot of terrible human tragedies to fill a whole book about human misery.

It's amazing what a creative mind and phantasy women develop to hide their drinks. Parfum bottles when they were invited (so that they could take it with them and officially not drinking much) small plastic water bottles filled with Wodka or Gin, medication bottles etc. Everything was good. At home there also were enough places in the dryer, between oil and vinegar bottles, behind clothes in the wardrobe behind books on shelves, in the garbidge etc etc. Even in their cars. I knew one who used to hide her bottle amongst a pile of empty water bottles. The kitchen also was considered as a nice hiding place as usually husbands don't check very often the content of the cupboards.

During my stay there, a little 75 year old lady with rosy cheaks and white curls, was taken to the emergency service because she had emptied all available parfum bottles in the rooms while the others were eating. Another one who was allowed to go out for the first time after 3 weeks of abstinence, came back like a drunken sailor, had to be locked in and bawled like a hurt animal the whole night. It was terrible.

It happens mostly to women when the children are gone, or if they loose their work or go in pension. Suddenly their life changes completely and they have to face the problem of having too much time. And then they get bored.

It's a big problem and cannot be solved so easily. Alcoholism is a sad desease although we are laughing about them when they speak so funny or are dancing on a table.

10 comments:

Pamela said...

that might happen to me with chocolate.

I'm not that crazy bout booze.

Jeanette said...

Hi Gattina, I see pookies relaxing out stretched on your bed.
I feel Sympathy to those women as something must trigger there drinking habit and there got no will power to stop.

RennyBA said...

Its a serious matter you bring up here Gattian. It's so easy to judge others, but always there is a reason - drinking is often just a symptom. I haven't had any in my nearest family, so I count my blessings.
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead:-)

Anonymous said...

Can you please stop leaving comments about your 29° warm summer weather when we're sitting here with at most 12° in the sun in the middle of the day!!!! *s*

It's not fair!!!!

Yes, alcoholism is a difficult matter. I've seen it kind of up close in my youth, I was taking care of a dog who's owners were alcoholics.

They were very nice persons, but had big problems with the booze. It wasn't just wine in their case.

I got to know them real personal and to see the real backside of it, the abstinens and all.

They always treated me well even when they were drunk. It was really tragic. She died far too young from sicknessess beacuse of the booze and he got mental ill.

Sad, sad stories, all around alcohol problems. They should get help much earlier!

Usually it takes many years to get really ill, so if we could stop it in time that would have saved them and their familys from much pains.

Anonymous said...

Yes, It's a real problem! The thing is that we can become alcoholic even with just few glasses of wine every day! So I'm sure there are more alcolihic persons we couldn't think! I'm always afraid at night when I drive to take my daughters in a place because there are so much people who drive and drink even if the police control is very strict!
Now i must tell you that there will a surprise for you, Mrs Lifecruiser and all the cruisers! Chut !! I will not say more! Just I can say is that a certain Renny BA was hiding on the ship and saw all! I don't know how he did to find my secret?!!!

Anonymous said...

Yes, It's a real problem! The thing is that we can become alcoholic even with just few glasses of wine every day! So I'm sure there are more alcolihic persons we couldn't think! I'm always afraid at night when I drive to take my daughters in a place because there are so much people who drive and drink even if the police control is very strict!
Now i must tell you that there will a surprise for you, Mrs Lifecruiser and all the cruisers! Chut !! I will not say more! Just I can say is that a certain Renny BA was hiding on the ship and saw all! I don't know how he did to find my secret?!!!

Jana said...

Hello, I'm Jana and I'm an alcoholic. I've been sober for 19 months. People like me hide their drinking in lies. I told my husband I was taking one drink - which it was, but it had 4 shots of booze in it, but in one glass. I got very violent and angry when I was drinking, I got very tired of going to work hungover. I was raised by alcoholics who went every day to work hungover. I tried very hard to be an alcoholic like my parents and grandparents but I was very bad at it and had to stop. Now I am a caffeine addict and am trying to stop that too, but feel better about organic coffee beans and soy milk than about alcohol. I worry about drunk drivers too, with my daughter and granddaughter out on the road every day.

MaR said...

Alcohol is part of modern social life and I guess it is very hard for those who are sick to remain "dry"...like a young woman I know. She openly talks about it so nobody will offer her a drink or a glass of wine. She can't stop once she gets started... very sad, but she is apparently doing very well, looks pretty and fashionable.
At least some of them are getting help...
---
when Central Europe has nice weather, Spain does not :P
It rained almost all sunday, Gattina!

Melli said...

I read this yesterday and can't for the life of me figure out why I didn't comment! I must have read it on my reader and then got pulled away from the computer and never clicked in to comment. :( I'm sorry! I certainly don't mean to neglect you dear!

Having grown up with an alcoholic mother, I have a great deal of respect for the potential of alcohol to destroy lives! Both of my brothers were alcoholics too -- one is dry now -- the other was also dry for many years before he died. I think having seen what my mom was really helped them to seek the help they needed before it was too late! My brother George was a very VIOLENT drunk! VERY VIOLENT! He actually almost choked me to death one time! When he did the same thing to one of his children was when he finally gave up the bottle. The other brother - Larry - was a very HAPPY drunk! But he almost killed himself with his drunken antics! He dove head first into an empty swimming pool one time! Drink makes you invincible you know! Thankfully he became sober after flipping his jeep and losing his sense of smell -- but that was a small price to pay for all his foolishness!

I worry mostly with my children - they never knew my mother and so do not have the "benefit" of seeing what alcohol did to her. They only see that Hubby drinks a beer or two each night and is fine. Mom (me) has a drink or two from time to time and is fine... THIS worries me! They might think they can have more than that -- or that one of them may turn out to be alcoholic. I hope not.

This certainly is a "different" post for you, Gattina! Much more serious than I'm used to finding here. And I didn't know that you also suffer from depression. I suppose you have your daily "happy pill" like me! I do thank God that I never got so far as to needing to be hospitalized for it -- but it certainly COULD have happened! I do think I was getting close and got very lucky that I had a brilliant doctor who recognized it when I didn't! I'm sO glad you got the treatment you needed too -- because you are SUCH a fun lady and should NOT be depressed! And we are both so fortunate to live in a time when help is so easy to find!
((((Hugs))))

Melli said...

LORD! I wrote a book!