Dear Alcohol

by Cheryl Ericksen
(Wood Dale IL)

Dear alcohol

You have been my friend for 42 years, but the time has come for me to say goodbye. I think I need to tell you why. Even while I’m writing this and I hate you I’m still addicted to you. You have such control over people like me. While I hate you, yet I continue to be in your control. You make me question my sanity.

The first time we met, I thought you were wonderful we had such a great time together I laughed I made other people laugh with and at me, you were really fun. However after many hours with you made me sick. I should have known then that you were not a true friend, because a true friend would never do that to a person. Since I felt good with you and I felt relaxed, funny and you made me and others laugh, I dismissed how you turned on me and made me feel horrible. So this is how we first became friends. I never wanted to blame you for the problems in my life or the problems I saw you creating in my other friend’s lives, so our relationship continued.

I’m a strong person and while you tried to hurt me for a long time I was stronger than you. I started to notice that you were creating friendship with all my friends. They loved you and wanted to be with you just like I did. Soon I realized that many of my friends were spending even more time with you than I did. I saw them spending their money on you, money they should have been saving or be spending on loved ones, but no, they spent on you. Again, I didn’t reject you and I made excuses for you and said they should be strong like me and not let you take advantage of them. I did notice that you found it easy to take advantage of people who had problems. People who need something, you found a way to convince them that it was you who could help them with their problems. Again I didn’t blame you I blamed them for being weak.

So as the years passed you were always there. Friends were getting divorced others were losing their jobs; others were fighting with good friends for no real reason. It was you, the evil side of you that you disguised ever so well. I found It interesting that after you had helped to destroy a marriage or a good relationship my friends would gather around you in the sorrow of their failure. You are the one who played such a big part of their unhappiness yet you were the host of the party. Again I did not blame you I blamed life itself or other reasons but I choose not to see how evil you really are.

I did not understand the power you have over people to cause them to destruct. Even when you took my good friend Duane I failed to see you for the evil roll you played in his life. Then you took his brother Darrell, my best friend. First you made his life miserable, you took away his health, his money, his profession, and then you took his life. You killed two of my best friends. As unbelievable as it is to me after their deaths we all came together and you hosted another party. All the time searching to find another victim you could destroy. By this time you would think I would have realized how unbelievably evil and hurtful you are. Again I blamed them for not being strong enough and it was their choice to continue their relationship with you. All the while you and I were having a good time together. We would even cry together over the death of Darrell and Duane. Some how, stupid me, never want to blame you because you were my friend.

Now I come to the reason why I have written you this letter. You just tried to steal my wife. You tried every way you could to destroy my marriage, but we loved each other more than you, so you failed. Yes you caused terrible fights. You even made me fall down and with blood gushing from my head you sent me to the emergency room. Yet we still continued to have a relationship with you. What you have done to my beautiful wife, I will never forgive you. You tried to take here mind, her spirit, her soul and her body, I know you would have killed her if you could. I also know that if you succeeded in killing her you would have had the chance in my weakened state to kill me as well. Fortunately she saw you for what you are and ran away to a place to be free of you. She is now safe from you and you can not hurt her anymore. I hate you for what you tried to do to her and what you were trying to do to me.

I don’t feel I owe you an explanation for why I’m leaving you. This letter is really for me to put closure on our relationship. I now realize how truly evil and destructive you are and I don’t want to have anything to do with you ever again. Goodbye! You were never my friend; it took 42 years for me to see you for what you really are. I have made a decision; I will not let you take my wife, you can’t have my daughter, or my son and you can’t have me. I intend to share this letter with anyone who will read it to warn them about you. I know you will not be affected by this letter because you are truly evil. You will simply move on to others who don’t know you like I do. You will continue to seek out young innocent people just like I was when we met with hope that you can destroy them.

I can’t stop you but maybe, just maybe, someone who reads this will realize what you are before you hurt them like you hurt me and the ones I love.

Regretfully, Roger