Excellent article, thanks. Out of a family of 6, 4 siblings, we had 3 alcoholics in my family. My Mom was of Irish descent, making all of us kids half Irish. Perhaps that had something to do with the likelihood that she and 2 siblings would become alcoholics. Fortunately, all became clean and sober, with my Mom clean and sober for almost 30 years before she died. My siblings each have 30+ years of sobriety, too.

Growing up in that atmosphere, I never cared for drinking. Give me a smoke please. I will drink very seldom and if I do it's usually beer because I never cared for hard alcohol or wine. I color myself lucky that me and my older sister escaped the throws of alcoholism and that my Mom and 2 other siblings got clean and sober. I don't consider alcohol evil, but I sure understand what it can do to ruin one's life and lose everything one had, including family.