How many alcoholics do you have in your family tree?

[BrianNole777]

The beer thread got me wondering:

I had several great aunts and uncles that were alcoholics on both sides. I never met them. My maternal Grandmother was Irish ancestry and had 5 siblings and I think 3 were alcoholics.

My Uncle met an older lady years ago that knew one of my great Uncles and she said he was "the nicest drunk you'd ever meet."

My great Grandfather was an eye doctor who died in his 40's of a brain aneurysm and rumors are that he was an alcoholic.

My maternal Uncle was a lawyer and an alcoholic. He used to drink 1 to 2 bottles of Smirnoff vodka per DAY. He died in his sleep in 2006 aged 54. If he didn't drink a bottle a day, he'd have seizures. He was on a commercial flight to Chicago once and had a seizure and they had to do an emergency landing. Very sad.

My older brother was an alcoholic and got into drugs. He died in 2017 aged 41 from a drug overdose. I posted about it on HROT. CSB.

My sister (no pics) had a drinking problem and was borderline alcoholic but quit.

My cousin (no pics) almost had liver failure at age 40 due to heavy drinking. She quit and is doing much better.

I boozed pretty hard in college then stopped. The last time I drank more than 4 drinks was New Year's Eve 2011. I always felt alcohol was overrated due to hangovers.

Alcoholism is partially genetic and I consider it a near miracle I'm not an alcoholic considering my family tree.

How about you?

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Quite a few alcoholics and addicts on my side and my wife’s side.

I do worry for my kids.

 

[BrianNole777]

Quite a few alcoholics and addicts on my side and my wife’s side.

I do worry for my kids.

Understandable.

I'd be worried if I had kids. There's a good chance they'd inherit the gene.

 

[3boysmom]

My dad's side of the family is littered with alcoholics and drug addicts. My grandfather was an alcoholic but amazingly enough my dad and his siblings were not. They did have other addictive tendencies though. My oldest 2 sons have also shown traits of addictive tendencies. So I do worry and occasionally nag at them about it. There is also a lot of anxiety/depression on that same side of the family and I truly believe there is some overlap in the 2.

 

[SansAgain]

I make it an even 1.

 

[BrianNole777]

My dad's side of the family is littered with alcoholics and drug addicts. My grandfather was an alcoholic but amazingly enough my dad and his siblings were not. They did have other addictive tendencies though. My oldest 2 sons have also shown traits of addictive tendencies. So I do worry and occasionally nag at them about it. There is also a lot of anxiety/depression on that same side of the family and I truly believe there is some overlap in the 2.

We should form a GOIA Al-Anon.

Are you Irish, by chance?

 

[3boysmom]

We should form a GOIA Al-Anon.

Are you Irish, by chance?

Mostly Scottish. At least on that side of the family.

 

[VodkaSam]

I’ve got a brother, who quit completely almost three years ago now so that is great. Didn’t drink daily at all, but was a hell of a beer binge drinker when he got going.

 

[Old_wrestling_fan]

...

I boozed pretty hard in college then stopped. The last time I drank more than 4 drinks was New Year's Eve 2011. I always felt alcohol was overrated due to hangovers.

Alcoholism is partially genetic and I consider it a near miracle I'm not an alcoholic considering my family tree.

How about you?

I am old enough now that many, pretty much all, of my elders are deceased, but prior to their passing...there were A LOT of alcoholics in our family, pretty much all of the males on one side and then some others sprinkled in all over. I also have siblings that are dead, or nearly so, from alcohol, and other drugs, so yeah, pretty much seen it all.

I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the subject, having experienced the indirect effects of alcoholism and substance abuse, in one form or another for really my whole lifetime.

I haven't consumed alcohol now for about 40 years, as I just quit entirely seeing what it was doing to so many of my family members. I agree that there is a genetic predisposition, that's why I just don't even start.

 

[3boysmom]

I also had 2 great something grandmothers granted divorces in the late 1800s and early 1900s due to cruelty from their spouses. Then my paternal grandmother was urged by her priest to get a divorce but didn't do so. Her mother was one of the great grandmothers who divorced. So that side of the family has a lot of not great history. I really should be grateful that poor was the worst thing I experienced growing up.

 

[Scott559]

My Dad, His Mom and Dad, His sister and her husband were all alcoholics. No one on my Mom’s side of the family were/are drinkers.

 

[Derekd3408]

Admitted? 0.

 

[millah_22]

Just 1 big chocoholic (me).

 

[ConvenientParking]

A lot on both sides and in most immediate families in my extended family.

 

[SSG T]

On my dad's side, my grandfather and my dad's oldest brother. My grandpa was a horrible, mean drunk, and according to the family, he was drunk a lot. My uncle was only drunk occasionally, and was just irritating.

The fun part was the two hated each other, and my uncle (the one above) left home after he threatened to kill my grandpa. That was after both were in WWII, grandpa was around 40, uncle Fred was about 17. And anyone wondering about the math, Fred was born in 1930, enlisted in 1944 and was found to be underage in Italy in 1945...after Germany surrendered. Grandpa was a Marine, which is why Fred joined the Army.

* Note - Fred is the one who did the combat jump in Korea and had his chute cigar roll, hit the ground at near terminal velocity and survived. The pain from his wounds are what started the alcoholism.

 

[BrianNole777]

A lot on both sides and in most immediate families in my extended family.

Do you think you inherited that disposition?

 

[hawkdave007]

My mom's side of the family is full of "heavy drinkers" but no true alcoholics (who are blood relatives).

There's some on my dad's side, but it's low key and not obvious.

My dad was a very high functioning alcoholic while I was growing up. I didn't really understand or acknowledge this until I went to therapy in my late 20s and had it explained to me. Recognizing his alcoholism explained a lot about the my interactions with him that I didn't understand, how the kindest sweetest man could turn angry and bitter on a dime. FYI, it wasn't alcoholic rage like the movies, i.e. yelling or screaming, it was someone calmly telling you how much you suck and making you feel unloved... but I know now that it was the beer talking. It wasn't frequent, but it happened, and it was traumatic.

The high functioning eventually became dysfunctional when he experienced some later life hardship. He eventually drank himself into a state of chronic gout, which ironically "cured" the alcoholism because he could no longer drink.

He's doing very well now and is happier than he's ever been. He's sincerely devoted to God and I still admire him.

 

[pink shizzle]

One uncle (not blood related). This year he got drunk, tripped on a rug, and broke his collarbone. Then, while still in a sling, slipped in a ditch getting his dog during a storm.. and broke his other collarbone.

Not gonna lie, I lol'd.

 

[globalhawk]

My cousin Brian in Florida.

 

[franklinman]

I started drinking when i was bout 16 and quit when i was 45, the last 35 years i may drink 8-10 beers a yr. Our family, both sides was littered with many alcoholics.

 

[SeaPA]

From what I was told, my dad's father was a bad alcoholic; he exited from my dad's life when my dad was a teenager - he never knew what became of him. My dad's lone sibling, his younger brother, was also an alcoholic. He died at a young age, I think in his 40s.
My dad was always wary of drinking due to what he had seen growing up. He would have a beer, but virtually always only one. K only recall two times where he had more than one - a couple of times on family trips where he cut loose and had two.

 

[ConvenientParking]

Do you think you inherited that disposition?

I'm definitely an alcoholic. Probably some of it is inherited, couldn't say for sure.

 

[BrianNole777]

I'm definitely an alcoholic. Probably some of it is inherited, couldn't say for sure.

Good luck and Godspeed.

 

[LunchBox50]

My grandmother on my dad's side had 8 brothers and every single one of them was a hard drunk. All of them died from the disease in various ways, from one driving drunk and killing his brother and sister-in law who were passengers in the car, to another (accidentally) hanging himself in the county jail after being picked up drunk in the street.

 

[Chuck C]

My dad’s side goes way back. My grandpa drank himself to death and died before I was born. My dad drank a ton when I was very young. Got a couple DUI’s and wrecked a few cars. My mom told him he had to quit or she was leaving him. He quit for 20 years, kids all left the house, and he started drinking again at age 60. My mom divorced him. He got a couple more OWI’s.

My brother found him on the floor of his house one day, he had a stroke. Now he’s in a nursing home waiting to die. Doesn’t know what day it is, or who anybody is.

My sister has a family tree traced back to the 1700’s, when old Adolphus Wolfe came over to the Americas from Europe. This was done before all the DNA tests for family trees. I’m not quite sure where all this information came from, but most patriarchs have a small blurb about them. My siblings and I laugh, because all it says about Adolphus was that he was the town drunk and mean to his family. It goes back a long way.

 

[Colonoscopy]

3 right now, the other 7 fell out of the tree

 

[SansAgain]

Do you think you inherited that disposition?

I love your interest in human behavior. It’s often intrusive, but I get it. Can I sit on your couch while you analyze me? No anal.

I’m Irish Catholic raised and there’s nothing wrong with being an alcoholic, just be a functional one.

 

[BrianNole777]

I love your interest in human behavior. It’s often intrusive, but I get it. Can I sit on your couch while you analyze me? No anal.

I’m Irish Catholic raised and there’s nothing wrong with being an alcoholic, just be a functional one.

Do you know the difference between Catholics and Baptists?

Catholics say "Hello" to each other at the liquor store. 😆

 

[hawkdave007]

Do you know the difference between Catholics and Baptists?

Catholics say "Hello" to each other at the liquor store. 😆

One my favorite jokes:

Why do you always have to take two Baptists with you when you go fishing?

Because, if you only take one, he'll drink all of your beer.

 

[Old_wrestling_fan]

My mom's side of the family is full of "heavy drinkers" but no true alcoholics (who are blood relatives).

There's some on my dad's side, but it's low key and not obvious.

My dad was a very high functioning alcoholic while I was growing up. I didn't really understand or acknowledge this until I went to therapy in my late 20s and had it explained to me. Recognizing his alcoholism explained a lot about the my interactions with him that I didn't understand, how the kindest sweetest man could turn angry and bitter on a dime. FYI, it wasn't alcoholic rage like the movies, i.e. yelling or screaming, it was someone calmly telling you how much you suck and making you feel unloved... but I know now that it was the beer talking. It wasn't frequent, but it happened, and it was traumatic.

The high functioning eventually became dysfunctional when he experienced some later life hardship. He eventually drank himself into a state of chronic gout, which ironically "cured" the alcoholism because he could no longer drink.

He's doing very well now and is happier than he's ever been. He's sincerely devoted to God and I still admire him.

Wow, I feel this one. ^^ Glad to hear that you are OK and that your dad got through it...in one way or the other.

 

[hawkdave007]

Wow, I feel this one. ^^ Glad to hear that you are OK and that your dad got through it...in one way or the other.

Thank you. I like to think I am a sympathetic and forgiving person, which is how I moved on. It's been easier to forgive him more each year, as I've gotten older and come to understand the stresses of marriage and fatherhood that he was experiencing at the time.

 

[4ohs]

Like many here, my family is full of addicts. Alcohol or other. Mostly alcohol, but my older brother moved on into DXM. Robotripping.

My mom and I took him to rehab. One of the best, we were told. When he got back home 2 months later he just started drinking something else.

Now he’s no longer with us, and don’t ask me why. One addiction to the other, and a person who had everything going for him.

 

[TunzaHawk]

Too many.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

Mostly older relatives who have passed on.

 

[cfbfan23]

My dad was maybe not an alcoholic, but he was a bad drunk.....and drank a little too often.....not a good combo.
His parents were full-fledged alcoholics. My mom's side of the family did not drink to great excess, but had plenty of mental illnesses (two of her sisters and two of her aunts) that may have been worse than alcoholism.

My wife's parents were complete functioning alcoholics. M-I-L is still alive, 81 and still drinks around two bottles of wine a day. Wife has 3 siblings. Her brother doesn't drink alcohol, and chooses to focus on the impending Rapture. My 2 S-I-L's are alcoholics. My wife could easily become one. She has to really try not to drink so much. Thankfully, she has been trying to prioritize that.

I hardly drink anymore. Gummies. So much easier on the body.

 

[HawkMachine]

Alcoholics? My guess would be zero.

Addictive personality?

My dad probs.
Me.
Some of my kids probs.

 

[ThorneStockton]

I'm largely ignorant of my extended family, not because I'm an orphan, I met them all as I child and hear some of them still, I just am not all that interested. So that makes this exercise easier: Two

Dad is high functioning, healthy and as far as I know/knew never caused any apparent problems. I just know the consumption was high/often enough to earn the label, but much less so as he's into his senior years.

Brother drinks too much, doesn't appear all that healthy, some depression/anxiety. Will likely need to make changes.

I'm closer to my Dad, but have modified my habits as I enter my mid 30s.

 

[HawkinK.C.1]

I was a pretty legendary drinker at one time. Had a group of friends even stage an intervention. Then one day about 20 years ago, I just got tired of it. Too much drama. Have a beer once every few years these days.

 

[Colonoscopy]

I was a pretty legendary drinker at one time. Had a group of friends even stage an intervention. Then one day about 20 years ago, I just got tired of it. Too much drama. Have a beer once every few years these days.

If I had a cup for everyone

 

[TonyTheTiger.1865]

At least half a dozen, which is why I don’t drink.