Hi everyone, I had a boyfriend (yes, just one!) when I graduated high school. This boy had his eyes on me since the 6th grade. We were both too shy to get together. Long story short, the summer of 1972 we met up, and could not ignore the chemistry. His father was an alcoholic, and so was mine, and we bonded over the hazards of our parents. At the same time, he and I drank the summer away, having beer keg parties in the barn at his house, his father drinking along with the kids. However, my boyfriend would say, "I never want to be like him. I am going to make something of my life." Indeed my boyfriend is a top-notch environmental hydro-geologist and skiier. So, if the USGS needs someone to ski atop a glacier and sample for global warming, he's the guy. His father died of alchohol related conditions at the age of 43. My boyfriend (oops, ex) is now 53 with a 3 year old child. As for me, most of you know the story: I abused drugs and alcohol to ease the pain of my childhood. I'm 51 now, and I haven't had a drink since the Judds did their pay-per-view farewell tour in 1994. (another long story) By the way, when I go to Vermont in August for the writer's conference, this ex-boyfriend will be picking me up at the airport. 33 years after the summer of 1972. So, my point is, alcohol can be a genetic disease, but it can also be a choice. Love and Light, Lynn