This meme crossed my feed today and it really hit home.

I watched the two men closest to me go from vibrant, incredible individuals to sad, almost unrecognizable echoes of their former selves.

My father and my brother were imprisoned by alcoholism. I personally observed both declines. Tragic.

My sister and I escaped the genetic trigger, somehow. I am certain, that had we each allowed ourselves to drink more, our stories might have been different. Thankfully, we elected to travel different paths.

Alcoholism travels back, to my knowledge, to our great-grandfather on the Jolliffe side; it’s captured four generations.

I’ve often wondered why some of us were tagged and others were not. I think choices had a good deal to do with it. I hope and pray four generations is enough.