At the request of one of my followers, I offered Riley the opportunity to do a video post with me. He agreed but didn't know what he would say. I asked if would just like to answer questions from the followers and he said that is what he would prefer.
Please send me questions you would like to ask Riley. When I have enough questions together (hopefully by the end of next week) I will video him while I ask him your questions and he answers. Send your questions as a comment to this post so everyone can see what questions are being asked. Hopefully that way, we will not have a lot of repetition of questions. If for some reason you cannot comment, e-mail them to me at LDoyne@live.com.
For those of you who prefer the written blog to the video, I will do my best to transcribe his answers and post them as a written post as well.
My qustion would be - does he realise that he has hurt you and the family by his excessive drinking and, if he could go back and change things, would he?
ReplyDeleteMy question would be the same as Addy's - but perhaps I would offer a way out for him, a reason perhaps?
ReplyDeleteAlcohol is a welcome bedfellow at times of stress, eases the pain. Also, alcohol is pernicious addiction, initially something, a ?pursuit you enjoy with friends. But then, as time progresses you need more to gain the comforting affect, and so the downward spiral continues as you need more and more and more. And then you are hooked.
And then alcohol becomes the first thing you think of when you wake up. And who you are, you were, is lost in the glass...
Working with alcoholics, those in limbo with alcohol related dementia, I know good people exist underneath the damage, the havoc created.
Sad it is the effect of alcohol for those (I think) predisposed to its lure, and sadder still families who are destroyed by it.
So Linda, I think I would ask Riley if he knew when alcohol became his master...
Kind regards and much respect.
Anna
To Riley:
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of person do you think you would have been if you had never tasted alcohol? What would you have done with your life, what would you be doing now, what were your dreams, what do you think you'd look like?
What advice would you give to a man who feels he is not an alcoholic, but who is drinking three quarters of a bottle of gin a day, starting every morning and sipping throughout the day until late into the evening, and shows almost no signs of drunkeness (no imbalance, no slurred speech), except the shakes in the morning and incredible bouts of rage throughout the day?
Also how would you wake up his family that he's in trouble? Please note that his family has had many members who have died from the disease already and can't believe their son would disappoint them and go down the same path.
I would ask Riley, what is your grounding, what is your base? What makes you feel at peace with yourself (and your God or creator?) Is it only the alcohol or was it ever anything different?
ReplyDeleteOr does it not matter anymore? And do you feel a sense of accomplishment about your (and all of ours)very short time on this earth? And finally, Riley I do admire you immensely for stepping up and offering to answer these very probing questions! God Bless You!
I don't want him to feel like we're ganging up on him so I would my questions like this.
ReplyDeleteTo Riley:
1. Do you realize you have a drinking problem and are most likely an Alcoholic?
2. If so, why did you begin to drink?
3. Why do you want to continue drinking when you realize it is killing you?
My question to Riley is was there something painful in his life that made him turn to alcohol for relief, or does he feel that the alcohol became addictive on its own? If there was a painful circumstance that was at the heart of the addiction, did you ever fully work through it in one of your rehab/counseling or AA sessions?
ReplyDeleteMy question - Riley, without alcohol being in the picture, what gives your life the most meaning? What are your greatest joys now?
ReplyDelete