A s I got older my drinking followed a fa ir ly predictable pattern. A n y o n e could see I was in trouble and I resented having it pointed out.. A fter I was paralyzed at 21 in yet another car accident (my driver and I were both drunk), my drinking only increased. A fte r my accident I lived in nursing homes fo r three years, drinking hard and becoming more and more bitter. One night my friend Ja y pushed me home from a bar. Drunk , we did not notice my foo t was dragging beneath my wheelchair. The nursing home attendants removed my shoes and discovered my toes had been nearly scraped off. I was tossed out on my ear. Moving into an apartment my drinking got worse. M y alcoholic attendant and I J ) drank together. I discovered I had lost complete control o f my drinking. Time after time I ’d take that firs t drink knowing it would lead to miserable drunkenness and horrendous withdrawal. Clinton St. Quarterly—Summer, 1987 3'
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