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Drunkard - A Hard-Drinking Life
by Neil Steinberg
Plume
ISBN 978-0-452-29543-8
Published June 2009 - Paperback - 273 pages - $15.00

Finding so much comfort and pleasure in drinking to excess dumbfounds me.  I cannot fathom how anyone would prefer to walk around in an alcoholic daze instead of functioning with a clear mind and in control.  However, there are millions of people who literally cannot function sans alcohol.  This is one such story.  Not so much that newspaper columnist Neil Steinberg couldn't function - he functioned very well - but his story is about how his days and nights were filled with booze and the acquisition thereof.  He manages to keep his job, his family, his home, friends, etc., until one day his life comes crashing down around him.  It had to.  It was just a matter of time, as it is for any addict.  Alcohol wears you and yours down, and it's sad to see what you leave in your wake.  Pathetic even.  What amazes me is how alcoholics (and drug addicts) can remember what they drank and when.  His story is one you've heard and read about many times over, only his is captivating, perhaps because he's so like you and me, and alcoholism doesn't differentiate and is not discriminating.  Reading these stories, in my opinion, strengthens one's resolve and better prepares you for when you are confronted by an addict or by alcohol yourself.  Forewarned is forearmed.
Conclusion - There but for the grace of God go I.  I admire Mr. Steinberg's chutzpah and for having the cojones to spill his guts.