As you pretty much know by now, I was in medicine my whole life as a Nurse Practitioner. I am pretty sure I have seen just about everything, but as I say that I think, don't say that, there is always something else.
I have had many patients who were alcoholics, especially working at the VA Hospitals in Denver and Sepulveda. There is one person that stood out in my career as the most tragic.
I was particularly fond of this older gentleman because he had a heart of gold and was always extremely good to me. I often begged him to stop his overindulgences, but he chose not to. He was only about fifty-ish. I went to work one morning and his friend came to my office and told me he had died.
I wasn't terribly surprised because of the abuse, but it was the way he died that was so tragic. He smoked and the night before he was drinking in his lounge chair, he accidentally set the house on fire, etc, etc. You can imagine the rest.
That may be why I really pay attention to this month, because I think of him all the time.
Just be careful with your lives.