For reference, Eddie passed in October 2014 - still sober, still living with the Wrights. I was sad to hear it, but glad to know that in his last days he was free.
I just love the way his dad says, "You can get away with it for a little while. But in the end it'll destroy your life and probably kill you." I know that seems dark and all but the way Eddie portrayed him and the animation together just strikes me as funny.
My dad was an alcoholic, he was a loving father, but the drink always made him more emotional and the stress of his work always fueled that negative energy. It came at a time, when I was around 12, he gathered me, my mom, and my three siblings, and right there before us, he broke down, sobbing his heart out. Right there he vowed to never drink again and never lay a hand on us. I’m now almost 25 and not once has he slipped from his vow. He is in his 50s, sober, and the most loving father I could ever ask God to bless me with. All that is good in me, began with him.
I love the subtle details of the boy who introduced eddie to drinking wearing all red, with his hair curled up into horns, depicting him as the temptation of the devil
Sorry man, can't think of anything. I remember someone tried to start a 'Humans of Sydney' page if I recall correctly. I'm not sure if it was continued.
Your right man. People on alcohol can be aggressive, stupid, and selfish. It destroys families and separates them. Alcohol is a huge problem in the world.
Caesar I've been laid and I'm a fat ass. I have a woman who loves me and neither of us drink. It wasn't the alcohol you got that girl/guy all on your own. You did it and you should be proud....When did this turn into a pep talk?
My dad is an alcoholic and struggled with it all my life. I’m 21 years old now married and have a child of my own and I never wanted to touch alcohol. I know how it can ruin a family and I’ll never put my family through that EVER. God bless anyone who struggles with alcohol and I pray you realize that you aren’t only hurting yourself you could be hurting the ones you love.
Marz Xo That was probably a wise move, since your dad is an alcoholic and you might have a chance of becoming one too if you tried the stuff. Addictive personalities sometimes get passed down, unfortunately and it's a good idea to be careful about whatever triggers that trait in you or your family . However, there's nothing wrong with an occasional drink or two for people who can handle it. But, it's not good for people who can't handle it to even have a little bit. Some of my family members and I can drink responsibly. But, not everyone can.
I would have to respectfully disagree with Ms. Tia I believe that one drink can potentially ruin a life it's like fire playing with a little flame on a lit match and drop it and a large fire might start stay clean keep fighting God bless worship God
I’ve seen friends succumb to alcoholism, and it was a tough thing to watch. Worse part was that just about every one of them knew it was harmful but they just couldn’t stop. Out of the four who were alcoholics, three are sober. The last one sadly died when he drove drunk and ran straight into a patch of trees at 60 miles per hour. Every year on the day of his death, we swing by his grave and just laugh at all the good times we could be having. Let me say this very clearly: it took the death of one alcoholic to convince the others to become sober. They vowed to never touch a single drink or consume a drop of alcohol to the end of their days. That was three years ago.
The phrase his daddy used in the begging echos in my mind. Knowing what kind of personality I have, I know this would be me if I ever drank alcohol or tried drugs. I am glad I have already made up my mind. Its sad to hear this this man's story. This gives me further strength to stick to my guns about what I know about myself. Thank you for all the stories you record StoryCorps they are always very good.
I have an uncle who was an alcoholic (I can’t remember the days of when he was because I was too young) but it really damaged my mom in the long run... I’m glad he got sober, and I’m glad he turned around his life! I feel terrible for people who are related to addicts (of any kind) but fortunately, a lot of people try to get treatment
Love this. I would love to work for story corps! This is one of the best jobs in the world...they have all kinds of people from all walks of life and they weave it together into such amazing stories. It's truly an inspiration. Keep going Story Corps.
I come from a long line of alcoholics, too. I'm 19 now and I've decided I'm never going to have a drop. I don't want to see the monster that lurks from within.
Oh hey what’s up? I’m transferring to my university pursuing an Aerospace Engineering degree. I went to community college the past 4 years to be debt free in my education. Within my time there I had to clean out my dad’s motel room to get him into rehab for meth. He’s 2 years clean now. I also had to sacrifice a year to take care of my great grandmother when her husband died. She’s gone now too. 3 other people are also dead, one murdered, one of cancer, and one of COPD. 2018 was a really rough year. I had my girlfriend to support me through all of it and even though I’m 22 now I still haven’t had any alcohol. I’ve been living through engineering school and the hardships 100% sober. Thanks for checking in guys.
There is this guy at the newspaper my mom works at who used to be a heroin addict. I've had the privilege to talk and get to knew this deeply insightful human being a few times every year (he even published a semi-autobiography about his years as a drug addict called "Snarveier mellom himmelen og helvete" (Shortcuts between heaven and hell)). In his book he describes how an entire generation from his neighborhood basically got lost to alcohol and drugs, how he lost many of his friends and how he managed to pull himself out.
Always gotta make sure they have the pull tab if you’re getting canned foods for donating, if they don’t have a pull tab and you have a can opener for yourself it’s fine. But the pull tab is being extremely generous because they wouldn’t have can openers with them. It’s something we always made sure to do whenever we did food donations, and to look out for the other kinds of foods that can be easy to have without having access to a kitchen and all that.
So just adding something in case people don't fully know: this interview in 2014, was recorded shortly after Eddie was given less than a month to live. He knew he was going to die. And he was content with that. He was in such bad health, and he felt like he'd turned his life around. He was at peace.
I found your channel today. You do some incredible work; giving people the time to tell their stories. I have subscribed, and I hope you continue what you do for a long time. Cheers.
When you teach kids to fear alcohol you give it power over them they will later try to reclaim and will often go about irresponsibly, teaching kids some boundaries such as; If you drink do it only when I can supervise, Never go anywhere once you've started to drink, Dont call or text anyone when drinking, If you feel or get sick stop, Always drink water with your alcohol, etc etc, then that power alcohol has as a fear and temptation largely goes away. Explaining things to children always works better than forcing fear on them.
In normal situations, sure. But this was a family with the alcoholic gene. He was addicted to alcohol before he even tried it. In this scenario, the father’s advice was spot on. This wasn’t a result of a parenting failure, it was peer pressure.
I always find that homeless people have some the wildest and saddest stories I've ever heard As someone who has been pretty much ignored by almost everybody I meet, I can honestly relate to most of them pretty well, sometimes when I see one I just stop by and ask them how their day is or how they're doing Some of them are abit crude, some are nice, and some are just a book waiting to be written
I'm glad I was lucky enough to be born with a natural tolerance and self-control. I drink and I'm fine. Many people aren't lucky like that. They try to have a little fun and they go down a rabbit hole they can never escape from. I feel kinda bad about it, that I can go months without drinking and never once be tempted or I can spend entire nights drinking and never black out, puke, or get into a fight. For all you alcoholics out there, we're here for you and I'd pour my drink right down the drain if it would help you stay sober.
I remember my dad telling me over and over how the family has an addictive personality. Back in the day, he had a thing for alcohol, still does kinda (I think he's chilled out over the years). Me, I had somewhat of an early introduction into it. First time I drank was when I was 18, was going months between drinks. Got a sweet tooth for mt dew, smoked since I was 18, now 23. When i turned 21 and could buy it now, i was drinking every weekend. I remember one time my ex told me that when i drank, i got mean and nasty. Truth be told, i liked how i felt while drunk, didn't care if i threw up, kept drinking til i passed out. After she told me that, i try to chill out, tried to drink less, but got back to it. After she left, I didn't have a desire to drink. Still don't. When I do drink, I still get mean and nasty, in the mood to punch the first person to get on my nerves and i would say i have a pretty short fuse at times. In truth, I need to get my life in order, get as far away from my family as I can and keep my distance. Don't need their crap
I can relate to this man.... My pops died from pills and alcohol. I myself seem to have an alcohol problem. Its not as easy as you think to pull out of it. I've got the support of my mother and sister right now. That's really my only reason to fight it.
My God you go that right .I can't tell you how many people I have met you say "I wouldn't listen".That man wasted 40 years not listening to his father.
My dad was an alcoholic back in the day, he also chewed and did drugs after he got divorced and now he's better than ever and he goes to church and I was very successful in staying away from alcohol.
I have some relatives that drink, but not one is an alcoholic. Growing up, I get scared that one of them would get crazy drunk and do something. But luckily they never did.
I still have a heart for the homless and less fortunate despite bad experiences and what other tell me. I don't care to be screwed over those looking for a lazy hand out when I give some money or a bite to eat. If I give something to 100 homeless cases and only 1 case really deserved it, no BS, I still find it to be worth it. Not to say I think every deserving person is as interesting as this story, but you never know when someone in a situation like his needs somekind of positivity to keep on going.
This world can be dark from time to time. But the light that comes from people like these, means there will always be a light in the darkness. When you're in the dark, please remember to turn on the light. It's there, I swear.
Though I thought the special was fantastic, I like the layout of one story per video. It allows for more context to be given and just seems more special.
