The Hell of Alcoholism

It crept upon me, From the age of eight, Who knew the depths of hell, That that first taste would lead? The singing and jokes, The dancing and shouts, It all seemed grand to me. It ate deep inside, My nervous system, Trapped by age twenty one, The gates of hell opened, For a ten year slog, Jobs ended, friends left, Caught in the jaws of death. Guinness, Jack Daniels, A Stella Artois, Ten pints of Heineken, Two bottles of strong gin, Brandy, Vodka, wine, Amazing amounts, And then came the extras, Speed, coke, weed, crack, meth All leveled by booze, I couldn't leave the house, Without inebriation, It soon gets lonely, When you're a soaked souse, Even dealers hate drunks. Deep in the gutter, Too bruised and battered, The world keeps spiraling, Choose terror or madness, An endless nightmare’ Of fear and denial, That severs brain from heart To go into hell, Is to find yourself, Ironic: loss is gain, Who knew that addiction, Was a path to truth, You stand face to face, With the cruel facts of death. I can’t believe I’m out, that colossal maze, Of grave embarrassment, You must lose everything, Not least dignity, Alone, naked, raw, Stood on a precipice. Hard to make it out, Make it out alive, It’s hard to make it out, Your face in the mirror, Stripped bare and empty It feels like the end, But a crossroads appears. Try until you die, Fight against this curse, It’s inherited, And ingrained in culture, Anyone can fall, And it’s amazing, You may seem to fall far, But it’s never too late.