Jerry fought with his wife Carol about his right to go out and be with his friends. He
didnt like Carol telling him what to do. He'd find an excuse and head out to the
"Rough and Ready" bar.
If they went there as a couple - something Carol wasnt thrilled with - Jerry
would gab and gossip with his friends and leave her alone while he enjoyed everyones
company but hers. She would ask to go home early which he ignored and resisted. Usually
their nights out together ended with conflict about his drinking which he defended
vigorously.
Marriage problems. Soon Carol stopped going with him and stayed home. When Jerry
would come home late, usually more than a little drunk, they had words. The main arguments
were about his drinking, his friends or his being gone so much. Carol wasn't in any mood
for lovemaking when Jerry came home drunk. This created some resentments and soon they
were avoiding and blaming each other.
Carol became convinced Jerry had a problem with drinking but he would have no part of
it. Carol tried to get him to limit his drinking to three beers. The few times Jerry
agreed, it didnt work out and Carol's worries intensified.
Jerry was a nice guy. A hard working rancher. He was a pretty decent dad when he was
around. He would argue that he wasnt much different than a lot of other guys and he
would be right.
For a few years Carol ignored and covered up the problem. She was self-conscious that
her marriage had problems. She would think to herself, "What is wrong with me that he
has to be gone so much? Why does he always have to be at the bar?"
The drinking buddies. What was so special about the Rough and Ready? It was a
drinking mans bar with only about a fifth of the patrons being female. It was loud
and noisy with a lot of whooping and hollering - and friendly put down talk. Jerry bragged
up his buddies and they conned him back. Everybody made each other feel good. Theyd
laugh at each others jokes and stories and make fun of those not in their group.
If one of his buddies would get a little out of hand, Jerry would minimize the
drunkenness with comments like, "He sure knows how to have a good time," or,
"He's not feeling any pain." The guys at the Rough and Ready went to great
lengths to down play their drunkenness.
A group would get together and buy each other rounds. Jerry felt the pressure to keep
up with the rest and to pay back any favors. Even when he wanted to go home early, he
would get caught up in the social pressure and end up closing the place down.
A painful admission. Jerrys drinking started to get to him. He became more
irritable and obnoxious. He had some blackouts that scared him. He kept telling himself he
wasnt an alcoholic because he wasnt as bad as the town drunk. Hed look
at his friends and other heavy drinkers and think to himself, "Everybody else is
handling it, so I must be OK too."
Finally the bouts of self-pity, depression, marital arguments and a "DUI"
ticket convinced him he had a problem. It was a big step because giving up his drinking
would mean giving up his drinking buddies. He didn't know what he would do for friends if
that happened. It had been years since he ran with a non-drinking crowd. He didnt
have much in common with them. He wondered how his friends would treat him if he did quit.
But still, his whole world was coming apart, Carol was threatening to leave if he
didnt do something, and he knew in his gut that he had lost control of his drinking.
A quick fix for manhood. During treatment, Jerry found out just how escapist his
drinking really was. With Carol, he used drinking to run away from a close relationship.
Because he didnt feel good about himself, he didnt trust Carol with his inner
feelings or thoughts. If she really knew him, maybe shed reject him. Or maybe
shed expect him to do something about his problems when he really didnt know
what do.
He found out that he had some problems not getting acceptance from his father and
worries about making it in ranching. He used alcohol to prop up his self-esteem. Drinking
with his buddies also provided a quick fix for his manhood. They accepted him. The crowd
at the Rough and Ready were filling each other full of B.S. about how they were just as
good as anybody else.
His running to the Rough and Ready to drink and to get acceptance from his friends got
rid of some feelings he didnt like. Alcohol and his drinking buddies promoted a big
lie, "That everything is OK," and, "Nobody is doing nothing wrong."
If you go into a bar like the Rough and Ready, Jerry won't be there. He went for help.
But youll others a lot like Jerry still there. Don't be fooled. The good time they
are having is not for their friends; it is for the alcohol. Pure and simple. The
"drinking buddies" arent buddies unless youre drinking with them.
And their jokes arent that funny. That was one more thing Jerry learned.