When I think about my childhood, I remember quite vividly having to compete against the "brown bottle." Both my Mom and Dad were drinkers. There was always a party going on somewhere. In our small town of 800 people, it seemed as if drinking was all there was to do.

I remember times when my Mom and Dad fought. One time he had her pinned down on the coffee table and I really thought that this time, he would kill her.

[Read the rest of this article...]