The Neighbor

I was going to write something about drinking today, something with exquisite insight into the soul and psyche of the modern drinker, and an amazing observation about the social narrative in regards to alcohol, but...

I got a call from my neighbor around noon today.  She, her husband, their daughter and a dog moved in a little less than a year ago.  On outside appearances, they seemed nice enough.  The dad was not around a lot and more than a little standoffish, but they seemed okay.

They are getting divorced.  I saw her this morning loading some things into the car, but didn't think anything of it.  She and her daughter are going to move in with her mom.  The dad is abusing cocaine and marijuana, drinking to the point of blacking out every time he drinks, and it apparently was physically abusive to the daughter.  It sounds like there might have been some external pressure being placed on the situation from health workers who were expressing concern for the daughters well being, the final justification for her to make the move.

She said he had no interest in going to treatment or stopping his behavior.  He insists he doesn't have a problem.  From the sounds of it, the marriage is not going to be saved.  They are likely going to lose the house.  Safety protocols have been set up to protect the daughter, and his relationship with her will never be normal.  Hell, if he is abusing that many drugs, he'll have a hard enough time not barreling into harder and harder drugs, let alone getting sober.

Now I am only concerned about my wife and kids, making sure his addictions and rage don't send him out of control.

When I referenced my drinking and making a mistake that would affect my life and the lives of my kids, I didn't expect to get a prime example of just such a circumstance popping up next door to me the very next day.