October 20, 2022
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n i v Ke The average American tries alcohol for the first time as a teenager. Kevin McCracken was no exception to this, trying alcohol for the first time at 15 or 16. Kevin says that his drinking was casual at first, and his alcohol use didn’t pose any problems to his personal life. Within a couple years, his drinking picked up. While those around him would enjoy a couple beers, he would drink until he blacked out. Kevin says he has a vague memory of being a young man on a date, and his date telling him “that she had never seen someone drink like you do.” As Kevin grew older, he continued to drink regularly, but learned to drink just enough that he could still function. He considers himself to be a functional alcoholic. He was able to have a career and a family, all the while drinking heavily throughout the week. He figured that drinking wine made him look more sophisticated and labeled himself a “wine-o.” Kevin says that he was so dependent on alcohol that he would drink small bottles of wine in his car while driving. Once, he was pulled over and his car was filled with little wine bottles. Kevin was terrified of getting arrested, but the officer didn’t notice and Kevin got away with it.
Hello, my name is Kevin...
How one local with alcoholism turned his life around By Marcus Hoffman
ROCK
BOTTOM
Kevin was so addicted to alcohol that even when he tried to regulate his drinking he would still drink heavily. Kevin was elected to a 3-year term on the Vestry to help run his church. The vestry met once per month, and Kevin, wanting to look sober, tried to limit himself to six drinks before the monthly meetings. “I thought I could function and seem normal on six drinks, but of course people could still tell I was drunk,” Kevin said. As time went on, all the drinking began to take a toll on Kevin. In the mid 2000’s he found himself shaking when he stopped drinking, a sign of severe alcohol addiction. The situation became so bad that his wife, DeeDee, would sleep in another bed. Doctors told Kevin he had to stop drinking or die. Kevin did not stop until he had to… when he hit rock bottom.