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I know a man who is full blooded native American - Mohican - and grew up in Canada. His mother was walking down the side of the road drunk one night when she stepped into the path of an oncoming car and was killed instantly. My friend was three years old at the time. He was raised by his father and grandfather - both of them serious alcoholics. He was beaten often by his grandfather when the old man had been drinking and the old man drank every chance he got. By 18, my friend was well on the way to following in the foot steps of the rest of his family. He told me that one night he passed out in an open field and came to and just laid there for a long time looking up at the sky. He didn't want to lead the kind of life his father and grandfather had. He got into AA, and left his town in Canada to join the US Army. He has been clean and sober for 23 years now. I respect the hell out of him for this. Here is a man who probably has every single gene for addiction switched to "on," and who grew up in the perfect environment to turn a person into a raging alcoholic or addict. His story shows that there is hope for every person who thinks that fate has forced them to become addicted and stay addicted.
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