Growing up, I never once saw my father drink a single sip of alcohol. In fact, neither did my mother. I never really thought about it at the time, but now that I'm older and wiser (Hahahahaha!), I realize that they both made that choice after battling demons from their past.

My father's tale was the more dramatic of the two. He grew up as one of eight kids, a middle-ish child in the midst of a clan. The family owned a bar in West Virginia, and each of the kids took a turn or two or ten at defying the laws of child labor and helping out. Despite the free labor, the bar wasn't exactly what you would call successful. Rampant alcoholism would certainly explain a great deal of what was wrong. It's hard to make a profit when you're drinking all the goods, or so they say. If you talk to any one of the siblings, you'll hear talk of Christmases without gifts or even a big dinner. More than one of the brothers and sisters will wistfully tell you about the Christmas when the only thing in the fridge was a six-pack of beer. Some will tell you, "At least we had each other," while others will quickly change the subject without a syllable of niceties.

Alcohol tore the family apart.

I respect my father's decision to not follow the same path. Not all of his siblings chose the same one, and it's easy to see the impact alcoholism continues to have on the generations. The ones who have a problem have never realized it, but if you look in the eyes of their kids, you can see it. Even the cousins who are barely old enough for kindergarten have The Look. The Look that says, "One of my parents is not the best they can be." While my father is REALLY far from perfect, he did get that one thing right. No doubt about it.

Long ago, I chose the same path. I'm not unwilling to drink a little alcohol, but I simultaneously figure it's not worth it. It's not worth the potential for addiction, which is obviously meandering it's way through the bloodline. It's not worth the risk of hurting others. It's just not worth it.

So, if you ever see me out and you think it's a little lame that I'm not real big on the alcohol consumption, cut me a break. I'm lame because I learned from other people's mistakes that it's not for me.