I mentioned this some time ago but couldn't embed it then. We had a week or two in this country when all talk of Iraq and terrorism and bank failures and even Health Care Reform paled in comparison to interest in the life of alleged drunk mom Brittney Spears. All the talk show hosts had many good laughs at her expense. All but one.
Craig Ferguson went out one night and did an extraordinary monologue on the topic of alcoholism — a topic he knows only too well. It ran 12.5 minutes and all 12.5 are well worth watching.
Drinking is one of those few problems I do not have in my life. I have never, literally, touched a drop of the stuff…not even beer or wine. I can't really tell you why that was up to the age of around eighteen. Then when I was that age, an extremely drunk person killed someone I cared about a lot…and what was worse, this person was utterly divorced from the notion that one is responsible for one's actions. I mean, it would be bad enough if they had to say, "Gee, I'm sorry your friend died because I was drunk." In this particular case, it was more like, "Gee, I'm sorry your friend died but it wasn't my fault. I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing."
I'd never had an urge or even curiosity about alcohol up 'til then but that kind of sealed the deal. I've needed no reminding since then but, alas, about every five years I have to see some friend commit involuntary suicide via booze and usually, they also manage to do a lot of harm to those around them. I am not for temperance or bans or anything of the sort, and I don't even criticize those who can handle it. I just believe, as Mr. Ferguson explains in this video, that there are some people who simply cannot drink without bad things resulting.
Here's the clip. It's long but I remember watching it when it first aired and thinking, "You know…somewhere out there, there's someone who's being helped by hearing this." I don't think that often about things I see on TV.