Comments on: Click. Read. Love. 4.15.22 https://www.jessannkirby.com/click-read-love-4-15-22/ A New England based lifestyle blog written and curated by Jess Ann Kirby. JessAnnKirby.com is a place to foster connection, creativity, and meaningful conversation. Mon, 18 Apr 2022 15:27:23 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.1 By: Jess https://www.jessannkirby.com/click-read-love-4-15-22/#comment-142068 Mon, 18 Apr 2022 15:27:23 +0000 https://www.jessannkirby.com/?p=42888#comment-142068 In reply to Lynn.

Lynn I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine going through that as a mother. As someone who has their own personal experience with people close to me struggling with alcoholism it is very much a silent struggle and one that is very difficult to fight. It’s still very much a misunderstood addiction in my opinion. My heart goes out to you.

]]> By: Lynn https://www.jessannkirby.com/click-read-love-4-15-22/#comment-141917 Fri, 15 Apr 2022 20:07:20 +0000 https://www.jessannkirby.com/?p=42888#comment-141917 ]]> It was very interesting to see that article written about labels and stopping alcohol use. Before this I’ve really never read anything like this or truly knew how I felt about this for very personal and heartbreaking reasons . I know that Jess knew I lost my son Jeff when I was on the Facebook Group . Everyone was wonderfully supportive. I guess when I was a teen I really only had a beer or two and that went on until college . As soon as I was a young mom, it just didn’t serve me unless I was at a wedding or family party . After my husband left me and yes I did say that , I met single girl friends and partied and drank and danced at bars . I had 2 kids , 13 and 15 and maybe I actually got drunk and stayed over with a friend in Amherst, Massachusetts a half a dozen times . After feeling hungover and having my purse stolen I was soured on drinking . I didn’t crave it ever and I found I had fun without it . I raised a phenomenal and handsome son who looked like JFK junior and he got a full Scholarship to College . He didn’t drink anything but beer that I knew of . He got married . He had two beautiful kids a boy and a girl and he had a big Corporate Job with Walmart in Arkansas. It paid well. My BIL did before him and retired . He separated and the next thing I knew I was traveling to an ICU in a hospital in Kansas where he lived 2 years in a row waiting for a liver . He died once that first year. His heart stopped forv6 minutes and he almost bled out. He completely recovered . The second year it was not a good prognosis when he called me to fly out immediately. He was on the list for an Angel Flight fir a liver but everything and his organs shut down . He was engaged to a Nurse for God’s sake . Didn’t she see he was still drinking ? He swore to me he was not . So I watched my beautiful son take his first and his last breath after 17 days as they disconnected his life support . For Jeff it was a real struggle to stop an addiction I never knew what he hid so well . I don’t drink at all now . I tend to cringe when anyone talks about drinking a lot and hangovers. I have no right . It is their decision only to drink or not or if they even have a problem. My son did not chose to go for help and I know he did not want to die . I miss his face and his laugh and his wonderful sense of humor. I don’t think I’ll ever get over what I saw that night as we played Amazing Grace in that room in the darkness . I really never said how I felt about drinking because I really didn’t know or did I need alcohol. I was lucky . I’m lucky to be able to say this in a safe spot here . Maybe no one will ever read it but it’s good that I said it . He’s gone and I can’t save anyone else’s child, but thank you for publishing that article. It made me think a lot and it helped me a lot to talk about my own feelings . Hugs Jess. You are an incredible mother and role model for me to just go for my bliss and get back my sense of adventure . ❤️

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