Alcoholism

Google’s definition of a Rube Goldberg project is a “contraption, invention, device or apparatus that is deliberately over-engineered or overdone to perform a very simple task in a very complicated fashion, usually including a chain reaction.”

Here’s a cute little diagram of a Rube Goldberg example:

My sister and a bunch of her friends had to create a Rube Goldberg project for their science class. They put, like, 60ish hours into this project. They taped every single try. Try after try after try. There was hope each time right before they cut the string on the first object that this might be the time it worked.

After over 100 tries, they called it quits. The project didn’t work. (Don’t worry- they still got credit for effort.)

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Being co-dependent on an alcoholic seems to be like that. I wouldn’t know because I’m not co-dependent on an alcoholic, but someone in my life is.

He/she said today that he/she hasn’t given up hope on the alcoholic because he/she is optimistic that maybe this time- the ten million and eighth time-would be better.

It won’t be.

He/she is going to hope time after time for his/her own personal Rube Goldberg project to work. And it won’t. The project is a failure. The only way to get an A for this project is to accept defeat, give up, and try better on the next assignment- whatever that may be.

For the outsiders, alcoholism is scary. But I think those who are co-dependent on alcoholics are scarier. Because at least we know that the alcoholics have a serious disease. The others… Well, they just don’t know how to live without the alcoholic.

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned from having an alcoholic and a co-dependent in my life (well, besides to stay away from drinking alcohol regularly), it’s that the only person I truly ever need is myself. That might sound super cynical but it’s really not. It’s just that, now I know if someone comes into my life and treats me or the ones I love badly, I know that I will survive without them. I know I’ll need to get rid of them. And that I will be okay.

Once I live under my own roof and get to choose who gets to be in my life, I'll make sure that nobody who brings me constant sadness will get to be around me.

I deserve kindness, happiness, respect, love and positivity. And I am so, so close to being able to get rid of the people who don't give me those things.

-Jordan xx

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