| This book is about women who fall in love with men who are in lovewith alcohol. It is the story of men who are hooked on drinking andthe women who are hooked on these men. It is a story about trust andbetrayal, hostages and hostage takers, and about struggle for freedomand survival. It is also a story about an age-old love triangle: thewoman, the man she loves, and his mistress---the bottle. Who are these women? What happens to them during the yearstheir mate is drinking? Why do they stay with him when he continuesto drink, and what happens to them if he stops? These are some of theissues the book addresses. In doing so, it attempts to cast light on ashadowy and pervasive form of household terrorism that has longgone unchallenged. Are these women hostages, or are they willingaccomplices? Are they victims or villains? How has society respondedto their needs, and to what extent have our social systems failedthem? What steps can be taken to improve or rectify the situation? As we will see, the relationship between a woman and her alcoholicmate is a study in love and hate, pity and anger, fear and confusion.When we consider the findings of a recent Gallup poll that one family in four in the United States reports a problem with alcohol at home, it becomes clear that the potential for such relationships is frighten- ingly widespread. And when we realize that this figure represents a 100 percent increase over the findings of little more than a decade ago, the picture becomes even more grim. Other figures are equally disturbing. While we now know that alcoholism strikes people in all walks of life, regardless of age, sex, or socioeconomic status, the sheer magnitude of the affliction suggests a problem of epidemic proportions In the United States alone (using thl : (ountlv a a vely bload model fo~ what is going on elsewhele in the world) an estimated eighteen million* individuals suffer from some form of alcohol abuse. Add to this the commonly held notion that the problem drinker affects at least five other people in his or hel circle and the number of victims direct and indirect including |
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