I've been sober for almost 6 years now. During that time I've been blessed to be able to help several men get and stay sober. But I will tell you that it is not an endeavor for the faint of heart. In just about every case of alcoholism and addiction (including my own) there lies, at the root, a substantial degree of mental illness.
Just because someone stops drinking doesn't mean life automatically gets better. Alcoholism and addiction are symptoms of something much deeper going on. So while recovery programs are a huge resource (AA has helped me tremendously!) they don't address mental illness. Most addicts and alcoholics are seeking mental/emotional relief when they drink and drug.
Men, especially, struggle getting the help they need. We don't like asking for help. We don't like letting people know what's going on deep down. We don't like admitting that we have a problem, because of the stigma of being perceived as weak.
I don't know how much of this applied to Grayson, but I'm guessing at least some of it did.
My first AA sponsor asked me, "Do you own a suit?"
I said, "Yeah. Why?"
He said, "Because if you hang around AA long enough, you'll need it. You'll probably be going to some funerals."
Sadly, he was absolutely correct.
