Thanks for sharing that; it's a good reminder. Drinking was almost like a form of slavery for me. I tried to convince myself that I needed & wanted alcohol, but it owned me mind, body & soul, often telling me what to do & when to do it. By the end of my drinking, I didn't even drink around other people for fear of making an arse out of myself.

I, too, lied about my drinking & did the best I could to hide it (which generally wasn't good enough)....my former wife knew, but I still lied. I was a beer drinker; where I live there's a bottle/can deposit law. Since I'd often drink 12-16 beers in a sitting, I'd accumulate many bottles & cans before returning them. I'd be too embarrassed to take them back for a cash return because people would know I had a problem. I wasn't really hiding anything from anyone, though...