BUNNING BLOG

Houston we have an issue....

My family starting with my Mom and Dad (Boyd and Martha) have a long history of substance abuse issues.   My parents both smoked until they were in the 50's.  I remember as a boy riding in the front seat of the car between my parents, no seat belt with both of them smoking and the windows rolled up.  I would move my head up and down into the smoke cloud out of the smoke cloud.  I loved the smell of a freshly lit cigarette.  They both drank as well and at different times in their life this habit negatively impacted our family.  My Dad would always say he was just having one drink but it was at least 5 shots of Seagrams with coke.   My Mom was mean when she drank and on more than one occasion she would get into an verbal altercation.
As the years passed and my brother and sisters have grown older we often compare notes as to where we are in life and the struggles we are enduring.   We have all migrated from beer, hard liquor to wine.  I enjoy wine every since I did a tour in Spain, red and dry.   Every night I will drink two to three glasses of wine prior to bed.  On Occassion I will drink a good scotch but as I grow older I pay for it the next day.  Why am I telling you all of this?
We have a tendency to over do it, over achievers you might say.  We have relatives that have lost control of their lives from drinking.  As the three of you grew up we would always encourage you to taste different libations around our house.  I don't recall why this happened but while we were in Fort Collins, Luke came home from school one day and wanted some beer.  I remember him having two or three and promptly getting sick.  I don't know if you will all remember the circumstances the same way but I don't think drinking for the most part was ever a big deal for you all.

I would recommend this approach for your own children, making this off limits until a certain age seems to work against kids.  When they become of age they have not had any experience with alcohol they tend to over do it especially when they go off to college.  A lot of my philosophy comes from Spain where kids are exposed to alcohol all through their youth.  Also, Spaniards frown on getting intoxicated and obnoxious in public.    I have always maintained, "getting drunk is not an excuse for being stupid."

P.S. Please also be careful with Jack Daniels Barbecue sauce, I have it on good authority that it will get you drunk...