Laura

One Day

This is a submission for Kevin’s No Theme Thursday.

Image by Kevin from The Beginning at Last

Under the full moon’s eerie light 

Foretold a sad and lonely night 

Angry demons come out to play 

Unable to keep strong urges at bay

Something darker, something bleak

Addiction finally at its peak 

Rock bottom? No, a long way to go 

Deeper down, spiraling below 

Months and days, they fade away

Years go by, as life decays 

Reasons to quit are pushed aside 

Family saddened, torn inside 

“One day I’ll quit,” always an excuse

Around it goes, cycles of abuse 

Image by Kevin from The Beginning at Last

Time goes on, damage sets in

Delirium reigns, tremors begin

Blackouts occurring every night 

No longer have the will to fight 

Depression worsens, taking its toll

Violent rages beyond control 

All alone now, with nothing left 

No one to help, feeling bereft

Full of sorrow, ashamed and shunned

Dreams of happiness left undone

Should’ve put the bottle on the shelf

If not for others, then for myself

This weight of fear feels like a ton

The game of life? Alcohol has won  

©️ Laura Bennett

For the children of alcoholic parents – You are felt, heard, seen, and understood. It is so hard to grow up quickly and be the adult in the house – to always feel you must be in service, taking care of others.

This can have lasting effects throughout life, be easy with yourself and your perfectionistic standards. Allow yourself the freedom to act like a kid again when you can, since you missed out on so much. 

For family who have been affected by alcoholism – try to help your loved ones if they will allow it, but realize they must be the one to make the choice to end the addiction, you cannot force them. 

And finally, for the sufferers of this terrible addiction and disease – this is not to shame or blame you. You may very well have it harder than anyone else, including your loved ones who are watching you suffer.

Alcoholism is difficult to beat. Alcohol is everywhere, and widely accepted. Please know your loved ones only want to see you get better and want their person back, not to hurt you further.

You must find the underlying cause that drives you to drink, which can unearth a lot of demons.

If you overcome this addiction, you have my ultimate respect. It is never easy to heal trauma.

78 comments

  1. Your words always inspire me, Laura!!

    Under the full moon’s gentle light
    Whispers of strength begin to ignite
    Angry demons may come out to play
    But there’s a choice to keep them at bay
    Something brighter, something strong
    Hope emerging after nights so long
    Rock bottom’s near, but it’s not the end
    There’s a hand to reach, a will to mend
    Days and months, they start to renew
    A future unfolds, a path in view
    Reasons to quit take root, they grow
    Family’s love begins to show
    “No more delay,” becomes the creed
    Breaking free from the endless need
    Time moves on, but healing sets in
    A battle fought, a chance to win
    Blackouts fade, replaced by light
    A renewed will to fight each night
    Depression wanes, strength restored
    Rage subsides, peace is explored
    No longer alone, support is near
    A life rebuilt, shedding the fear
    Dreams of happiness within reach
    A lesson learned, a goal to teach
    The bottle placed upon the shelf
    Not just for others, but for myself
    The weight of fear now light as air
    The game of life? I’m winning, fair and square.

    I wrote this as soon as I read yours. You truly are an inspiration to all writers, keep going, my girl. ☺️

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    • Ohhhh man Alex!! This was too freakin good!! Thank you!!! The other side is so beautiful! I loved it 🙏 you are far too talented, when is your book of poems coming out?!

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  4. wonderful, epic, brilliant writing, my dear Lilith ..effortlessly done. With wisdom and grace, the rhyme has set a great pace. You are a true poetess. You made your point across in a truly unique and eloquently elegant manner..

    I salute your gift of writing, Laura. 🤗

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    • aww thank you Yassy! So appreciated always 💕 happy it came through that way, it means a lot. This one flowed better than most I think 🤗

      And you are so kind 🙏 seriously so. Beyond grateful ☺️

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  5. This poem is a serious warning for nowadays people. In these days there are too much frustrated ones and it’s so easy to flee to alcohol or drugs. I know you have seen this very close (your job) As a musician I have seen it also and lost many good guys. Alcohol is a big problem all over the world. I do not drink or smoke, when I get frustrated I say to it, hit me as long you want. When I do not fight with it, it gets frustrated and goes away usually very quickly. Again one of your best poems👍 I like your nurse side😊

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    • Your comment is so incredibly the truth – and thank you for saying you like my nurse side 😊 I do try to detach from that role as much as I can but it always comes seeping in 😆 it is incredibly easy to be swayed by alcohol and drugs in the music industry, you’re right. I see people suffer from substance abuse everyday and it’s hard – not only on them, but on their loved ones. Your compliments to my poem are so much appreciated 🙏 😊

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  8. My dad was an alcoholic. (He didn’t like that word.) He was also verbally abusive. He died when I was just in my teens or before. He did a lot of damage to me and my mum with his verbal abuse.
    Something I have blogged about on my old blog when I had counselling as an adult. But mum never took that step to go for counselling herself.
    I had a lot of anger that I held onto for years that dad did to me and my mum. The counselling took months for me to get to the other sidea and some continous work after that I did on my own that dad hurt, that I never realised I was holding onto until in my counselling sessions. And so that part I did on my own. (I had the tools from counselling to do it. But knew I could go hack if needed for it.)
    But for what he did, if I mention him, that’s why I just use only ‘dad’ in my writing and not ‘my’ before the word dad.
    My mum will always be my mum. But dad is dad. Not my.

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    • Sorry just responding now Liz. This was a hard one for me. My mother too is an alcoholic, doesn’t like the word. Sorry to hear of what you had to go through, it’s a lot. There’s a lot of damage that comes from alcoholism, but it’s no excuse for abuse. Ever. I’m glad you went to counseling, but yeah I agree sometimes we don’t know we’re holding onto stuff when we are. Have experienced that too. I got what you’re saying too about the word. Makes complete sense – and thank you so much for sharing as well 😊

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      • He was cruel to my dog Brin. He hit him on two occasions with a shovel which I witnessed as a child. I screamed for him to stop on both of those occasions in which he turned and threatened me with it.

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      • Oh god I’m so sorry to hear that 😞 it sounds like it wasn’t just alcohol that made him that way, but that he was a bad person overall. In that case, I don’t blame you at all for feeling the way you do 🙏

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      • Yeah it wasn’t just alcohol. I was carrying the guilt over mybdog that I did not realise until counselling in 2018. So with that and my mum’s mental health I have always known, I can get triggered at times.

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    • You are super tuned in. I was just starting to write a post last night “in chaos, comes clarity” so thank you for that. If I can bring healing to anyone, I’ve served my purpose 🙏

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  12. Sad and makes me want to cry.

    I know a friend close to me who at one point suffered from alcoholism. Now, he is diagnosed schizophrenic. In the past, he was trying to drown himself with whatever demons he was struggling to fight against. In the end, he didn’t want to believe he had schizophrenia because of the voices he was hearing. I stopped talking to him at one point because of his drinking and him trying to be physically fighting with me.

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    • So sorry. 😞 your friend sounds like they went through so much. It is not uncommon at all for people to use substances and drink to alleviate their pains and struggles with mental illness. That is a tough one, and it’s hard 🙏 I hope you don’t blame yourself, as we so often do when we see our loved ones struggle

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      • It’s okay. I don’t blame myself for anything. I just feel for him and his mom. She’s the one who had to take care of him. Lately, he has been taking long walks by himself. He’s mom tells me he is on medication. Sometimes though, it’s tough for him because at times he doesn’t want to go out and or eat nothing. I know he is trying to fight his struggle and for that I am proud of him.

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  13. Wow, words of compassion, wisdom and firsthand knowledge. My stepmom has always said stay close, but not too close of his (my dads) drinking. Heavy drinkers on that side of the family. I know co workers who go to the bar after work everyday, even after have toes amputated. They have to make the choice. Powerful piece Laura

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    • They do make the choice. It’s scary, I see fentanyl users who have been brought back to life many times and still want to get high. Appreciate your words, Kimber. It can be a dark place at times 🙏

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  15. Deeply compassionate post, straight forward/no bs, yet complex understanding. If I knew someone in these grips today, I would share your poem. I do hope it finds its way. Thank you.

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  16. Back in the day I would not tolerate being called an alcoholic but instead referred to myself as a drunk. Drunks didn’t do meetings. after almost 4 years of complete sobriety from alcohol of any kind I will be quick to admit I am and will always be an alcoholic. This is a hard hitting and beautifully written message Laura. As always you nailed it.🙏🙏🍵

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    • Congrats on your sobriety Ernie! 👏 You certainly have had quite a journey in life and I’m so glad you’re sober now! 🙏 and thank you for sharing, I know it’s hard but it does give hope. I do so appreciate your kind words and am grateful we have crossed paths. 😊 ☕️ 🐊

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      • I am glad we share our journey’s too Laura. The drinking was a fun filled nightmare of life that I had no desire to give up but higher powers than me said differently. It started out simply enough by me getting headaches, then migraines. That made it an easy choice. Thanx for all the support my friend. 🍵☕💓

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      • Thank you so much Ernie 🙏 I just ended a call at work and it was at 1 hour and 11 mins!! That 111 coming through again. “Nightmare of Life” sounds apt. I’m glad the higher powers made you come to your senses. Now it’s peaceful insanity through and through! 😊 ✨ 🐊 ☕️

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    • Unfortunately, I will probably most likely live to see it take a family member’s life who is in denial. It’s hard. Very much so. But we can only help if the person allows us to.
      Thank you, Kevin 🙏 always appreciated and thank you for allowing your images to paint so many important stories

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      • Sad to hear, but there is indeed only so much you can do. There comes a point where one has to throw their hands up and let things run their course unfortunately.

        Thank you very much, Laura. Glad they inspire. 🙏

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    • Thank you so much, Tash 😊 I understand completely, only share what you feel comfortable with 🙏 but yes. It is hard, for sure. Always appreciate your kind words and am so grateful

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  25. Your words always move my heart, Laura. I especially lingered on this line, “…Years go by, as life decays…” Your writing is important, and I know this poem will touch many lives of people who cannot express what they are feeling during a situation like this.

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