Celebrating

On Thursday, my brother will be 38 years old. Today, he is six months sober.

This is a really big deal.

Only a little over a year ago, he was admitted into rehab with a blood alcohol level of .32. (For a frame of reference, at .35, one's heartbeat and respirations can stop.) He was sober after that for not quite three months, then went back to drinking. He stopped again in October...six months ago.

To say that I am proud of him is accurate, certainly, but does not express the depth of my pride. That he found the strength within himself to go through our father's death sober speaks volumes.

In these past six months, I have regained the brother who was my best friend growing up, and my children have gained a loving, engaged uncle. For my brother, the gains are slower in coming. He has a lot of emotional damage to work through, but I have confidence that if he can beat his addiction, he can put those issues behind him, too.

So today, I congratulate my brother on six months of sobriety, of life renewed.

And, at his request, I now go out to fetch him a grilled chicken club sandwich and chocolate shake. Congrats, Bubba.