Hazy Shade of Winter: My Dysfunctional Life as a Functional Alcoholic

By Frank J. Burroughs and Amanda Reiman

This is a true and unflinching look at the consequences of drinking alcohol daily to the extreme.

It's the memoir of a chronic alcoholic...and how CANNABIS saved his life!

Ever wake up after a night of boozing with thunder raging in your head and you can't remember a thing?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Irie Pirate Publishing
• Release date: Apr 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781732465633

Frank J. Burroughs

Frank Burroughs is a recovering alcoholic who firmly believes that cannabis saved his life. He drank to the extreme for over thirty years, which caused numerous health problems, obesity and severe nerve damage. After literally hundreds of attempts to end his addiction to alcohol and regain control of his life, the ONLY thing that has worked has been using cannabis. "If my story of lifelong alcohol addiction and the unique way I became sober can save even one person from dying of alcoholism, I will have served a purpose I can be proud of. If my story can contribute to the legalization of cannabis, even in the slightest degree, that would be nearly equally significant." - Frank J. Burroughs

Book preview

Hazy_Shade_of_Winter_Front_Cover.jpg

FRANK J. BURROUGHS

FOREWORD BY AMANDA REIMAN, PHD MSW

HAZY

SHADE

OF

WINTER

My Dysfunctional Life as a Functional Alcoholic

Disclaimer: This book is memoir. It reflects the author’s present recollections of experiences over time. It is not meant to offer, suggest, or replace medical or professional advice or encourage illegal activity. Although cannabis is legal in many states, it remains illegal at the federal level at the time of this publication. This book is simply a means to share with the world what worked for me to end my alcohol addiction and get my life back. I encourage readers to do their own research and make their own decisions regarding their approach to good health, what they put in their bodies, and how they spend their time.

Copyright © 2021 by Irie Pirate Publishing LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 978-1-7324656-2-6

Cover Design by Berge Design

Foreword

Cannabis saved my life. It’s a sentiment I have heard countless times in my two decades as a public health researcher studying cannabis and harm reduction. Another common sentiment comes from brokenhearted loved ones who lament, If only he/she had been willing to try cannabis, maybe the alcohol/opiates/prescription drugs would not have killed them. Once thought of as a gateway drug, cannabis is now being reconsidered. With increasing frequency, people are stepping up to talk about the role that cannabis has played in their health and recovery. Being vulnerable is difficult, and it takes courage. Hearing someone else’s story and relating to it can do more to support behavior change than an endless list of studies and data. In Hazy Shade of Winter, Frank Burroughs gives a painfully honest and personal account of his struggles with alcohol. Struggles that persisted regardless of financial status and personal fulfillment. His tale is familiar, as it echoes the experiences of many people. Burroughs’s narrative could be that of so many people, as could his salvation, cannabis. This book is for anyone who has struggled with the hazardous use of substances, and for the people who loved them through it.

–Amanda Reiman

, PhD, MSW

Introduction

For more than thirty years, I was a daily heavy drinker, an alcoholic, and I never missed a day. What began as a fun and seemingly harmless way to socialize and have a good time in high school evolved into a debilitating, lifelong addiction to the world’s most popular legal drug. My doctors have told me that I’ve consumed enough alcohol in my lifetime to kill most men. Slowly my body changed from being lean at high school graduation to a fat, bloated 315 pounds, complete with anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure. I was taking prescription medications for hypertension and depression, as well as Lorazepam for anxiety (and to keep my hangovers at bay). I had swelling in my legs and feet and had symptoms of early stage congestive heart failure in my early forties.

I had tried every method I could think of to quit drinking—or, preferably, to cut back my drinking—and failed every time: drinking only on weekends, drinking just beer instead of liquor, drinking only two a day, drinking only on special occasions, and so on. These methods sound great in theory and are often suggested by family and friends, but they rely on willpower alone. When an alcoholic craves a drink, it becomes a mission. It became the only mission that I never quit or failed. I always went back to daily heavy drinking, usually within a week or two. Countless times, I chose a date to quit drinking once and for all and dumped all the booze down the drain, only to be at the liquor store replacing it just days later.

Beer and shots were my drug of choice: six to eight beers and nearly a fifth of liquor every day. I had a special arrangement at my favorite liquor store and bought my booze by the case in half-gallon handle bottles—$235, cash and carry, every three weeks. As ridiculous as it sounds, I often bragged that I was being prudent, purchasing my alcohol in bulk at the lowest possible cost since I was going to drink it anyway. For several years, I had a keg beer refrigerator setup in my garage and went through a full keg, more than fifteen gallons, essentially by myself every three or four weeks.

It’s been more than six years since I’ve rolled out of bed with thunder raging in my head, reeking like booze and dreading the day in front of me. I no longer drink any alcohol and need very few prescriptions. I’ve lost several inches off of my waist and seventy-five pounds of fat, and my blood pressure has returned to normal, without medication. I did this on my own, without support groups such as AA or any traditional means of abstinence.

I recently reconnected with an old friend from high school, where my drinking career began. Pete and I were hell-raisers, loyal drinking buddies, and partners in crime. He was my best man in my first wedding, and we always had a good time. We’ve been reminiscing lately about the