Addiction In Real Life

Most stories start out happy. Everything is sunshine and rainbows, but then something bad comes along and ruins it. Throughout the story, characters usually overcome the problem, then life returns to normal, and everyone lives happily ever after. However, what happens if they cannot overcome their obstacles? Or the obstacles destroy them? In real life, not all stories have a happy ending.
Life is full of choices. Some are good, and some are bad. Some are predictable, and some are not. Many addictions start out as a choice. At first, someone may think they are just “trying out” a drug or anything really. A friend may pressure someone into trying something just one time, saying it will be fun. So, they try it just once. Then they might try it again, and again, and again. Eventually, it becomes a habit, but the user always thinks that they can quit whenever they want. What they do not realize is: they cannot stop. They have become addicted. The addiction is no longer a choice. It is not up to them. This is typically how addiction begins.
This is a story about the life of a boy named Joe. The story begins when Joe’s problems did. The choices he made affected how the stories end. However, some choices were not his to make. Either way, it is too late to change the way his story ended, but maybe by sharing his story others may learn from it.
Joe started drinking as a young teenager. He grew up watching his parents drink, so it was nothing unusual when him and his buddies started