“That’s why I like drinking. It’s sure fire. It’s slow – hell – it’s a marathon to get there – but if you are persistent with at least a 12 pack a night – throw in some meth and coke and smoke; lots of cigarettes, I estimate you will achieve the desired result in five to ten years – and the best
part? Your body can’t even fight back. / It has no idea how to protect itself.” – from “Methods”
There is quite a sensation to wake up and realize that you’re an addict. That you have no control over that which controls you. You can want help. You can need help. But, help is only help if you take action. It’s the mornings where you wake up saying, “Elisabeth, what are you doing…. ?! Get up here right now…you don’t even know that person.” Because you don’t. Because you haven’t known who you are since the first drink or smoke or sniff.
Elisabeth Horan, one of the more prolific poets of today’s generation, does not throw punches. Instead, it’s the TKO after 12 rounds at the bar. But you’re looking up from the mattress wondering where Dr. Bottle and Nurse Amphetamine were to throw in the towel. This collection is a learning experience. It’s the reminder that addicts are addicted to whatever might move the emotional needle.
With Alcoholic Betty, Horan screams that we are our own disease. But it’s not all hopeless for the hopeful. Sometimes you want a new direction. Sometimes the bottle is too heavy to pick up. Hell, sometimes your arm is too heavy to lift. But if you want better, you can achieve better.
You can purchase your copy of Alcoholic Betty from Fly on the Wall Press.