My wish for a Yule-time miracle.

I try to distance myself. From my friend Julie. So does her husband Rick. Because we are following conventional wisdom.  About how one should deal with an alcoholic. We’re told to get on with our own lives. And leave Julie grapple with her drinking problem. That only Julie can decide to quit. To stay sober.  We can’t do it for her.  When we try to badger Julie. Into treatment. We may be doing more harm than good. It’s the nature of alcoholics. To resist. To stay in denial. They have to take the initiative. On their own. All too often it takes a cataclysmic event. Before they finally ‘bottom out.’ Indeed, that can be a life-threatening scenario. My sister, for instance, fell asleep. In a drunken stupor. A lighted cigarette in her hand  Burned down her house. Escaped. Miraculously. That was 11 years ago. Hasn’t had a drink or a cigarette since. Now we’re waiting. Anxiously. For Julie's turn to see the light. Before it’s too late. I want one more miracle. For Julie. That’s my most fervent wish. As we head into the Christmas holidays.--Jim Broede