I come from a long line of alcoholics. Although this is not through my
Sinclair line but through my fathers family who for those of you who don't
know originate from Greece. I don't know where the alcohol abuse started in
Dads family but I do know that it goes as far back as my g,g grandfather on
my fathers side. My father managed to stop the alcoholism after many years
of it devastating his and his families life. Personally I no longer go near
alcohol because I know I can not.
So yes I believe that such problems can be overcome by individuals, however
the will and desire to break cycles such as this needs to be strong enough.
It is so easy for others to stand back and comment about issues such as this
but sometimes actual first hand knowledge can be very enlightening.
I think to some extent we are a product of our upbringing and surroundings.
The fact the my g,g,g grandfather in my Sinclair line felt he had to leave
Scotland, for whatever reason and the fact that his wife died in Australia
meant that he ended up in New Zealand. If he hadn't I wouldn't exist and so
for that I am thankful. Events happen in the past, we see evidence of this
everyday in New Zealand with the conflict between the Maori people and the
Crown, disputes over land and all of the social issues. But surely the best
we can do is make the most now of what we have and learn from the past. I am
not so against apologies for wrongs done however sometimes it is just too
late to go about trying to "right the wrongs, you can't rewrite history."
Well that is my thoughts anyway,
Jenny
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