Alcoholism

One of the dominant themes that emerges from Jamie Brickhouse’s memoir, “Dangerous When Wet,” is alcoholism. Through his own memories and words, Jamie provides a formula that is certain to contribute to a youngster developing a taste for alcohol that leads eventually to addiction.

Jamie was a gifted youngster, very precocious and aware of the nuances of behavior and conversation. He loved to look at the wedding pictures of his mother when she married his father. Most times he was more interested in spending time with adult women than playing with kids his age. His parents liked to drink and party and alcohol was always a focus of most every occasion – formal and casual. He had a somewhat distorted value system that caused him to think that drinking was the sign of adult sophistication. Even as a young boy, he pictured himself with a drink in one...