>Mike, if you can hang in there through these difficult times- believe it or not - just surviving and getting older helps.
>In spite of ourselves, in some respects we do actually become wiser -if not sharper- as we age.
>Think about how many people try unsuccessfully to quit smoking and finally get it done in their forties of fifties- same people, but just a little wiser.
>http://neglectedbooks.com/?p=246
>If you haven't already, you might look at this book aptly named- "Mine Enemy Grows Older" by Alexander King, a brilliant illustrator who fought addiction for much of his life and finally beat it after being arrested and sent to a federal rehab center.
>
>He was in his fifties when he finally cleaned up and he went on to have a rich life well into his elder years.


Bill, I've read Mike go through this for nearly a decade. (And others for much longer). I think he's past the "just getting older helps". That's not silver age wisdom of any kind, it's bad psychology.

You don't become wiser just by aging. Doing things changes things. If he's been drinking hard again or contemplating doing it (which I assume he is, or he wouldn't be talking about entering a facility), something needs to change.