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Nov 28, 2017

Alcoholism affects nearly 16 million people in the United States, and each year, 88,000 people die from alcohol-use disorders, making it the third leading preventable death in this country. These 2015 stats, the latest available from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, illustrate how widespread the problem of alcohol addiction is. But this week, we put a human face on what many consider a disease. Kate Schulze shares the personal, painful story of her brother’s addiction. She writes about the rollercoaster her family rode for more than two decades as her brother’s alcoholism chipped away at the core of her family’s function. She shares the letter she wrote her brother while he was in rehab. “I love you. You are brave. You are worth fighting for. So please, just fight. Fight with all your power to beat this addiction. Fight when you get out of rehab to make every day a sober day. Fight for every one of your family members that love you. Fight for me. “And while you fight, know that I will keep praying for you, supporting you, and loving you every single day of your life. Your story creates my story. Having an addiction is not just about you. It’s about everybody that surrounds and loves you. So while you fight the biggest fight of your life … please, please fight for us.” Her brother’s story doesn’t end well, but Kate said she shared his story, her story, her family’s story to help others.