Dyslexia • An impairment in the brain's processing of information that results in difficulty with reading, spelling, writing and related language skills

I was held back in the first grade because my grade school said I had mental health issues. Really, I was dyslexic. My mom refused to put me on medicine because she didn’t believe in “drugging a child.” I went through grade school in special education classes, where my teachers told me I would amount to nothing. Then, when I was 13, I had my first beer. For the first time in my life, I fit in. My peers accepted me. And I was finally good at something too. I was good at drinking.

I don't remember my first girlfriend's name, but I remember the hot day when I cracked open that first cold beer. The can was sweating and the beer went down smoothly.

Alcohol made me everything I wasn’t.