User:William Macdowell

The account of this former contributor was not re-activated after the server upgrade of March 2022.

William "Bill" Macdowell was born and raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York. He became a paradox. His parents were the average middle class citizens who were not drinkers, but did indulge on occasion. His mother's parents were total abstainers, as was his father's mother. He never knew or heard of his grandfather on his father's side. His recollection is that both sides, as far as heredity is concerned, were not drinkers, and certainly not alcoholics.

After High School, he joined the Navy instead of taking advantage of a scholarship to become a physical education teacher. The major reason for this change from the norm was alcohol. His drinking started at the age of seventeen and he was immediately cast into the role of an alcoholic.

From the age of seventeen, there was a radical change from the quiet, "nice kid," not known for a troublemaker, to an adult alcoholic. From 1947, age seventeen, to 1979, age 49, the downward plunge into the sea and quicksand of alcoholism cost him dearly.

Today, since 1979, he has abstained from alcohol, became an alcohol counselor, facilitates as a volunteer for alcoholics at hospitals and a local jail, and has counseled individuals who are DWI/DUI offenders.