The scary part for me is realising a lot of the people who end up down and out, or who die early from alcohol are not so different from me. They're not for the most part worse people per se. In many cases they're just the unlucky ones without whose example I wouldn't see what I'm headed for or what could happen to me, and I should feel pity for them, not scorn. In some cases the paths they've taken are different from mine, but only by a small margin. Or maybe I'm on the exact same path as them, just not quite as far down it yet... It's a fine line, a precarious position. There is no room for smugness on my part just because I'm not in their shoes yet.