sad, bad, and dangerous to know

My cousin Douglas died today. His brother Adam died last year for somewhat similar reasons: past drug use. I'm thinking of doing a PSA about telling your doctors about your previous illegal drug, prescription drug, and alcohol addictions so that no one else dies of kidney failure from anaesthesia during knee surgery.

His wife is about to have the worst Valentine's ever. Their kids are, I believe, 6 and 4. My Aunt and Uncle have aged a lot this last year; greif is harder on parents. I'm not honestly expecting that uncle to last another 2 years considering his previous drinking habits. I respect that particular uncle more than the others. He was the first person to start drinking moderately, when he realized what a jackass he was becoming. He started the trend of responsible behavior, but not soon enough to save his sons from picking up on his habits.

It has been a bad day.