Al Franken

My wife is an alcoholic. Best person I ever met. She has 600 different smiles. They can light up your life. They can make you laugh out loud, just like that. They can even make you cry, just like that. That's just with her smiles. You'd have to see her with her kids. You'd have to see how they look at her, when she's not looking. To think of all the things she lives through, and I couldn't help her.

Well, it wasn't. See I love her. And I tried everything, except really listening, really listening, and that's how I left her alone. I was so ashamed of that, and I couldn't even tell her. Maybe if I tell her she'd love me anyway.

First time, I'll get used to it. There was a lot of people there feeling sorry for themselves. It's like an alcoholic has ruined their lives and they'd rather be a victim than try and fix it.

Okay, when is the next freight train coming through? You got a printed schedule? Cause I could plan around these things, you know, and give you the space so you can, you know, smoke.

Come on, let's be real. You're clean. You stay hopeless and confused. Keep polishing those skills. And I'll take the heat. 'Cause I got some needs of my own. When I touch my wife, I like it better if her skin doesn't crawl.

My wife hurts. I need to be able to say 'What's wrong, honey? Something I can do? And I love you. So fuck me.'

I think I could love you again if you could, for once, say 'I don't know.'

The trouble with al these losers at your meeting is that they are not perfect like some people. They're married to alcoholics who are bouncing off the walls and they don't know what the fuck to do. So you might have to be a little tolerant, give them the benefit of your expertise in problem solving.

Nothing happened, Michael. Nothing has to happen for me to have a bad day. That's the thrilling part of all this. It just comes and hits and runs me over like a goddamn freight train.

Maybe you shouldn't have to, Michael. One of the women at my meetings is going to a half way house, because she is not making it in her home environment and I…

Fuck that! Fuck making it better. It's not getting better! I don't know how to make it better and I swear to God you don't either!

It's horrifying how much you can hate yourself for being low and weak and he couldn't save me from that. So I turned it on him; I tried to empty it onto him. But there was always more, you know. When he tried to help I told him that he made me feel small and worthless. But nobody makes us feel that, we do that for ourselves. I shut him out because I knew if he ever really saw who I was inside, that he wouldn't love me. And we're separated now, he's moved away, and it was so hard not to beg him to stay. And I don't know if I'm going to get a second chance but I have to believe. That I deserve one. Because we all do.

I drink a quart a day. It's vodka so you couldn't smell it.

No Michael, we're supposed to try to be real. And when you feel alone, you are not together, and that is real.