Steven M. Pi

Steven was a troubled man. He struggled with alcoholism for almost 20 years. He will be missed not for the person he was when he was drinking, but for the great man that all of his family and friends knew him to be when he was sober. I'm writing this (Steven's 18 year old daughter) reflecting upon a similar death, the death of my mother back in 2010. She lost her battle with an opiate addiction but she is missed so greatly every single day. Addiction of any kind can destroy a family, and my family is the proof of that. The stigma surrounding addiction is one that needs to come to an end so that those suffering from addiction can get the help they need. In some cases, they may have already been offered all of the help in the world, like my father, but to understand that this is a disease does bring some comfort when we can realize that the person may have wanted to recover, but simply could not beat it. My father was not only an alcoholic; he was a father, a brother, an architect, a cat dad, avid Star Wars lover, and sarcastic asshole in the most lovable way.

Unfortunately, I am now mourning him for a second time. I mourned him once when he was lost to the addiction, and I mourn him now.