President Trump has been pushing hard to address the opioid epidemic, yet a much closer problem exists within his family – alcohol abuse. His brother tragically passed away due to excessive drinking and now Donald Trump Jr., his eldest son, is publicly admitting that he too suffers from alcoholism. It’s time for President Trump to put forth just as much effort in combatting this issue as well so we can protect even more lives from being destroyed by addiction.
Tragically, alcohol abuse claimed the life of Fred Trump Jr., the brother of Donald Trump, in 1981 at just forty-two years old. In a shocking admission, his son and namesake Donald Trump Jr., now 41-years-old himself, has opened up about his own struggles with drinking and lack of self control when it comes to booze – an addiction that appears to be passed down through generations in the Trump family.
In his captivating new book, Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us, Donald Trump Jr. opens up about his personal battle with alcohol abuse. Following in the footsteps of his father’s example, he made a difficult decision to quit drinking as it had become clear that he “didn’t know how to drink in moderation” like his Uncle Freddie – something that weighed heavily on him until this point.
The Trump family has sadly been plagued by alcohol issues for generations, and Donald Trump himself refrained from indulging. His son Eric followed suit not only due to his father’s example but also because he knew that it was the best way for him to keep a firm grip on the urge. Sadly, this wasn’t enough for Fred Trump Jr., who succumbed to excessive drinking and eventually passed away as a result.
Donald Jr. revealed in his book that he’d drank excessively throughout college, partying “his a** off” and unable to rein himself in from having too many beers or whiskey shots. Knowing it was time for a change, he quit drinking and overcame the compulsive behavior that drove him to indulge more than necessary.
“Once I got going, it wasn’t easy to stop me – which, when you’re in college, isn’t a huge problem, as long as you’re getting your work done,” he said. “With my personality, drinking alcohol was a recipe for disaster.”
Aware of the grim outcome his uncle endured, Donald Jr. chose to forgo alcohol and save himself from meeting a similar fate. Opting for sobriety was an excellent choice; it has enabled him to slim down and gain a better perspective in life.
In 2000, Donald Jr. became aware of his growing alcohol problem and began evaluating it.
“Once I got going, it wasn’t easy to stop me – which, when you’re in college, isn’t a huge problem, as long as you’re getting your work done,” he said. “But once I started thinking about a career and a life beyond school, it was. To be honest, I didn’t know how to drink in moderation. I have an all-or-nothing personality; just ask anyone who knows me. Being compulsive works for some things – give me a job to do, and I’m going to get it done – but it’s not so good for vices.”
Recognizing that alcohol was ultimately detrimental to his health, Junior made the conscious decision to abstain from it.
“One thing about us Trumps is that we have plenty of willpower. I would come to find that it was easier for me to ignore alcohol than it was to try to control it. Eventually, I would give up drinking for good.”
How do you feel about Donald Jr.’s admission of alcohol dependency?
