Che, my boyhood idol was Che Guevera. I read his Bolivian Diary when I was 12 and it had a big impact on the way I see the world. Che literally dedicated his life to the cause believed in: liberating the poor of latin America from the chains of imperialism and capitalist exploitation. But then you know that, don't you Che? Che, you have nothing to apologize for. We all have our slumps. Even your namesake was far from perfect.
As a young man I was inspired by Che to become an activist, and then to go to law school in order to become a more useful and effective activist. Unfortunately, along the way I also became a functioning alcoholic, which made me a much less useful activist, not to mention a lesser dad and husband than I could have been. When I was drinking or hung over I often thought about what Che the dedicated revolutionary would think of a drunk like me.
I'm now 50 and only 31 day sober, but I am loving it and looking forward to being someone who wife and kids can depend on for the rest of my life. I also love the fact that I once again feel the kind of passion and energy for changing the world that I used to feel, and I'm beginning to feel like a useful activist again.
Che, many of your posts on SR have been very helpful to me and I am grateful to you. Your frank honesty and humility in this thread are some of the magnificent qualities that Che the revolutionary embodied, and are exactly the kinds of things that inspire and motivate me to be a better man. Thank you for that, and I wish you all the best in your recovery.