3c30678u - Halfway bus station - New Madrid, Missouri.

3c30678u - Halfway bus station - New Madrid, Missouri., a photo by kocojim on Flickr.

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WANDERLUST OR CHANGE IN GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION IN SEARCH OF RELIEF FROM ANXIETY ATTACKS IS SOMETIMES THE ONLY ESCAPE... BY Robert L. Huffstutter................

.Anyone who has been addicted to alcohol knows how easy it becomes to work for a few weeks and save enough money to check into a cheap hotel for several weeks without interruption by anyone or anything including the maids or the telephone. There was a time when an alcoholic could board a train or bus that was heading in the direction of one's choice. The only baggage one of this nature had was the grip in hand, a kind of suitcase that was easy to keep at hand, secure between one's boots. Back then, $25 would take one whom some called a "rolling stone" to either coast from Chicago or Kansas City. And when the bus arrived, there would be a hotel one could afford only a few steps away from the bus station. No credit cards or IDs to present then, just cash. So, after checking in and taking the last swig of the Seagram's Seven, one would take a brisk walk through the lobby and turn either way to the nearest liquor store. Money was the only thing that was the alcoholic's security and self-esteem, all else made no difference. The thoughts of those left in the last city were forgotten with the first drink of a fresh bottle. Tired from the miles and suffering the usual anxiety that builds up in the transient alky's neck and shoulders, the first few drinks makes the sound of the buzzing neon sign outside the window seem like home, like many homes where the residence was temporary and forgotten except the memories of doing nothing but relaxing more and more after each drink and bottle. Keeping the empty bottles in the drawer kept the alky from the reality of one episode after another.