Northway man receives Hyslop Award for triumph over alcoholism
Originally published Monday, March 17, 2008 at 12:00 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 10:17 a.m.
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Years of hard drinking came to a sudden and abrupt halt for Northway resident Gerald Albert in 1993.
Albert, 47, began drinking as a teenager and nearly died several times before he stopped.
At one time, Albert was consuming five bottles of whiskey a day.
“Every day, I would get up and there would be alcohol beside me and I didn’t know where it was coming from or how I got it.
“In my last day of drinking, I drank heavily, that day and all night.”
Albert became so intoxicated that medical help was called.
“I just went blank. I didn’t know anything from having too much alcohol.”
The next morning Albert said there was still alcohol in his home.
“It was amazing the temptation there was to take the first drink,” he said. “I don’t know, but something came to my mind that it was time to quit, and from that day I threw it all away — cold turkey.”
On Thursday, Albert was honored with the Patti L. Hyslop award at the Tanana Chiefs Conference annual meeting, not only for his 15 years of sobriety but also for his commitment and service to his tribe and community and his positive approach to encouraging sobriety and healing in his community.
Albert’s sister, Lorraine Titus, first chief of Northway, who nominated Albert for the Hyslop award, was there to see her brother honored.
“Out of the five brothers, the whole family depends on Gerald quite a bit,” Titus said. “All of our family gatherings are at his house. At Christmas breakfast, there are 50 people.”
Northway, where Albert has lived all of his life, is off the Alaska Highway, 50 miles southeast of Tok, near the Canadian border.
“I grew up in a hard life. My father and mother were alcoholics, and I was bounced around from home to home in Northway. I saw a lot of violence. ... A lot of times I was running from violence,” Albert said.
Albert was 16 years old when he started drinking at Friday night dances in the small Athabascan community.
“It was real crazy back then,” Albert said. “The teens would go to the dance and that’s when we were introduced to alcohol.”
“In my high school years, it was a struggle with alcohol and school.”
Yet somehow Albert managed to graduate and he went Outside to Washington state for carpentry training.
When he returned home to Northway, he went to work doing carpentry and home building.
“The money was good, and the drinking got worse,” Albert said.
In 1984, Albert’s drinking increased even more when his father, Kenneth, committed suicide.
“There was so much anger built up inside me, and I kept the anger within me and the anger got worse and worse. I was blaming everyone else for his suicide,” Albert recalled.
In spite of the family’s alcohol problems, Albert was close to his father. When his father was sober, the two spent a lot of time together in the woods.
“He taught me everything in the woods about gathering food ... the subsistence lifestyle,” Albert said.
The turning point for Albert after he almost died of alcohol poisoning was his family.
“I kind of come to my senses. My life and my children were more important. I was just tired of living the way I did. When my first child was born in 1987, and in 1989 my second child — I was putting them aside.”
When Albert was drinking heavily, his wife Doreen left him.
“She came back after I began leading a sober life and after much pleading,” Albert said.
“I said, ‘I can’t do it on my own,’ I needed her support.”
Doreen didn’t believe him at first, but she did come back.
“We finally got to know each other better and are living a healthier lifestyle with our kids,” Albert said.
Today, almost all the children in Northway call Doreen and Gerald “Mom and Dad.”
Their lives revolve around their own children and many others.
Doreen works for Home Care Services, provides elder care about 15 hours a week and is involved in an after-school program for children.
Albert works for the Northway Village Council and is a transportation planner for BIA Roads. He also coaches the girls basketball team at Northway High School, which is going to the state championships this week in Anchorage for the first time since 1999. The team plays in the Eastern Interior Conference, Class 2A.
Living a healthy, subsistence lifestyle is now normal for the Albert family. There is no more arguing or fighting.
“If we disagree, one of us goes out and does something else,” he explained.
Albert also includes his siblings and their families in outdoor activities.
“At this point in time, I especially pay attention to my children,” Albert said.
His 9-year-old is learning to drive an 18-foot riverboat on the Chisana River, and last fall Albert was there when his 15-year-old daughter shot her first moose.
“It’s my kids and the kids in the community out there in Northway who give me strength. They are my support, my backbone, and I pay a lot of attention to them. No matter who they are, my door is always open,” Albert said.
Albert also credits Doreen.
“Whatever I do, she supports me,” he said.
According to Lorraine Titus, her brother helps anyone in the 250-person town of Northway who needs or asks for help — from children to elders.
“He moved his family into our mother’s (Enna Albert) home and took care of her until she died. And Doreen is right beside him all the time.” Titus said.
Albert said he uses his experience of struggling with alcohol to educate and counsel young people.
“Right now, I see the aches and pains. I see what the young people are going through. I never give up at all. ... Not a day goes by that I don’t get a phone call.”
As for the Patti L. Hyslop award, Albert said, “It is something I will honor for the rest of my life. I will put this up on my wall, and I can look at it every morning and see that people do care.”
Community Discussion
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Congratulations Albert! I too am a recovered alcoholic - born in Fairbanks, AK and my sobriety date is 3/5/96, I call it my birthday, because God did not give up on me along with my family. It is truly a gift and a better way of life. I don't take anything for granted these days, I am truly grateful. My husband and I got married in Fairbanks, AK and he too was a recovered alcoholic. Unfortunately, he had passed away 3 years ago due to complications of Diabetes, BUT.....
the wonderful thing about it is he passed on SOBER! It was a blessing this morning to read your story. Remember, Live One Day At A Time...
Gerald, it is so good to read about you in your struggles with addiction to alcohol. I have witnessed the kind, gentle and humble smile of strength in your sobriety, and you have always been an inspiration to me because of the way you lead your life; humbly. Continue on in your way, you never know who will follow your example of being humble in the face of so much tragedy.
Congratulations to you, Gerald, from Pat Kerber in Seattle! I'm sure all of Northway, indeed all those from throughout interior Alaska and beyond are heartened to read of the great strides you've made in the fight against the scourge known as alcoholism. I sincerely hope and expect that your actions will help spur others to join the battle and make Northway and other villages whole again! Northway needs you as a role model and and I hope others will join in your efforts to break the cycle of abuse. I very much look forward to the day when alcoholism in Northway and elsewhere is but a memory from the distant past. Just wish I was there again to help out and I look forward to coming up soon to visit!
Way to go Gerald! It's awesome to see somebody break the cycle of alcoholism.
Congrats Gerald, I was happy for you receiving that award. I've been sober since last August....2007. I'm hoping to keep it up. I've been praying for strength and asking for support from my peers and loved ones.
Being the oldest brother i am proud of your decision to live a healthy and productive life. The family stands behind you and the village of Northway wish you and the basketball team the best.
AWESOME!!
Congradulation Gerald, I my self came out of it too. But I know we're always keeping on our defends against this alcohol. Ones we come out of if we need to stay away from it totally and thats what help me . I know we share in our victory, God Bless you and your family.
Way to go Mr. Albert!!! My husband and I are both recovering alcoholics. We just take one day at a time. It's great being sober and being happy and enjoying life again. It is so great to see someone who has achieved this goal in life be awarded. Your an inspiration. I hope that when I return to alaska next year for a visit that we could meet you Mr. Albert. This is being sent from Abilene, Texas.
Great Gerald- I was extremely happy to read about your recovery. I had many occassions to deal with the alcohol problems of Tok & Northway. You deserve the award and recognition for your accomplishment. I wish you and your family a wonderful life.
Congratulations Albert! I am from an alcoholic family & although God spared me this addiction, I do appreciate the struggle you go through. You are a hero to me & give hope to so many. May God bless you. He has blessed those who know & love you.
Bransgran
Congratulations! I am so proud of you Gerald. I too am an alcoholic trying to recover. My significant other/future husband has been Sober for going on 3 years. I never thought that could ever be for us. Alcohol is a number one killer in our native communities. It is good to have people like you to be living a sober life. Love your Cousin EGS.
congrats mr albert. i too am a recovering alcoholic, i have been sober since nov 15, 1991. i am from allakaket ak and i applaud your decision to remain sober and give back to your commnunity. congrats also goes to your wife and children for standing behind you.
Alcohol is like a demon, and it destroys so many lives.
Congratulations to all of you who have gotten free of its grip. I pray God will give you strength to stay sober for always.
For those of you who are still struggling, if you live in Fairbanks or Anchorage or Barrow or Copper Center, check out a group called Reformers Unanimous. The program has an extremely high success rate. It helps people learn how to have a relationship with God that will fill that empty place that causes so many to turn to alcohol.
Congratulations, Gerald. You have helped many people to be strong and to live a happy life, free of alcohol. God bless you!
This is the kind of story I like to see in the newspaper. Congratulations to this man and to everybody who helped him. Prayers go with him as he helps others by his example.
It's a difficult road. Congratulations!
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