Comedian fights disease with humor
By Martha Martinez
Comedian and ecovering alcoholic Bernie McGrenahan held up his thumb
and index finger close together, not even an inch apart.
“I felt this big after my brother died,” McGrenahan said.
After an alcohol-related argument with his younger brother, Scott, McGrenahan
went to a bar for a few drinks. Then he cooled down, only to find out
his brother had committed suicide.
| 
During Milk and Cookies Night on Wednesday, juniors Lynn Bond and
Kristin Marchesi got a chance to use fatal vision googles, which
let them see through the eyes of someone fatally intoxicated.
Photo by Emily Tuck |
The incident did not stop McGrenahan from drinking; instead he partied
harder than ever.
McGrenahan shared this and other experiences of how alcohol negatively
impacted his life Tuesday at the Save Mart Center. He passes on his message
about alcohol abuse, with a comedic approach, for five months out of the
year to college students.
“I think it’s wonderful for him to be able to give us his
personal experiences,” Fresno State student Mai Moua said.
McGrenahan said he first started drinking at age 15. By 20, he had two
DUI charges. And when he got his third DUI, his mother told him not to
ask for her help anymore. When McGrenahan was 26, he served a six-month
jail term for failing to appear at a DUI hearing.
“I didn’t realize how sudden this became a problem,”
McGrenahan said about hisdrinking.
McGrenahan, who has now been sober for 16 years, said he doesn’t
tell students not to drink. Instead he advises them to be smart about
the choices they make involving alcohol.
McGrenahan said about 88 percent of men who violate women are under the
influence of alcohol, and about 55 percent of those women are also intoxicated.
“We try to party safe and try to keep things under control,”
Fresno State student Kent Sakamoto said after listening to McGrenahan’s
speech.
“Be careful is all I’m going to tell you,” McGrenahan
told the crowd of about 700 students. He then joked about the night’s
turnout. “Fresno State has, what, about 20,000 students? The last
time I was in a crowd this big, I was in a Jacuzzi. I could have brought
a pizza and fed us all.”
Event coordinator Josh Holmes said the crowd, which exceeded his own expectations,
was expected to be anywhere from 200 to 2,000 people.
|
