Capt Phil Gay

Have You Ever Prayed and Meant It? Capt Phil Gay

Publisher Marketing: Philp D. Gay Jr. has ancestors that were some of the first settlers when Southampton, Long Island, New York was founded in 1640. Beginning as a teenager, Philip D. Gay Jr. took to hard drinking. By the time he graduated high school, he was deep in the throes of alcoholism. As he struggled with his alcoholism, he found little solice in his family. His mother was narcissistic and bitter while his father and brother struggled with additcion as well. In his memoir, Gay shows the long path he followed out of alcoholism. With sobriety gained, he was able to master pursuits that he once thought beyond his reach. He became a Ace at deep sea fishing and found himself with a profitable catering business in the Hamptons serving A list clients like Aretha Franklin and Rudi Giuliani. A recovering addict and alcoholic for over thrity years, the author decided to share his story to inspire others who have battled with addiction. His story of being raised in a dysfunctional family and turning to drink for escape will resonate with many. At the same time, his natural gift for story telling keeps his tale from just focusing on the negative accounts. Recounting his hard-scrabble childhood in the hamptons in the late 1950s, Gay recounts idyllic days spent with his father learning to duck hunt, making household repairs, and doing all the things necessary to amke life feel rich even when your family is poor. With his newfound sobriety, he would have to wrestle past demons that first drove him to drink. Dad was a controlling alcoholic. Mom was bitter and unhappy with being a mother and wife. As a teenager, he was packed off to boarding schools and forced to fend for himslef against other boys from a class and culture he barely unbderstood. To stay sober, Gay would not only have to learn to halt his addiction, but delve into years of therapy to heal the family hurts that continued to bind him. He writes,"The mind is fascinating, how it hides, how it protects you from hurt, lies seem to be as true as that stars in the sky, until that day you find out what has been hiding there."