Fort Belvoir, Va. (Sept. 11, 2014) - Bernie McGrenahan, a comedian and recovering alcoholic who has been sober for 25 years, wanted people to loosen up during the Happy Hour Comedy Tour, before diving into the subject of substance abuse and suicide, he said. Fort Belvoir's Army Abuse Assistance Program hosted McGrenahan's Happy Hour Comedy Tour, Sept. 3 at the Community Center.
Rather than going through mandatory training by PowerPoint, McGrenahan's show provides the audience a laugh while promoting substance abuse and suicide prevention awareness. Substance abuse and suicide prevention aren't exciting topics for the public, he said. Yet, they are educational topics.
"Most people are discouraged going to those (presentations) because they are not exciting," McGrenahan said. "So I learned that by using humor and stand-up comedy, just to kill the first 30 minutes and actually entertain people, it helped me relax everybody and distract them from their negative feelings about coming. Once relaxed and laughing, I then have their attention and maybe a little bit of their trust to share some of my personal life experience regarding alcohol."
His message hit home with Cordelia Jones, from the 3300th Strategic Intelligence Group, Military Intelligence Reserve Command, Fort Belvoir, who attended the event. She said she understood McGrenahan's struggles, having been in a similar personal situation.
"People should come with an open-mind," she said, adding that if someone is having problems with alcohol, drugs or thoughts of suicide, they should get help.
Sgt. Xaverie Hilderbrandt, Military Readiness Intelligence Command, said McGrenahan was a very good storyteller using humor to send a serious message and getting the audience interested in the subject.
"It brings another level of attention," she said. "The way he started making sure we were relaxed … to me that is teaching."
McGrenahan said he didn't want to lecture people and instead focuses on getting people to think about the role alcohol may play in their lives and to do a self-inventory: Have I been medicating myself similar to what McGrenahan did? Am I dealing with stress by drinking? Has my drinking impacted my job, finances or relationships? Those are the types of questions he wants people to ask themselves.
"I just want to bring awareness to our troops and civilians about how alcohol can enhance a barbecue or social function, but also cripple a life -- emotionally, spiritually, physically and financially -- when it's abused and when it's used to deal with stress," McGrenahan said.
For more information about McGrenahan, visit his website at www.comedyisthecure.com. For assistance or more information from ASAP, call (703) 805-3453 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255.
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