--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My dad's side of the family ... they're a…" description: "\"My dad's side of the family ... they're a real bizarre bunch, going back to the original colonies. That side's got a real tough strain of alcoholism. I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/sam-shepard-2232_alcoholism_my-dad-s-side-of-the-family-they-re-a-re_3136666.jpg" --- # My dad's side of the family ... they're a real bizarre… ![“My dad's side of the family ... they're a real bizarre bunch, going back to the original colonies. That side's got a real tough strain of alcoholism. It goes back generations and generations, so that you can't remember when there was a sober grandfather.” quote by Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/sam-shepard-2232_alcoholism_my-dad-s-side-of-the-family-they-re-a-re_3136666.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/sam-shepard-2232_alcoholism_my-dad-s-side-of-the-family-they-re-a-re_3136666.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/sam-shepard-2232_alcoholism_my-dad-s-side-of-the-family-they-re-a-re_3136666.jpg) > “My dad's side of the family ... they're a real bizarre bunch, going back to the original colonies. That side's got a real tough strain of alcoholism. It goes back generations and generations, so that you can't remember when there was a sober grandfather.” [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes a lineage of alcoholism that has persisted for many generations, making sobriety a distant memory. **In simple terms:** Family has a long history of alcoholism. Key Takeaway Recognize generational patterns and seek help. Themes family addiction generational trauma Mood reflective somber Type personal narrative testimonial When to use this quote - family gatherings - genetic counseling - support groups - personal reflection Key Concepts genetics social environment coping mechanisms Questions to Reflect On - How does family history shape personal choices? - What steps can break the cycle? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize; not all members may be affected. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alcoholism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcoholism/) [Bizarre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bizarre/) [Colony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colony/) [Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Grandfather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandfather/) [Remember when](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-when/) [Sober](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sober/) ## Related quotes > [ On this question of principle, while actual suffering was yet afar off, they \[the Colonies\] raised their flag against a power to which, for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/on-this-question-of-principle-while-actual-suffering-was-yet-afar-off/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [My dad's family were political and he was always a theatrical creature, whereas my mum is really musical and her father was the touring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/my-dad-s-family-were-political-and-he-was-always-a-theatrical/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) > [“No offense to you, lady, but he’s my dad and there’s a whole family factor here that you’re helping to break up.” I turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tijan/no-offense-to-you-lady-but-he-s-my-dad-and-there-s-a-whole-family/) [Tijan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tijan/) > [My dad and all my family were into baseball. His brothers, my mom's brothers, my mom's father. Baseball was just always a part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-teixeira/my-dad-and-all-my-family-were-into-baseball-his-brothers-my-mom-s/) [Mark Teixeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-teixeira/) > [Most of my family is from Arkansas on my Mom's side, and my Dad's family is from up north in Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-conley-jr/most-of-my-family-is-from-arkansas-on-my-mom-s-side-and-my-dad-s/) [Mike Conley Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-conley-jr/) > [My dad's really funny. The male sense of humor - like my grandfather's and such - is pretty bizarre. Basically my dad's side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vile/my-dad-s-really-funny-the-male-sense-of-humor-like-my-grandfather-s/) [Kurt Vile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vile/) > [I got family in the U.K. on my dad's side of the family. My grandfather's brother moved to the U.K. from Jamaica. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-spence-jr/i-got-family-in-the-u-k-on-my-dad-s-side-of-the-family-my-grandfather/) [Errol Spence Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-spence-jr/) > [My dad's whole family is in Madras and I was born in America so we didn't have that big Indian community. I don't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/my-dad-s-whole-family-is-in-madras-and-i-was-born-in-america-so-we/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [Drummed into me, above all, by my dad, by the whole family, was that without your good name, you would be nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-ashe/drummed-into-me-above-all-by-my-dad-by-the-whole-family-was-that/) [Arthur Ashe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-ashe/) > [My contact with my dad's side of my family got less after we stopped living together, but they were in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-yarde/my-contact-with-my-dad-s-side-of-my-family-got-less-after-we-stopped/) [Anthony Yarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-yarde/) > [My dad's side of the family was very poor while growing up, but my dadi raised three kids, got my dad through medical school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amyra-dastur/my-dad-s-side-of-the-family-was-very-poor-while-growing-up-but-my/) [Amyra Dastur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amyra-dastur/) > [The people on my mum's side of the family are atheist intellectuals who are ueber-proper. My dad's side of the family are missionaries who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/the-people-on-my-mum-s-side-of-the-family-are-atheist-intellectuals/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [Every dad is the family role model, whether he wants the job or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rainey/every-dad-is-the-family-role-model-whether-he-wants-the-job-or-not/) [Dennis Rainey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rainey/) > [My dad's family comes from the North, and my mother's family comes from somewhere around Carmarthenshire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-thomas/my-dad-s-family-comes-from-the-north-and-my-mother-s-family-comes/) [Henry Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-thomas/) > [I'm fortunate enough that my dad was well-off, my family was well-off, so we're able to go to private schools and stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-adesanya/i-m-fortunate-enough-that-my-dad-was-well-off-my-family-was-well-off/) [Israel Adesanya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-adesanya/) ## More by Sam Shepard > [I guess what I like is mostly country & western or else stuff that has a real blues feel to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/i-guess-what-i-like-is-mostly-country-western-or-else-stuff-that-has/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [You can write 16 plays and not make as much money as you did doing one movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/you-can-write-16-plays-and-not-make-as-much-money-as-you-did-doing/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [It's funny, in a way the actor is a writer. It's not like the two things are so separate as to be like apples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/it-s-funny-in-a-way-the-actor-is-a-writer-it-s-not-like-the-two/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Character is an essential tendency. It can be covered up, it can be messed with, it can be screwed around with, but it can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/character-is-an-essential-tendency-it-can-be-covered-up-it-can-be/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Why would you want to be be counseled in your grief? It's too private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/why-would-you-want-to-be-be-counseled-in-your-grief-it-s-too-private/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Farm country -- you know, hay, horses, cattle. It's the ideal situation for me. I like the physical endeavors that go with the farm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/farm-country-you-know-hay-horses-cattle-it-s-the-ideal-situation-for/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [I think comedy's harder to pull off on the screen than on the stage, anyway. Tragedy is easier on the screen... oddly enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/i-think-comedy-s-harder-to-pull-off-on-the-screen-than-on-the-stage/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [“Those are the most monotonous fuckin' crickets I ever heard in my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/those-are-the-most-monotonous-fuckin-crickets-i-ever-heard-in-my-life/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [All good writing comes out of aloneness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/all-good-writing-comes-out-of-aloneness/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [When I first started in film, I was terrified of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/when-i-first-started-in-film-i-was-terrified-of-the-camera/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [I'll develop my own image. I'm an original man. A one and only. I just need some help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/i-ll-develop-my-own-image-i-m-an-original-man-a-one-and-only-i-just/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [When I just sit around my house and work, I can work two, three hours, and then I go off and ride a horse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/when-i-just-sit-around-my-house-and-work-i-can-work-two-three-hours/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Hollywood is geared toward teenage idiocy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/hollywood-is-geared-toward-teenage-idiocy/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [It's my private life, and it's not up for grabs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/it-s-my-private-life-and-it-s-not-up-for-grabs/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Keep away from fantasy. Shake off the image,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/keep-away-from-fantasy-shake-off-the-image/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) [Explore all 176 Sam Shepard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) ## More Alcoholism quotes > [And, when night Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/and-when-night-darkens-the-streets-then-wander-forth-the-sons-of/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) Bella James > [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/) David Norman > [If you decide on having an alcoholic at your party, make sure it's a large gathering. This way, until the alcoholic begins removing their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/if-you-decide-on-having-an-alcoholic-at-your-party-make-sure-it-s-a/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [There are plenty of alcoholics who can be magnificent when drunk: it does not make them any less alcoholic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-bengis/there-are-plenty-of-alcoholics-who-can-be-magnificent-when-drunk-it/) [Ingrid Bengis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-bengis/) > [“If you threw Elvis and a scarecrow in a blender, topped the whole thing off with Seagram's 7 and pressed dice, you would make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/if-you-threw-elvis-and-a-scarecrow-in-a-blender-topped-the-whole/) [Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/) > [The fun, joy, and humor dry up in a relationship when one of the partners is swimming in gin. To my way of thinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginger-rogers/the-fun-joy-and-humor-dry-up-in-a-relationship-when-one-of-the/) [Ginger Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginger-rogers/) > [“Bourbon, Kentucky bourbon especially, is like Dante’s Inferno in a glass, fire walks down your throat, lungs, and heart and everything in between with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/bourbon-kentucky-bourbon-especially-is-like-dante-s-inferno-in-a/) [Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/) > [“There are various reasons why an individual might habitually consume large quantities of alcohol, but they all effectively boil down to the same thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-are-various-reasons-why-an-individual-might-habitually-consume/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [He who has once taken to drink can seldom be said to be guilty of one sin only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/he-who-has-once-taken-to-drink-can-seldom-be-said-to-be-guilty-of-one/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [I was drunk: Christian and drunk. They just don't go together. But that's what happened. And the next day, obviously God had honored those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hamilton/i-was-drunk-christian-and-drunk-they-just-don-t-go-together-but-that/) [Jim Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hamilton/) > [When a woman drinks it's as if an animal were drinking, or a child. Alcoholism is scandalous in a woman, and a female alcoholic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/when-a-woman-drinks-it-s-as-if-an-animal-were-drinking-or-a-child/) [Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/) > [Alcoholism, the opium habit and tobaccoism are a trio of poison habits which have been weighty handicaps to human progress during the last three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-harvey-kellogg/alcoholism-the-opium-habit-and-tobaccoism-are-a-trio-of-poison-habits/) [John Harvey Kellogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-harvey-kellogg/) > [The worst thing you can do for your loved one caught in alcoholism or addiction is to help the person continue in the deception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-t-anderson/the-worst-thing-you-can-do-for-your-loved-one-caught-in-alcoholism-or/) [Neil T Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-t-anderson/) > [“Not much more than a broke disgrace who's hooked on tonics, so excuse him if his poker face has puke on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannibal-lecture/not-much-more-than-a-broke-disgrace-who-s-hooked-on-tonics-so-excuse/) Hannibal Lecture [Browse all 388 Alcoholism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcoholism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My dad's side of the family ... they're a real bizarre bunch, going back to the original colonies. 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