When Charisse Tyson bought Johnny's Bar & Grill in Hollister California in 1995 she had no idea it was the bar that inspired the 1953 movie the Wild One with Marlon Brando. She did however know that her husband, Tommy, was an alcoholic. Hardships and heartaches were inevitable. Take a journey with a codependent control freak and her alcoholic husband to the Birth Place of the American Biker as they find their way back to God and to each other.
About the Author: Charisse Tyson is a self-proclaimed, enabling, co-dependent. Brought up by a single mother, Charisse practically raised her three brothers. Her overactive sense of responsibility and need to exert control in every facet of her life came at an early age. Her compulsion to tell others what they should do to fix their lives alienated those closest to her. Her husband Tommy would say she drove him to drink. In reflection Charisse admits that before God's intervention, the way she responded to his alcoholism contributed to the problem. A Christian, Charisse neglected her spiritual roots for many years. At seventeen she acquired her first job in the bar industry. She partied as hard as she worked, and as a single mother she was no stranger to multiple jobs and a sixteen hour work day. The fact that she chose an alcoholic as a life partner is by no account surprising. Her co-dependency made her the perfect helpmate for Tommy. In January of 2002 when Tommy asked Charisse for a divorce, it sent her into a tailspin that led her to Alanon and back to her Christian roots. The God she knew but had forsaken spoke into her heart that beneath the sickness of alcoholism, Tommy was still the loving man she married. A Joyce Meyer video on co-dependency opened her eyes to the fact that she couldn't blame all of her problems on her husband. After all, she knew he was an alcoholic and she bought a bar. With her eyes opened to her culpability, Charisse embarked on the painful journey of self-discovery that changed her life for the better. Charisse felt it was important to share the tales of the wilder times in their lives so that her readers could fully grasp how far she and her husband have come. Confessing to her many flaws was difficult but she believes it opened the door to the healing process. Her prayer is that it will do the same for others. Charisse believes that God used Johnny's Bar & Grill to transform their lives and continues to use their experiences to help others who find themselves in similar circumstances. The alcoholic - co-pendant relationship is sadly, not an uncommon one. Charisse's goal in writing her book was to give hope to co-dependents and alcoholics alike. She is a true believer that with God all things are possible. Tommy and Charisse have been together for twenty five years and celebrated their twenty first wedding anniversary in July. Miraculously he has enjoyed more than nine years of sobriety.