The approach to alcoholism in comic strips has long mirrored the misconceptions of society. The depiction of problem drinking has typically been old school and can be traced to pratfalling drunks in vaudevillian sketches. The alcoholic's problems have generally been treated as the butt of the joke, and little if any attention is ever paid to the pain of alcoholics and their loved ones.

But the harsh side of alcoholism is treated with more realism in Funky Winkerbean, the comic strip syndicated in more than 400 newspapers nationwide. And that's not to say that humor is left out.

When Funky, after denying his illness and finally accepting his problem, arrives for admission at a rehab center, he quips, "I'd like a non-drinking room, please."

The Funky Winkerbean comic strip began in 1972 and has evolved from a laugh-a-day comic about the students of Westview High School to a thoughtful commentary about major social and educational issues. In the midst of a stressful marriage with two demanding careers (his wife Cindy is a talented television news anchor and he is co-owner of a pizzeria), Funky develops a drinking problem. His tumultuous journey and hard-fought recovery is captured by his creator, Tom Batiuk.

To help neatly express the dramatic impact of alcoholism, Batiuk has created a new book called My Name Is Funky…and I'm an Alcoholic. The book is a compilation of selected strips that focus on Funky's struggles with addiction. The result is an engaging look at how a popular young man sinks to the depth of despair as alcohol takes hold, and how he rises in the hope that recovery brings. Along the way, friends intervene, his marriage falls a part, he goes into treatment, relapses, and then emerges to embrace new possibilities and healthier relationships.

In 100 pages of comic strips, Batiuk accomplishes what might take self-help writers thousands of pages to explain. His expressive art and likeable characters come to life on the page, drawing readers into the story as they come to care about what happens to Funky. As readers eagerly turn the pages, they are given an almost subliminal education about alcoholism, treatment and recovery.

Batiuk does not instruct or preach. Instead, he takes us into Funky's home and workplace. He shows us how addiction can infect families and friendships. We see how treatment and Alcoholics Anonymous work and why it's important to have a good sponsor. We come to understand how vulnerable those in recovery are to relapse, and why a Twelve Step program is lived one day at a time. Best of all, we learn while laughing.

"I allowed my characters to grow up, which is not usually done in comic strips," said Batiuk. "I found out as they grew, the circumstances they encountered were more interesting to write about for me." Lisa, one of his cartoon characters, got breast cancer in 1999.

"It seemed to me that the comics were capable of more," he writes in the book's introduction. "As with all art, comic strips can be a venue to help order the world, to help the observer fill in the blanks for the insights or truth that may be missing. I believe they can be thought provoking, rather than simply humorous. If I was going to tackle alcoholism, I wanted to cast aside the stereotypes and deal with reality."

In order to get Funky's story right, Batiuk read a lot about alcoholism, AA, and Twelve Step recovery. He attended an AA meeting and even stood on the front lawn of the house in Akron, Ohio, where AA cofounder Dr. Bob had lived.

Some of the best compliments Batiuk receives, he said, come from readers in recovery who tell him he is so on the mark in the telling of this tale that he must be a "friend of Bill W.," the other AA cofounder. But he said the most rewarding feedback came recently in a letter he received from a woman who, seeing herself in Funky's story, finally got help for her own alcoholism.

My Name Is Funky…and I'm an Alcoholic (Hazelden, 2007) includes an extensive resource list that helps readers recognize the signs of alcoholism and how to find help. For more information on the book, visit hazelden.org/bookstore or call 800-328-9000.

--Published October 15, 2007