If there’s no alcoholism in a mass murderer, then it’s really close by. The case of Newtown, CT shooter Adam Lanza and his mother, Nancy Lanza.
Possible codependent of the month:
Adam Lanza, 20, who shot his mother Nancy Lanza, 54, several times in the head before launching his rampage and then shooting himself at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. It’s highly unusual for a mass shooter to be a non-addict, but toxicology reports (surprisingly) show no drugs in Lanza’s system at the time of the attack. While it’s possible that he was on something that wasn’t screened, toxicology exams search for hundreds of drugs, from alcohol and illegal drugs to anti-depressants and anti-psychotics. It’s also possible he took himself off drugs just long enough to clear his head and pull off one of the biggest massacres in U.S. history. On the other hand, his mother went to a regular watering hole where she had regular “drinking buddies,” a near-certain indication of alcoholism. The emotional abandonment Lanza likely experienced as a child may have twisted his otherwise socially awkward yet benign personality to create a monster.