shameless self bump
I quit drinking a little over a year ago. I did'nt hit a bottom either, I just got more tired of hangovers than I enjoyed being intoxicated. I actually think I developed an allergy to it because only a few drinks are enough to ensure the following day is a bad one. Thanks for sharing your story, Rob.
Good for you. How do you know when you have an alcohol problem vs. enjoying a drink.
Congratulations, you have a life in front of you that you cannot possibly imagine.
from a friend of Bill W. for 12 years this Jan (God willing)
Rob from Georgia,
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C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S
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What a great post, RFG. Beware the enemy (that takes many forms, including "friends") who would like to enslave you once again. In the meantime, I've sent up a prayer for your continued and complete recovery!
Welcome to the real life.
JSC - Friend of Bills for over 19 years
Courage, my friend. You are an inspiration.
Haveing worked with and around several alcoholics, I came to the conclusion that if you ever wonder if you have a driking problem, then you probably do
Excellent post. I will be saving it to show someone. Thank you.
I got a kick out of your line about Rush being in rehab "for both of us." I'm sure he would be glad to learn of the positive effect he had on your life, and hope that he hears of your story.
Rob, So happy you made it through this!!! I have watched some people that I am close to make it through this also and those days are some of the happiest days in my life, really, nothing is better! To get back someone who I thought I had lost to alcohol, to have them back, people who I loved so much, who I thought I had lost.
Bump! :-)
Congratulations, Rob. I'm sure it's been difficult. I hope you continue on this new path. You have a lot of FReeper support for your journey.
"I have now been sober for 14 months without a drop of alcohol. This is not a long time as compared to over 25 years of heavy drinking, but I also know something else: I am totally confident that I will never drink again. "
Theres a quote from "Godfather partIII" It goes something like...."Just when I think I'm away.It sucks me in again" Something like that.Lot of land mines out there.Been sober for 8 years. Still have to fight now and then with myself.
Don't get too cocky.You'll end up waking up asking yourself."Why?" again.
You write well Rob. Please ping me on your next.
I’m in something like your situation. Started drinking early, never recognized as a big problem, but as time passed, I could see that drinking frequently subtracted rather than added to my life. Then over the past 3-6 years it unquestionably got worse. I’d wake up telling myself this is killing me, but couldn’t resist turning into the liquor store on my way home in order to spend the evening in a buzz. I tried dozens of times to ration it like you, but it always returned in excess.
3 weeks ago everyone in my family got a stomach flue. I got it much worse, perhaps from my weakened condition, throwing up 19 times in 12 hours. Not being able to drink for a few days was the free head start that I needed. I know that I’m not out of danger yet, and never will completely be out of danger, but I know that I’ll manage it and will never drink again.
Thanks for your story.
You have to do things at the right time in life. That's always true; it's more obvious in extreme situations. Congratulations.
"There are some things which cannot be learned quickly, and time, which is all we have, must be paid heavily for their acquiring. They are the very simplest things, and because it takes a man's life to know them the little new that each man gets from life is very costly and the only heritage he has to leave." --Hemingway
What an inspirational post. Good luck to you ... and BUMP!
Good for you and all who know you! I've been a friend of Bill's for 20 years now, and by the grace of God, clean and sober for the same.
Alcoholism is a progressive and fatal illness. We start drinking for most any reason. Then alcohol becomes our primary problem.
For me, it turned out that I was self-medicating my PTSD symptoms. When I stopped drinking, the PTSD symptoms got worse over time. The second epiphany took about 18 years of not drinking. Don't give up before the miracle!
I consider myself very fortunate. Most of my peers never let go of the alcohol. Most die on average 10 years earlier.
Blessings to you and yours. The most precious gift you can give another alcoholic is a year of sobriety, one day at a time.