[newlifenow]

Like many of you who posted in this thread, I, too, was a lifetime victim of emotional abuse by my dad. As sad as it is, I was only recently freed of his control over my life when he passed away in January. While his death saddened me (and still does), I think what disappoints me the most is that I feel like I am and will forever be a diminished person. I began to abuse alcohol about four years ago to cope with the stress imposed by both his constant criticism and a stressful career in sales, and I'm incredibly disappointed that I treated myself in this way. Today is my first day sober following a three day binge, and I'm going through all of the physical and emotional side symptoms. Does everyone remember how awful those feelings are?