The last 5 years of my drinking I was a DRUNK.
In the last month or so of my drinking I realized the FACT that I am an ALCOHOLIC & a DRUNK. This self realized FACT gave me knowledge of what my problem was.
Unless one knows what thier problem is they can not address the problem. For me when the FACT that I am an alcoholic became REAL to me and I FULLY ACCEPTED it as a FACT, I was capable of making a decision, find a way to stop drinking or die.
Well my decision was I do not want to die! Here is where the big problem arose for me, my track record showed me that I did not have a clue at that point of how to get sober, I had long passed the point where I could not go a single day, physically, mentally or spiritually, without drinking.
Accepting the FACT that I did not have a clue how to get sober, I saw a doctor who told me I needed to be medically detoxed. I got detoxed and then began the REAL BATTLE!!! Staying sober!
In detox they told us every day several times that if we wanted a chance at long term sobriety to go to at least 90 AA meetings in 90 days & get a sponsor.
Well accepting the FACT, that I sure had no clue of how to stay sober I went to AA. In AA in step 1 I accepted the FACT that I am an alcoholic. Being an alcoholic I accepted the FACT that I can not drink safely.
The FACT that I am an alcoholic allowed me to begin and maintain my recovery.
The day I went into detox I went from being a DRUNK alcoholic to a RECOVERING alcoholic.
In my short 3+ years in the rooms of AA I have heard numerous alcoholics who had relapsed (A few with more then 15-20 years sober)share that in a nutshell, they quit doing what they had been doing to stay sober.............. the old insane thinking returned, they decided they were NOT an alcoholic and they could drink safely....... this time!!!
Knowing and accepting the FACT that I am an alcoholic daily is part of what keeps me sober today. From the experience of MILLIONS of others and a few I have witnessed & know, when one reahes the point where they no longer accept they are an alcoholic is when once again alcohol shows them that they are indeed an alcoholic.