Ok, better late than never. My story (nutshell version).
I was always a drinker, high school, college. I always drank to get drunk, I never saw the point otherwise. When I went to graduate school in another state, all alone, I kept drinking but often by myself, and I knew by then I had an issue.
Moved back and continued drinking almost nightly to 'have fun' and relax, began feeling aching around where my liver lives.
Met my husband, got married. Drinking was our form of 'something to do', became very well known at our local bar (very Cheers-esque), I thought I had a ton of wonderful fun friends, who also liked to drink like fish. Went to work most days hungover, eventually fired from a job for not doing my job well, I know looking back that had I not always been in such a haze, I would have performed better.
A few key things happened that I look back now and can identify as important in the escalation of my drinking.
~2 years ago my pup was diagnosed w/ diabetes, it threw my world into a tailspin, and I began drinking before giving her her injection, to 'relax' because of the anxiety I felt.
~Shortly after that, we attended a destination wedding for a week in Mexico, all inclusive. I finally had 'permission' to drink all day every day, and boy did I.
~Then in that same summer (08), a local grocery store started selling liquor. It's otherwise illegal to sell liquor in stores other than liquor stores. My sick mind found this as a great way to 'hide' buying alcohol, adding it to my grocery receipt, and that is when I started drinking vodka in my closet.
I'd drink it when I got home from work, I'd slam it before we'd go to the bar. My poor hubby actually thought I had cut down on my drinking a ton because we'd then go out and I'd only want a drink or two, because I was already so buzzed.
Of course THAT escalated and I began drinking when I'd wake up on the weekends, to kill my hangovers. I took that way too far one day (8/31/08) and woke up in the ER with my parents and hubby at my side, and a doctor telling me he didn't know how I was alive, but that my BAC was .568
I drank again 3 weeks later, having convinced my husband that since I went three weeks, I could control it.
On 12/17/08, I showed up at work after drinking several shots before going in.. forgot I had a meeting w/ my boss. My entire world collapsed.
I haven't drank since.. I didn't lose my job, I didn't lose my husband, but I came horrifically close to both.
I entered into counseling, 1:1 two times a week with an addiction psychologist. That coupled with wanting to be sober WAY more than I ever wanted to be drunk again, and a vow to myself, my husband, and my job that I would never drink again, something clicked, and I haven't.
I love my sober life
Several months after that incident, we became pregnant. Something I had put off for YEARS so as to not interfere with partying (ugh!).
I have a beautiful baby boy who is about to turn 5 months old, and he is the greatest blessing I ever could have asked for, a true gift for a life better lived.
If you got that far, kudos to you!!!