Paulos,
I drank alcoholically for 20 years. I started when i was 17 and i'm 37 now. At the end of my drinking, i was drinking a half gallon of vodka or whiskey a day with alot of benzos and painkillers.
i survived. barely, but i did.
in my opinion, 5 years is definately recoverable.
instead of thinking "what if?" and "I wonder if i can"...why not just put one foot in front of the other and just do it?
If i can, i think anyone can.
