Old 10-20-2011, 11:06 AM
  # 12 (permalink)  
Pigtails
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Originally Posted by Jdkarlson View Post
Pigtails,

I really enjoyed reading your reply to my thread and your thread about resisting drinking. It's strange to me the parallels in behavior---that it's not the substance that matters, but the powerlessness. You wrote that you could take coke or leave it, but if it's there you'll do it. I feel no "pull" for alcohol at all. But hand me a bag of coke, and even if I've told myself the whole way home "you're not getting into it" thats exactly what I'll do. I'm not sure if I don't have the same problem with alcohol because I was a bartender for many years and got to watch alcoholics waste their after work hours with me instead of at home with their families or if I just don't get the same high from alcohol that you do.

What I am most impressed by is your ability to resist even in the face of repeated peer pressure and that your drug, unfortunately, just happens to be
legal. Because you have to be connected in the drug world (I dealt to support my habit: lots of bad karma to burn off this and next life--oh joy!) to have access to enough coke to really build your addiction. At least people aren't waiving in front of your face and there aren't adds glamorizing on tv! The idea that you have clients, coworkers, and friends pushing you to drink and you STILL resisted is a major victory. Pat yourself on the back!

Lately, the thing that has given me strength is that the person I love most in the world has emotionally cut herself off from me and is leaving to start a life without me. I have no one to blame but myself; i should have been emotionally available but i felt i couldnt help but get high. Ironically, now its right when I've decided to get clean, but I wonder: if she wasn't committed to leaving, would I be as committed to quitting? I've tried to stop so many times and I've promised and broken those promises so many times that my word has no substance. It
breaks my heart to know that my addiction has lost me the love of someone truly special. Somehow, the shame of it, and the fear that even now I would use is such a deterrent that I haven't even felt like letting the voice in my head get started into convincing me to use. I just say "shut up" and move on.

Anyway, my point is, I'm new to this forum, but it's a great place filled with people who have been where you are now, and can help you get out and stay out...if you really want it for you. You write so well, I can tell you're really smart----and your posts are enjoyable to read. Please keep coming back and posting. Your struggles help others get through theirs

You know, Jdkarlson, you're right about the access part of things. If someone handed me a bag of coke I wouldn't be able to resist it any easier than in the past I've been able to resist a drink that someone bought for me. So I guess what I meant in my post in your thread was that I didn't have the urge to go buy coke every day... or ecstasy which was my favorite, or pot which I would do if my friends were doing it but never really liked that much.... basically the point is that if it was there, I would do it, and yes I liked coke and would want it sometimes when out but there's a difference when you have to take the extra step of meeting up with someone to buy it, when it's so expensive, when you know the quantity is limited because of that... so yeah, if I was a rich celebrity and always had a bunch of coke available to me easily, I would probably be very addicted. To me the hard part is saying no when offered, and I don't have an off switch.

Thank you for the nice note. I love to write and I do write memoir but I haven't yet written much about alcoholism. Perhaps if I do it will be therapeutic. Thanks again for your kind words, support and encouragement. Stay strong and I will too. :-)
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