Originally Posted by GracieLou

1)What made you WANT to stop drinking?

I never wanted to stop drinking.

2)What was the driving force(s) that motivated you to quit?

There was no motivation. There was no person or place. There was no white light. When I finally gave up and surrendered my desire to drink was gone. I was done. It was over.

3)What was your "bottom"?

I have no clue

4)What made you decide that finally enough was enough?

Again, I have no clue. I had what some call a moment of clarity. What made me have it, I have no idea. What made me come to the point of surrender, I have no idea. I just stopped fighting the idea of accepting help. I had received a gift.

5)If any of you struggled with having so much guilt or shame that you felt it was pointless to even try, or to care, what changed that thought process for you?

I felt guilt but it never was a factor. I felt bad but that had nothing to do with why I quit. It does play a factor if I am going to remain sober.

6)Before you got sober, what were some of your biggest obstacles to overcome before you were in the right mindset to achieve sobriety?

Drinking, plain and simple. I don't think anyone really starts to understand sobriety until they are sober at least a little while. Once I got a little, I wanted more. Now I embrace it.

7)Before you could admit to yourself or others that you were an alcoholic, what stopped you from accepting that truth?

I knew I was an alcoholic for years. It made no difference admitting that.

8)What did it feel like to be judged for being an alcoholic?

I only had one person that actually told me they did not like my drinking. That is when I first went to AA. Later they told me they did not believe in AA. To them it was just stop, that is all. No disease, no mental obsession. Just stop. I drank for nine more years. I don't think "just stop" was gonna cut it. At least not then.

9)How did you deal with enablers?

I have no clue. If people enabled me then they did. I had no control over that. My mother knew I was an alcoholic yet every Birthday she bought me my favorite whiskey. I drank it. Plain and simple.

10)What aided you in being in denial? What did you tell yourself?

I was not in denial about being an alcoholic. I was in denial about trying to control my life and everything in it. I convinced myself that there was only one person I could trust and that was me.