Old 08-08-2017, 09:53 AM
  # 17 (permalink)  
MLD51
Giving up is NOT an option.
 
MLD51's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 7,809
Been there, done that. The shame was really bad for a while - I was ashamed way before I quit drinking, and I drank to make the shame go away - of course that just led to more shame. I did a pretty good job of beating myself up for a while after I quit, and a couple of other people got their punches in, too. It was pretty bad. BUT - I knew I couldn't change the past. All I could do was stay sober, show myself and the world that the drunk me was not the real me, and keep on going. Now, over 2.5 years sober, I can hold my head high again. Most people forgot about my stupid behavior. And if they didn't forget, they know I don't do that stuff anymore and see me in a different light.

That's a long-winded way of saying - time heals. Stay sober, apologize to people if you actually hurt them while drinking, and start learning to forgive yourself. It's not going to happen overnight. But it will happen.
MLD51 is offline