Tazman53

I have heard this statement in the rooms and on speaker tapes as well.

This is exactly how serious the disease I suffer from is, there are many before me that have died from alcoholism, but their deaths were not in vain,

So many of the sober alcoholics today owe thier sobriety to those who could not escape the death grip of alcoholism, I do, they may not have even known some one personally that has died due to alcoholism, but simply picking up a paper or listening to the news on a daily basis one reads of deaths caused by alcohol or some one being killed due to some one elses drinking.

Right here on SR and in the rooms of AA there are people who know people who have drank thier selfs to death, thier death has led many others to sober up and help others to stay sober.

There are people who are reading this and posting on this board that will die from it, very sad but true. There are people in the rooms of AA who have gone back out never to return because alcoholism killed them.... or they simply could take it no longer and killed them selfs.

The death of an alcoholic who could not stop or the deaths of victims of alcoholics have caused many alcoholics to have a moment of clarity and to find a way out of the depths of hell called alcoholism. I for one out of fear of my own death stopped, I had to or I would have been one of the victims of alcohol!

Every day when I come here, I know that some one here is going to die due to alcohol, every time I go to an AA meeting I know that some one who I have spoken to, hugged, or shook hands with will die from this disease.

I am an alcoholic and I know that this is not some sort of game, this is not a contest of my will power over alcohol, not drinking for me and any other alcoholic is a matter of life and death!

I/we see people dying every day from alcohol in one way or another, not only is the alcoholic a victim of alcohol, so are the families and friends of the alcoholic as well as the family and friends of an alcoholics innocent victims.

I for one will stay sober one day at a time because I do not want these deaths to be in vain, nor do I want to die or kill some one due to my refusal to reach out and ask for help from others.

It is life or death....... are we willing to reach out for help to save our own lifes and others to acknowledge that those who have died and will die have not died in vain?

If we let our pride keep us from getting the help we need then we have shown every alcoholic that died and will die that we did not even acknowledge their death...... they were nothing to us.

scaredykat

I agree with everything you said. My grandfather died from drinking. I never got to met him.

Slowbriety

very true.

why?

Tazman53

Slowbriety do you not feel that Bill W and Dr. Bob had both seen alcoholics die in the asylums, and Dr. Bob in his practice before they stopped drinking?

I know folks in the rooms of AA that the final straw that drove them to get sober was the death of a friend or family member from alcoholism.

There are those also that stopped drinking due to the death of an innocent family member or friend due to a drunk driver.

I am for lack of a better word a researcher of everything and any thing I have an interest in, drinking and alcoholism being one of them for me. I have read more then enough about alcoholic deaths and suicides to know darn well I had to stop! If they had not died the way they did I would still be drinking.

anewday2day

yep..heard at meeting last night..one of our local members who was in and out commited suicide. sad. If your sober dont take it for granted. It is a gift. take from me..it is easier to stay sober then get sober (after relaspe0

mike_mass

Your post reminds me of a proverb I once heard: “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the hardest"

Coming into the program I had a lot of experience with booze...which had made for a hard life. As time went on, I imitated those in the program, which was easier. Now I try to reflect on what a gift sobriety is...this is most rewarding.

o2bserene

The sad reality is that only 1 of every 3 alcoholics in recovery will stay there ... EVERY ALCOHOLIC WILL STOP DRINKING ONE WAY OR ANOTHER ... EITHER THEY WILL GRASP RECOVERY OR THEY WILL DIE! These are the facts!

But, here are some other facts:

Those who participate in some kind of recovery group (i.e., AA / SR) are twice as likely to stay sober. And, those who stay connected with others in recovery are more likely to stay sober.

There is hope for those who actively seek recovery ... but "action" is the key word. Recovery is not neccessarily for people who need it or want it, but for those who work at it. Also, remember that you never have to do it alone ... ask for assistance! Every recovering alcoholic needed somebody's help at one time or another.

Slowbriety

...

stone

Hi Taz, I sometimes need to be reminded that alcoholism kills. In rehab today we talked about some of thos ways, oesophagial varices sounds like something from a horror film. The rehab place had their own statistcs and for those that attend rehab and for whatever reason carry on drinking as they were, the average age of death was 46.

Surlyredhead

In the little time I have been sober, I know personally 5 people who have died from this disease...and one who is in prison because she killed a Mother of three 10 days before Christmas driving drunk...lest we ever forget.

GlassPrisoner

I could have been one of them. But For The Grace of God.......

barb dwyer

My first 60 days sober, five of my customers died.

Now it's up to 9.

And every one of them ... I stop and think about this very thing.

So many of them, drank so much less than I.
So at our group this is unfortunately ... a frequent topic.
But necessary for me.
I need to remember that for some reason - I was spared.
I need to keep that in the forefront of my mind.

It keeps me thankful for every day I am gifted.

Tazman53

Barb I heard a guy after a meeting say that he felt like he was on of the chosen few.

IO Storm

There but by the grace of God go I,

there but by grace.

To those who have gone before.



Love,

Sherry

Russelrb

Thanks Taz,
It is so close to home it hurts.

barb dwyer

Taz -
I read someplace
(probably while detoxing so it's why I can't remember where)
but I wrote it down and put it on the fridge:

"We are the CHildren of the God of the Second Chance."

parentrecovers

my daughter's father passed away last august from alcoholic liver disease. when my daughter had her horrific black out accident in september and survived, we told her she must have had an angel on her shoulder to walk away from that car unharmed. said she believes it was her dad. she honors her dad everyday she stays sober. and protects her own children/grandchildren to come from this disease. i admire her for those things. blessings, k

GrouchoTheCat

Yes there is an ultimate and final bottom for all of us.

As has been said:

There but for the Grace of god go I.

Thanks Taz

Emimily

i was at a meeting last night, and one of the things we talked about was how incredibly lucky we are to be sober. i can only speak for myself, but i feel absolutely blessed to be in recovery.

i feel blessed to be an alcoholic who works a program, has a sponsor, works the steps, prays, lets go of resentments, invites God into her day, deals with her negativity as it comes up, keeps her side of the street as clean as she can, tries to make it right, and tries to help others.

sounds like a lot of work? i can't imagine trying to live any other life. i truly am one of the lucky ones.

thanks for this thread, taz.

CarolD

Of the 29 dead addicted people I knew
4 were in AA recovery and died sober.

Certainly makes sobriety attractive IMO