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Alcoholism re: Are Drinking Bottoms Required?

Old 02-20-2012, 03:36 PM
  # 41 (permalink)  
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Kind of like marriage.
In my case, I hope sobriety proves more durable, lol...
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Old 02-20-2012, 06:13 PM
  # 42 (permalink)  
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Originally Posted by Dee74 View Post
For me, a bottom was not an event, it was the moment I decided I couldn't live my life that way one more day.

I was done - and like Rob anything else except being drunk looked good.

I think that kind of eureka moment is universal to us all, and essential.

While I don't therefore find the concept odd or dangerous I do absolutely agree with Kanamit that we should encourage people to seek help and not wait for some 'bottom' to arrive - I'd like to think people can do it easier than I did.

In the end tho, it's not our call when that happens - all we can do is share our experience

For the second part of the question - once I resolved that I didn't want to live that way, it was a natural follow on that I had to resolve to do whatever I had to not drink again and to do whatever I had to to be happy with that decision

I don't think I ever committed to being sober with the same vehemence and desperation that I did to not being drunk anymore either - it was a real life changing moment

D
Yeah, worth repeating in the thread -- I too believe and agree we do our best when we encourage others to seek help and not wait for some 'bottom' to arrive. It seems (of course) senseless and inhuman to wait until a likely alcoholic death is the only 'teacher of wisdom'.

And I don't encourage others to find their bottom, even when I have resigned myself to the reality that they themselves are seeking that impossible bottom. I have said they can declare their bottom at any time they may so wish. As Dee said though, its not our call on when and how that happens for others.
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Old 02-20-2012, 08:27 PM
  # 43 (permalink)  
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Hitting a "bottom" was beneficial to me for the simple fact that it forced me to quit drinking for an extended period of time. That gave me the time to clear my head and take a long look at what was really going on in my life, what I wanted out of life and how my drinking was affecting that.

My "bottom" was somewhat of a perfect storm. Coming together at once I had multiple legal issues (DUI's), suspension of my professional license and loss of employment, loss of self respect and that of family/friends, etc. I knew that I was going to lose all material things. It was over one way or the other. I knew that I would either have to face the music and get sober or go on a real bender and try to end it.

It ended up being the best thing that could have happened to me. I am convinced that I would not have quit drinking unless I had been removed from alcohol for that year spent in rehab and jail. It might not have taken a full year, but it helped.
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