CloudStrife

My Alcoholism has been a thief.
My alcoholism has stolen from me:
• My physical health.
• My mental health.
• My relationships with my family.
• My relationships with my friends.
• Money.
• Quality of life.
I was working on my taxes today and I had to go back through my bank statements for the past year. My stomach grew sick at all the charges I had for my beer.
Or the many times friends have wanted to meet up with me for the weekend or dinner and I said no bc I did'nt feel "mentally right" from drinking.
It’s hard to realize just how low alcohol takes us sometimes. Especially because we are all really smart individuals.
Alcohol has stolen so much from me. It helps me to think about that sometimes when I feel like drinking.
What has your alcoholism stolen from you?

Dee74

It stole my health, it stole a few relationships and a few more opportunities, and a whole lot of years.

I've made my peace with that now tho - I believe it's what I do with my life today that really counts

D

CloudStrife

The past is in the past. You can't change it.

Anna

Alcohol does attempt to destroy us, but have faith that you can continue to change the situation as you recover.

Hevyn

Basically the same things as you, Cloud. My worst two were losing the trust of my family and my reputation as someone dependable at work. Then there was my spotless driving record (dui's), my credit rating, my sanity. It set me back years - trying to clean up the mess financially and other ways. Makes me shudder.

I no longer dwell on what I've lost because it was holding me down - but I don't want to forget entirely where I've been.

kiki26

It has stolen me. But I'm crawling back up to daylight. One day at a time.

mytime66

The past is the past. You cant change it. That is very true. However, you and all of us have the strengths NOT to repeat it. God bless

janiebluebird

Alcohol stole many opportunities from me, that I squandered. It has also stolen money, time, energy, and self respect.

exauhsted

My dignity.
My thoughts.
My self worth.
My life that was so graciously given to me.



What do you do with a thief?
You wouldn't let them stay in your house would you?
So why do we allow them to stay in our bodies?

Thank you for this post..Seriously ..Thank You!

Threshold

Alcohol didn't steal anything from me. Anything I lost due to drinking and drugging I gave away. I invited it into my life and courted it and went to a lot of trouble to keep it around.

This may not be true for others, but it was true for me.

TheEnd

I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw this post. Alcoholism didn't steal anything from me. The definition of stealing is:

1.To take property without right or permission

2. To get or take secretly

By giving alcohol such an important place in my life knowing the dangers associated with the drug, I gave it permission to take over. Continuing to engage in destructive behaviors when it was pretty evident the impact alcohol was having on my life takes the secret aspect away from this issue. I gave alcohol persmission to destroy my life, but by refusing to pick up a drink, I took back that permission. I am in control of my life, alcohol is not.

exauhsted

Just saying...so if you invite someone into your home and they decide they don't want to leave..say they over power you....they say I'm staying regardless of your thoughts..Is this your fault because you invited them with good intentions?

I'm not saying that what you feel is not true I just wonder if it's true for everyone. You are obviously strong. Some are not.. I know that we are to blame ourselves for our own situations.

What did you do to get past the blame?

sweepee

alcohol has taken away from me...the motivation to do anything

CleanmeupScotty

Then you get help and call the police to remove them. I guess at the end of the day the choice is up to the person if they want alcohol to continue to control them. There are some that will never give it up unfortunately.
I still blame other people for my problems. My parents and the environment for my depression,anxiety,and addiction but I don't think that is the right mind set I should have to get better.

coraltint

this is the most effective way my disease has of holding me down...if it's someone else's fault, then i'm just boned so why even bother trying?

thanks for reminding me

BackToSquareOne

I always saw alcohol as the ultimate con artist. It lures you into its web by delivering short term release and relief. You get that warm glo, freedom from inhibitons, you're the life of the party, you love everyone and they all love you. It seems like the greatest thing since sliced bread, nirvana. Who wouldn't want those things?

There's one little glitch tho, as soon as it wears off all of that gets slanmmed into reverse. No problem really, you just drink more to recapture those feelings and the truth of the matter is that it actually works for a while. You slowly build up a tolerance to it and become tissue dependant as it takes more and more to get the same result.

When you're actually tissue dependant you're at the point where you're really screwed. It starts to become crystal clear that you can no longer live with it, only now you also can't live without it. This is the point where you will start to become very familiar with the haunted house of hangover hell. Withdrawals, detoxes, anxiety and depression, all of it nine kinds of hell. Those things start to become the norm for the severe alcoholic.

The point to all of this is you don't have to go thru any of that if you just refuse to buy into the con game because that's all it really is. Taken far enough it always ends the same. Whether or not you invited it in or just bought into its con game is really of little importance once you 're deeply in the throes of addiction. Just my opinion.