john44

The year before I lost my job my alcoholism spiraled downward. Unlike you, my job loss was directly related to my drinking. It wasn't until after I lost my job though that my drinking really took off and I reached a depth of despair that was unimaginable to me. I wound up in rehabs, hospitals and detox centers. I learned what alcohol withdrawals really were. I thought I would die and was told by quite a few doctors that I would die if I didn't stop.

Drinking wasn't the answer. The blackouts didn't make the problems go away, they only seemed to add new ones. I looked like crap and felt even worse. I worried my family and friends sick. I wasn't even a shadow of who I used to be.

It took me a few tries but I did stop. I look better, I feel much better, I sleep like a baby. Even with the problems I still have, I have peace of mind. I don't worry too much about the future, I tackle the problems of today and let the future take care of itself.

You'll be ok. If you stop drinking.

thisisme

How will drinking help you?
How will drinking hurt you?

fini

i know i can quit for good one day when i know how to handle these situations.

Mandy,
on the surface, that makes sense. but when you look a bit more closely, it's something more general that's alonfg the belief of: everything has to be just right before i can quit. i have to know how to handle or avoid a, b, c, h, kjl and THEN....
truth is, we can't learn how to handle these things soberly until we handle them soberly.

and yeah, that can be tough.
good news is that it's do-able.
by me and by you.

what are you gonna do?
hopefully: put the stuff down the drain and get back.

EndGameNYC

Yes. Putting any conditions on our sobriety almost invariably ends up in failure.

Hevyn

Thinking of you Mandy - hoping you'll feel more optimistic soon.

Gottalife

I lost quite a few jobs through drinking and it tended to slow my drinking down mainly because I had no money. I once lost a job as a barman because I refused to stay behind the bar. I wanted to be on the other side where the party was. Did I mention I was drunk? The craving was so strong even the threat of instant dismissal could not get me to stop at that time. Many doors closed, then all doors were closed.

Then, after 6 weeks sober in AA, I was sacked from my job and all my gear was stolen from my locker. It never occurred to me to drink. Instead another, much better, job came my way. One door closes, another one opens. What's different?

ChefWolverine

Ahhh, the procrastinating alcoholic. Thank you for drinking my share as the old timers in my AA group say to people that go back out.