anxiousrock

I’m so nervous. It’s basically 2 hours of questionnaire and then next week same thing.
Then I find out if I get a one and one and what time of “treatment” (if any), they think I need.
Wish me luck! This could help me find out so much about myself.

ScottFromWI

Glad to hear you are going through with it Anarock. Nothing to be nervous about at all, just question and it's completely confidential. Be honest about everything - they cannot help you if they don't know the whole story. You are right too - this is 100% about helping you - so make the best of it while you have the opportunity.

JJ991

1:1 therapy with an addiction counsellor was such a good thing for me.

Good luck!

anxiousrock

Yeah it was good. A lot of the questions did not apply to me.
I was nervous going in but no more nervous than my first time going to AA. Nerves past quite soon after.
I have to say - i do not think they will take me on as a patient since my drinking is not daily or even weekly. Most of the questions ask how many times per week you use each drug. I only use alcohol.
Anyways, we’ll see what happens.

Done4today

Glad to hear you're doing action Anarock. whether you get in or not, you took the steps to take an active role in your recovery. The selection process is now out of your hands. Be proud and accept whatever decision is rendered. Now get a sponsor and start working the steps. More action to keep this sober train rolling.

Dave42001

Kudos to you for seeking help!! I agree with Scott, be honest and lay all your cards on the table!! Sending prayers your way!! Please keep us updated and I wish you the best!

ScottFromWI

Glad if went well Anarock. Try not to make any assumptions until you hear back, you don't need to drink daily to be an alcoholic, and alcohol is a drug - a very powerful one. They have to ask you questions about all the other drugs too, that's standard procedure. How long until they get back to you with their recommendation?

Delilah1

Sounds like a great thing for you. Looking forward to hearing f how things go.

anxiousrock

Not long, I go to a follow up Monday! Even if I can just get in for a couple of sessions that would be helpful. I just want to learn more about why I drink so I can avoid that.

tomsteve

[QUOTE=Anarock;6749252. I just want to learn more about why I drink so I can avoid that.[/QUOTE]

theres 2 chapters in AA's big book that might help: "there is a solution" and "more about alcoholism."
the program taught me there were many underlying issues alcohol was a symptom of. it also helped me address those issues.

i hope the counselling will help,too. always good to get as much help as possible.

tomsteve

when i got sober i was seeing a counselor. the assessment had a jillion questions going back to childhood. all questions were centered around what my drug/alcohol history was. the counsellor told me they had to get a starting point to understand where i was at that moment.

Ken0331

Great! Good for you for taking a courageous step. Many won't and live a miserable life, then die a miserable death from alcohol.

I thought that knowing why I drank would solve my drinking problem, too.

It didn't.

I drink b/c I am an alcoholic. Simple as that. Once I crossed that invisible line from normal drinking to alcoholic drinking, I could never go back, never roll back the clock as it were. The only answer was I could never safely drink again. I got to work finding the help I needed, b/c I couldn't stop drinking by myself, just under my own willpower. At least not for any real length of time, anyway.

I found alcohol wasn't my problem, it was my solution. Take away my solution, and I'm miserable. And I didn't get sober to be miserable.

Hopefully your counselor will recommend some support groups and programs for you to try, b/c until I began to replace my unhealthy solution with healthier ones I had no chance of being happy or sober.

Gottalife

My experience too. I recall at the time I wasn't too interested in finding out why because I thought all it would achieve was to give me something else to resent.

I did like the questionaires though. They were the only test I could pass with flying colours.

Ken0331

I remember the tests, too. The nature of the practice dealt mostly with younger people with drug addiction, so a lot of the questions centered around that lifestyle. Criminal history, who's my PO, how many jobs had I been fired from . . . all irrelevant to me. I eventually asked the receptionist if I could just put a big "No Experience with this" at the top of some pages, and focus on the ones that mattered.

The job history was another one of those . . . "Um, I can't remember ALL my jobs. I've been at this one for almost 10 years, my previous one for five."

"Stop there," she laughed. "Unless you were fired from any job, you don't need to document past that."