strongbow1

Hello i thought i would visit the site after receiving an email about how this site has been established for 5 years. Im not sure how serious people take reading forums regarding personal problems such has alcoholism, myself am not the type to seek help from a forum i find more you read about alcoholism and the problems each individual has dealing with such problems can either make your problems seem lighter or much worse. I dont honestly beleive for an instant an individual should compare his or her own problem with anybody's. Your way you are now and nothing can change that not a message board, a doctor, your son, your daughter, a friend, a cat, a dog, your love for god or whatever maybe your inner salvation. Only one thing can truely change the way you are and that is desire and your need. You must feel the want to stop your alcohol intake before you can actually acheive it. Keep that word 'WANT' stored in your mind and everytime you have a drink think about it. I dont beleive for a minute drinking alcohol is an illness maybe its all part of a illness such has depression which can and often leads to alcoholism but none of us were born an alcoholic. 'Its what we do to ourselfs'. Its our choice to be an alcoholic it is by no way an infliction. I tipped all my alcohol down the sink 8 weeks ago and have no desire to go back there. Alcohol has consumed 18 years of my life or maybe all my life if i can take into consideration my dads drinking which has been there since i can remember and still continues to this day. Drinking made me feel low its made me neglect myself got me arrested made me wet myself neglect my son end my relationship made people look down on me and i must confess gave me a few good nights out over the years but it was a habbit i needed to break after realising it wasnt the drink that made me do things i regret. It was me. I bought it and drank it. Although depression and having an alcoholic parent didnt help at all but then its a matter of breaking a chain . Alcoholism like an illness can be passed down the generations just has domestic violence, sexual abuse and whatever people consider to be a stigma. I suppose you have to tell yourself the cycle needs breaking. I dont regret the WANT to stop. I dont want to end up with nothing like my dad has. Im worth more than a smelly little flea ridden bedsit and im worth some self respect im a nice person and dont deserve to end up in the gutter. If you want to stop drinking dont buy it dont have it in your home dont hang with people who drink just dont touch it. If you drink because your depressed you'll only make matters seem worse you'll feel isolated and lonely and often end up on the ground with an empty heart. Stop the drink then deal with whatever made you want a drink in the first place. For everytime you tell yourself your an alcoholic tell yourself your NOT. Fight the demon im sure your worth much more than a bottle. The good side to every downside is its never to late to try and change it. Sorry for rambling on.

CarolD

you have stopped drinking....Congratulations!

Welcome to our SR recovery community.

Blessings....

livenletlive

thanks for stopping by and sharing. i wish you all the best.

fraankie

that's an awfully big hello
thanks for sharing

Pepper38mint

Hello and congratulations on quitting. I think each person has to quit in their own way. Whatever works for you go for it!!!

Pepper

Chabroso

Thanks for sharing some of your story and welcome to the forum. Please keep coming back.

bikewench

Hey Strongbow...

Sounds like you bounced when you hit your bottom... ;o)

Blessings on that...
to know in your very soul that you cannot ever go back there...

You were obvioulsy blessed with a moment of clarity in your thinking so that you could see the writing on the wall...
and it's to your undying credit that you heeded it...

As to the forums....
or any other form of help out there for addiction...
It would be nice if we all bounced when we hit bottom.. but.. that' don't happen very often methinks..

I myself am multi addicted... so.. I feel like I'm doing a juggling act every day around using in one form or another...
my relapses don't start with a drink...
they can start with an extra piece of toast.. ;o)

I'm happy for you though... and I'm glad you came and shared your escape from a life of hell...

michaelj

Strongbow,
Welcome to the forum, it's always good to see another Englander (there are a few of us here).
Your post made me smile, a lot, at first I thought you were going to launch into an assault on our little virtual world here but the more I read the more I was impresssed by what a very strong case you make for sobriety. I was even more impressed that you had gone to so much trouble to share your thoughts and experiences with total strangers.
You are a very strong advocate for rationalism and the dependence on self to get through a self acquired addiction.
There are a number of schools of thought here on the mechanics of addiction and recovery as well as on the best treatment. I follow the principles of SMART recovery and Rational Recovery as I am unable to do AA.
If you visit regularly you will find loads of advice and help from the membership. I tend to reply more than I instigate threads and I get huge benefit from working through other people's problems and experiences. I hope we see more of you as you have a very powerful story to tell and a very direct approach to sobriety.
All the best
Michael