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Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 59
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Hi everyone. My name is Jeff. I've been in and out of AA for about 25 years. Had some sober time - a year here, a few months there - but I've never been able to string together any lasting sobriety.
My drinking and blackouts were worsening, so at the start of 2009 I decided to seek psychiatric help for my addiction(s). I began seeing a psychiatrist, and he prescribed Campral, Prozac, and Wellbutrin. I took them for a month or so and they worked fine, but I began drinking again on the meds. Not good! I seemed to get drunker and crazier, and it eventually culminated in a DUI.
Anyway, long story short, I'm trying to get sober again. I'm on day 8 today. Like a lot of you, I couldn't sleep the first 4-5 nights. Now, I can't seem to get enough sleep. I'm attending meetings, taking my medication, and seeing my psychiatrist. For reasons of my own, I can't dedicate myself to AA and make it my life like some people do, but I attend meetings regularly for a type of group therapy. I've thoroughly worked the steps, got a sponsor, etc., several times in the past. Been through 3-4 rehab centers.
Anyway, there's no real point to this topic, other than to say hello and tell you how much I enjoy reading the posts on SR.
I hope you all have a great day.
Jeff
My drinking and blackouts were worsening, so at the start of 2009 I decided to seek psychiatric help for my addiction(s). I began seeing a psychiatrist, and he prescribed Campral, Prozac, and Wellbutrin. I took them for a month or so and they worked fine, but I began drinking again on the meds. Not good! I seemed to get drunker and crazier, and it eventually culminated in a DUI.
Anyway, long story short, I'm trying to get sober again. I'm on day 8 today. Like a lot of you, I couldn't sleep the first 4-5 nights. Now, I can't seem to get enough sleep. I'm attending meetings, taking my medication, and seeing my psychiatrist. For reasons of my own, I can't dedicate myself to AA and make it my life like some people do, but I attend meetings regularly for a type of group therapy. I've thoroughly worked the steps, got a sponsor, etc., several times in the past. Been through 3-4 rehab centers.
Anyway, there's no real point to this topic, other than to say hello and tell you how much I enjoy reading the posts on SR.
I hope you all have a great day.
Jeff
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: East Coast
Posts: 437
Welcome Nightstalker,
You have come to the right place. There is alot of wisdom here. Some use AA some don't. This has been my only recovery tool after rehab and IOP. I am still fairly new (15 months) but I don't think I would have made it this far without some type of support. Good luck and keep reading and posting.
You have come to the right place. There is alot of wisdom here. Some use AA some don't. This has been my only recovery tool after rehab and IOP. I am still fairly new (15 months) but I don't think I would have made it this far without some type of support. Good luck and keep reading and posting.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 59
Thank you Philly, and everyone else. I appreciate the welcome. Honestly, I'm not having much of a problem staying sober. I think the Campral is really effective. There are times that I get cravings, but I take a few Campral, and the cravings just evaporate. They happen much less frequently, too.
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 51,506
Hi Jeff! It's great you found us. I decided to get sober after discovering SR over 2 yrs. ago. - this after more than 25 yrs. of heavy drinking. My longest time sober was 3yrs. I picked up in 2000 & was more insane than ever when I started up again, finally managing to get 3 DUI's within a year's time. That terrified me, but my health was fading too. I quit this last time because I was not ready to die & I felt it was coming to that.
I'm living proof that we older, veteran drinkers can get it right at long last. It was no longer fun or worth the struggle I went through to try and hide my drinking and keep my head above water. Even my most patient friends/family were becoming frustrated & disgusted. I felt isolated and miserable, never high or happy in the end. When I came here I was still drinking for awhile, but I felt surrounded with love and support. I didn't have to feel that I'd be kicked to the curb if I slipped. I could come here and talk it out. Not feeling alone and strange gave me a hope I'd never found anywhere else.
Looking forward to hearing more of your story and to see how you're doing.
I'm living proof that we older, veteran drinkers can get it right at long last. It was no longer fun or worth the struggle I went through to try and hide my drinking and keep my head above water. Even my most patient friends/family were becoming frustrated & disgusted. I felt isolated and miserable, never high or happy in the end. When I came here I was still drinking for awhile, but I felt surrounded with love and support. I didn't have to feel that I'd be kicked to the curb if I slipped. I could come here and talk it out. Not feeling alone and strange gave me a hope I'd never found anywhere else.
Looking forward to hearing more of your story and to see how you're doing.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Northern Colorado
Posts: 143
Originally Posted by NightStalker 
Thank you Philly, and everyone else. I appreciate the welcome. Honestly, I'm not having much of a problem staying sober. I think the Campral is really effective. There are times that I get cravings, but I take a few Campral, and the cravings just evaporate. They happen much less frequently, too.
If you don't mind sharing, what is your hang up with AA? A lot of people are not to fond of AA. There are many things I would change about the program if I could. However, it keeps me sober so I keep on going with the program.
I hope I never stop!
Thanks for sharing. I hope this all works out for you.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 59
I don't know that it's a "hang-up" particularly, but it just has a number of practices that make me uncomfortable. The powerlessness aspect, the focus on a higher power, while at the same time saying it isn't a religious program. Several studies show that it seems to have an abysmal success rate. It just feels a bit cultish to me. Please understand that I am not attacking the program; it's obviously successful for a lot of people. It helps me, too. I just have a mental componant that won't allow me to be assimilated into the whole AA culture as thoroughly as some are. I wish I could, quite frankly.
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