bayliss

I was wondering what people's opinions are on hitting "rock bottom". I have read many a different stories. For some people it's just realizing they may be an alcoholic and for others - unfortunately - it's a DUI or an accident which has potentially caused someone severe harm.

The reason why I ask...is because a lot of the time, when you read, or watch in movies or on tv, alcoholics that have hit rock bottom it's a terrible ordeal that a lot of people have to go through...so sometimes, I may sit and think to myself...I technically haven't hit a rock bottom like that...and my mind, as sad as sad as it sounds, finds every single excuse to continue drinking.

Sorry if this topic was covered already. Just wondering what you all thought.

Lots of luv. XO

Soberpotamus

Rock bottom, in my opinion, makes no sense. Why wait until your life is in shambles?

For someone to move from chemical dependency (using a substance willingly & knowing the side effects, yet choosing freely to do so and having no ambivalence about it whatsoever) into addiction (using a substance against one's own better judgement... ambivalence over usage being prevalent) doesn't require reaching "rock bottom". It may or may not happen. People do have free will to choose to put drugs and alcohol into their body with no regard for their health or consequences...

A "rock bottom" may be hit without addiction to the substance, and in that case, this person is simply choosing a grim fate, in favor of the pleasure of that substance over his/her own health.

In either case... rock bottom makes no sense whatsoever. I think it's some weird terminology used to influence others around them... to appeal to some sort of sense of desperation (in oneself, as well as others), and thereby avoiding taking responsibility for one's own health and life.

Zebra1275

I think the ultimate rock bottom is death.

So if you are still posting on SR you haven't hit the ultimate bottom yet. Until you reach that point there is always hope.

Tosh

I think a 'Rock Bottom' is when you've absolutely can't take any more pain and want to do something about your drinking/drugging.

WakeUpSarah

The reason I ultimately quit isn't because of any particular event that I could pinpoint as "rock bottom," (though I have done many shameful things under the influence,) but because I suddenly realized I was drinking even though I didn't want to. I really like the distinction Jennie made between dependency and addiction. Sitting there, with a drink in my hand, *not wanting it,* but still knowing I was going to drink it sent me a little bit of a wake-up call.

Ask that nagging little voice in your head how badly it wants you to hurt or injure yourself or others in order to have the excuse of "rock bottom."

sugarbear1

Emotionally empty. Nothing made anything better.

My true bottom

Dee74

I had a lot of things happen to me that should have been a rock bottom...I ignored them, over and over for years....I rode drunk in cars, I fell down stairs, I crashed through plate glass, I passed out and was sick in my sleep...the list goes on.

I pushed my luck so far - and I very nearly died from my drinking. I ended up with ministrokes after my last drinking session and home detox.

I was fortunate - some of us aren't that lucky, and they don't get a second chance Bayliss.

The power is yours. Reach out and get help.
You can start the ball rolling on your recovery any time you like

D

MycoolFitz

I don't know about rock bottom, if you're dedicated, dis-eased, addicted,and still living, you can always dig a little deeper. I drank through DUI's, jobs, multiple wives and families, life threatening illnesses--all that crap might or might not sober me up momentarily but always, in the end, caused me to keep on digging and digging. One day, in mid-drink I had an epiphany, something inside cried out "No More!" I poured everything out and haven't looked back. It didn't seem to be a particular thing, event, or bottom--just a typical druken day like every day sitting alone at home. Just something deep, deep inside my darkness told me "No More!"

ADaisyifyoudo

I hadn't gotten there, yet. I didn't want to go where the path I was on was leading me, and some small voice inside me knew the alcohol had to go (and I listened). I made a promise to myself that if I couldn't get sober on my own I would check into rehab, and honestly, that hanging over my head (boy did I not want to do that) helped a lot.

I can totally relate to the statement about not wanting to drink anymore. On MANY days I'd pour my first drink (knowing it was one of many) thinking, well, here I go, and not even WANT it, just know that it was time to drink. It was really like something else had taken over and was running me on autopilot. When 5pm came (sometimes earlier) it took over.

I took it back when I quit drinking. That something is still in there but it's getting weaker the longer I go without feeding it. It would like to take me all the way to the bottom (whatever that is) if it could. I pray for the strength not to ever let it back in again.

Today is my birthday, and my 4 year old helped me blow out my candles. Bet you can all guess what I wished for!

Latte

Having my heart restarted, that was my bottom. I could only really go up from there.

Terminally Unique

I was in a meeting with three people present who had all killed someone while driving drunk - one of them his 11 year old daughter - and all three kept on drinking for a long time after that. The only rock bottom is six feet under. All the rest is nonsense.

gibson3479

I had an alcohol related seizure last year and spent several days in ICU...You would THINK that was my rock bottom...it wasnt.I think for me rock bottom was realizing how much of an unhappy person alcohol was both indirectly and directly causing me to be.

stronglady

Wow, I totally just came upon this site by accident and am so thankful and relieved you are here. There is so much information, personal experiences and places to go on this site so please bare with me, looks like I have a lot of navigating to do - I have one question at the moment and please don't laugh: is it possible for a male crack user (occasionally) to be faithful?

eJoshua

Welcome! I'm glad you're here too. I'm not sure I understand/have the answer to your question. Do you mean faithful as in the relationship sense?

Anyways, Bayliss, I think rock bottom is kinda BS if you ask me. I think a lot of people justify remaining in their addictions because they haven't hit "rock bottom" yet.

Why bother waiting? Life can be so much better in recovery, why do you have to wait for your life to reach a certain low? You know that it's inevitable: true addicts end up in recovery or they end up dead.

Dee74

Hi stronglady

Welcome

I've never used crack I'm afraid - I'm not sure whether it makes a difference to libido, or whether it lowers our inhibitions in that respect.

Maybe others will know - or maybe looking in at our substance abuse forum or our family and friends forums will help?

I know I was always faithful to my various partners throughout my 20 years of drugs and booze...I tend to think it might be an individual thing

D

JTele

Glad you're still with us, Latte! Now, that's as "rock bottom" as it gets, if you ask me. I probably wasn't too far from this myself, but I wasn't about to gamble with my life any longer.

I'm sure rock bottom means many different things to different people, but there's no reason on earth to wait for that to unnecessarily happen if you're aware that you have a problem, and, sooner or later it WILL happen if the addiction is allowed to continue taking further control of your life.

gibson3479

I agree with Dee in the "unfaithful thing".In my years of drinking Ive never been unfaithful either.I never put myself in any situation that I would and no matter how drunk Ive been Ive always had the same heart when it comes to loving and respecting my husband...However,Ive never tried drugs so I dont know that mindset and drinking I could do easily at home or while out with my husband.Many people who are on heavy drugs have to put themselves in various places/situations (crackhouses...hotels....the streets) to be able to do so and hide it....so maybe that contributes to the being unfaithful?Not an excuse but....

sugarbear1

Is his dealer a female? I know of males willing to go to any lengths to get a hit if their male dealer is willing. Stop worrying about him, take care of YOU.
My friends couldn't perform when high...

DayTrader

Personally, IMO (which, in other words means get the BS sifters out.......DT's about to talk about his opinion.... ) "hitting bottom" is a term that non-alkies find some comfort in....a term that helps them "understand" alcoholism - and I find very very very few non-alcoholics are able to really get a grasp of what real alcoholism is all about. That's not their fault though, alcoholism is, in a sense, like sex. You just have to experience it first hand to know WTF it is.

1st off... we all have different events that lead to our "bottoms" The point where you may say "ouch" and stop what you're doing may not be enough of a motivator for me.

2nd - each of us has multiple bottoms. In other words, I've run into maaaany different bottoms in sobriety - bottoms in this emotional area or that area, bottoms in perfection, bottoms in relationships, bottoms in spirituality, etc. Each of these other bottoms was unique and although connected to alcoholism, didn't have anything to do at all with my drinking.

3rd - Until any of us hit the point where we're no longer willing or able to pay the price for the actions we're taking, we will continue to take those actions. *** So, "bottom" is the point where I stop one course of action and begin moving in a different direction - when I stop getting worse and start getting better. So.......in that sense.....ALL OF OUR BOTTOMS ARE THE SAME - we all eventually hit a point where we change........or, well.....we die.


Most importantly.......all the "crap" that contributes to our downfall.......that has NOTHING to do with "the bottom." Sure, it's the stuff that happened on the way TO the bottom (for us), but bottom is when we stop dropping and begin moving back up.


Edit..... I also hit what I was convinced were bottoms in several areas of my life......but I wasn't REALLY willing to incorporate change......so what I thought was a bottom was really just a temporary resting place - a shelf in the cliff.....and eventually started falling deeper and deeper all over again. Those are the rough ones cuz you lose soooo much on the way down and they hurt soooooo bad.....but they're the ones I've learned my most valuable lessons from and the ones that really taught me what humility really means.

sugarbear1

[QUOTE=gibson3479;3059097]I agree with Dee in the "unfaithful thing".In my years of drinking Ive never been unfaithful either.I never put myself in any situation that I would and no matter how drunk Ive been Ive always had the same heart when it comes to loving and respecting my husband...However,Ive never tried drugs so I dont know that mindset and drinking I could do easily at home or while out with my husband.Many people who are on heavy drugs have to put themselves in variousplaces/situations (crackhouses...hotels....the streets) to b

I am a professional smoking with others in my home.

Crack free for 6.5 years now.