Lifewillgetbet

Being an alcoholic is expensive. First I have distroyed 150 grand worth of cars. (Nobody was hurt. All within 5 blocks of home). Second, the absorbant amount of money spent on booze. Third, just stupid wreckless spending on pointless dumb crap I don't need because I was drunk. Forth spending 35+ grand on all my treatment. Not to forget how poorly I did my job therefore I am not advancing as quickly as I should be. Alcohol is a substance I use to enjoy in moderation but within 5 years (I'm 30y old) it was well on the way to distroyying my life. I have been sober for 3 month and am still paying for all the bumb crap I did. On a positive note I'm sober. I'm a work in progress.

Lionhearted1

yep it is! I would not even want to calculate the amount of money I have wasted!

Tang

You got that right. Even when I was buying cheap booze to save money, I'd end up buying crap online I really didn't need. I shouldn't say it like it was the distant past as I'm only a few days sober.

visch1

Look at it as a learning experience you never have to repeat if you don't pick up the first drink. With recovery your losses can be recovered with interest. BE WELL

GreenEggsAndHam

I have made so many unwise purchases while drunk. Ugh.

Weasel1966

I spent a good amount of time analyzing the expense. But I came to the conclusion that the ultimate cost was my health. I can live without money. I cannot live without my liver.

I still have tens of thousands in credit debt to pay for, I chip away at it. I try to see it as a motivator. If I don't then it has the potential to affect my sobriety and I put nothing in front of my sobriety.

Congrats on staying sober!

Lifewillgetbet

The best purchase for me was full resident Treatment. That was wise. I should have went way earlier but the Alcoholic Brain was telling me Treatment was too expensive and not to do it. Good gosh that Alcoholic Brain is stupid. It ended up costing twice as much because all the dumb crap I did before I decided to go.
Its crazy how irrational the brain is when in the cloud. You have zero resentments at the time. It takes months before you can actually do anything. Im on Step 7 now.

GreenEggsAndHam

I bought a dog. Not once, but twice. Now I have too many dogs.

Nighthawk8820

Its amazing how much we spend and even how much energy goes into being an alcoholic. I was always planning where my next bottle would come from or how much money I had to get booze. I wasnt above using people, asking my parents for money, etc. I am so glad to be free of that cycle, as I am sure you are as well. Congrats on the 3 months!!! Google PAWS okay, its something that starts around where you are now, and knowing about it makes it much more tolerable. Thanks for the post!

Lifewillgetbet

Thanks, I am aware of PAWS. I totally got that. The anxiety is intense at times then goes away. In late 2011 I quit for a year, then relapsed huge for 3 months so I know what to expect. Major ups and downs, but they do get better over time.