AstridAsteroid

Around here all I see are threads of despair (including my previous one, of course), but does anyone have any success stories to share? For instance, maybe a family member, husband or girlfriend sobered up? And how did they take that first step? How'd it go?

Or maybe I'm in the wrong forum; but my excuse for that is, I'm too lazy to go back to the main page and research, LoL-- forgive me!!!

marriedtoit

I am aware of several. My sister has been active in AA for the past 4 years and things are going great for her. She has rough days but I think she's going to make it. Another friend has been clean and sober for 6 years. A gentleman I work with is also a recovering addict - 23 years clean and sober. You could have knocked me down with a feather when I found out. I've worked with him for over 8 years and never had a clue. My therapist is also a recovering addict with 33 sober years. So there are indeed success stories.

I think the reason we don't see too many success stories on these boards is that most of us come here in despair looking for help. If our situations get better, we don't tend to post as frequently.

Gwenyth

YES! YES! YES! I've been married for 2 years and my AH moved out this past weekend to get his head straight (he's been out of rehab for a few months and has had frequent relapses - it got to the point where I couldn't take any more of the drunken insults). He moved out on Friday and drank himself straight through Monday. He called me on Tuesday saying he was sorry, realized how much pain he has caused me (something he has only said half-heartedly before) and that he had finally hit rock bottom. Oh, and he was violently ill. He said he had never taken his recovery seriously before, but being alone and drinking for 4 days straight, he realized that his life had become unmanageable and he knew he did not have another drink in him - two things he had never admitted before. He came home last night, though we are not giving up the apartment just yet - I want to make sure that he is going to make good on his new found commitment to recovery. It may not be the best success story, but I truly feel encouraged....and I haven't felt that in a really long time!

smoke gets in my eyes

Hello Astrid and Gwenyth and welcome!

If you'll go back out to the forums main page, you'll see a forum entitled "my recovery story". There's lots of success in there, both addict and anon. But remember that YOU can be a success story, whether your loved one sobers up or not.

Hugs,
Smoke

vikster

I remind myself that it is early days, but I think I have the makings of a success story on my hands. My husband has been sober and in recovery for 4 mos. Four months ago he went on what amounted to a 2 week binge - during which he swung a hammer at me (he didn't hit me). He had never, ever been violent to me before. I had him arrested. I won't go into all the gory details of this time -- but it was truly horrendous.

Over the last several years he had recognized on some level that he had a problem, but never fully and he'd slip back into the behavior after several months of not using. This time I believe I see a lot of differences. While he has to attend mandated treatment per the court, he has also filled in the remaining days with AA meetings. He did 90 in 90 days - that wasn't not required by the court. He has a sponsor and keeps a group of AA buddies close to him. He has AA literature all over the house. He has talked to me about his addiction in a way that he never has before. Without denial! He said the difference is that he truly hit his rock bottom - during the binge period he contemplated suicide. He says in the past he tried to stop for me, but that this time it is to save his life. He also always had a problem understand the higher power part of 12-step, but this time he gets it. He is not religious and sees GOD as "good orderly direction" and this seems to be working for him.

He has moments that are very tough and so do I, but I think he has a good chance at this over the long haul. But of course at the moment we are just taking it one day at a time.

I also see such positive stories in the people who support him in AA. People from all walks of life, with all kinds of problems and all kinds of horrible stories who have come back from a life ruled by addiction. It offers me encouragement and I hope it does the same for others.

brightlight

and his father drank. I think the whole town drinks! He drank all the time. I did not care till our daughter was born and I was mad all the time. Some how in 1996 he quit. No problems. No talking about it. He just flat quit. We were involved in y2k and we were storing food and all that kind of stuff. He did not drink for 7 years. He has a job where there is a bar that serves drinks and I think he just got stressed out from the job and was around it too much. He has been drinking for 2 years and I think he will stop again. I QUIT YELLING. I never say anything and just let him do it. I think he feels stupid doing it now. He had a reason when I said he could not. I went from to That is why I picked the name brightlight. He used to complain all the time of being tired, but I think he is catching himself now. I am lifting weights and getting healthy. If I can lose weight, then I think he might even stop smoking. Just a feeling, but I do not think he can stand to be tired if it is not from working. He works hard, but if he is tired from smoking and drinking, and I have energy from being healthy, then he knows it is stupid to talk about being tired. Once he was in the hospital with broken ribs and did not smoke the whole week there. The doctor offered to give him a patch and he said no he did not need it. He was just fine in there with no cigarettes. Makes you wonder just how addicted people really are. I have hope anyway.