a 'brief' introduction to me.
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 15
The one that I purchased is called "Under The Influence: A Guide to the Myths And Realities of Alcoholism", by James R. Milam, Ph.D., and Katherine Ketcham. It basically argues that alcoholism is grounded on physiological reasons, with emotional and psychological reasons stemming from that. The crux of the book is to explain what it demarcates as the "three stages of alcoholism," (I'm sure this idea is older than the book) which are 1. The Early, Adaptive Stage, 2. The Middle Stage, and 3. The Late, Deteriorative Stage.
It then describes each stage in terms of what is happening inside of the body of an alcoholic at that stage, from the cellular level, to the effects on organ systems, up through the resulting behaviour, and contrasts the alcoholic at that stage with the nonalcoholic. It's really fascinating.
From reading this book, and some others that I've been working on ("A Million Little Pieces" and "Rational Recovery"), I feel like I actually like myself for the first time in a long time, or at least, some part of me loves me. Usually when I'm drinking there's a lot of self-loathing involved, but seeing how far some people can take drinking, and having the sense of urgency and willpower to recognize that I have a drinking problem as early on as I have, I don't know, ****, I'm really proud, I feel like I care enough about myself to stop this **** dead in its tracks before it _really_ takes over my life. This is further attested to by the fact that, while taking Adivan (which I am right now), nearly all of my so-called withdrawal symptoms have vanished. The only one I really have is anxiety (which the drug more or less obliterates), even though I have it/had it f-ing _bad_. Its becoming clear that I need to see someone for anxiety disorder after I finally sober up. I can't remember the last time I felt this good, and its all cause I'm not worrying about...well, everything, nervous, scared, paranoid, etc.
CarolD-- Thank you for that link. I'll try and browse the site here a little bit before asking stuff like that ;-). I am going to a SMART meeting here in San Diego tomorrow or Tuesday, I forget, I have it written down.
I went to my first AA meeting today. Well, actually I went to one about 5 months ago in Oakland, but I never went back. My doctor tells me I should try a meeting 3 times before I go to a different one, but I don't know if I'll go back to this one. I'm 24, and most of these guys are pretty old and stuff. It was really inspirational to hear their stories and it was interesting, but I'd like to find one with people my own age who are trying to get a handle on their drinking early on, not people with 20 years of sobriety following 20 years of abuse. I don't know how to put it...I guess I need people to go through this with and give me advice, not lessons. I don't know if I will go back to that one. There is one soon in a more hip part of town that I'm going to try out next. Also, at this one they ended it by holding hands and saying the Lord's Prayer in a monotonous voice. I did not care for that.
Well, last night went off with out a hitch. Following my doctor's advice of "not going dry all at once", i had 3 drinks and took this pill and went to sleep. Today its 2, tomorrow its 1, and tuesday its 0 for a long time, indefinitely if not forever. Yesterday I felt a little discomfort but it was no big deal.
I'm feeling really good about this!
Thanks everyone that is still following this thread...I know I'm gabby...I guess, well, I'm a computer programmer, so I type pretty quick. :-)
JOB
It then describes each stage in terms of what is happening inside of the body of an alcoholic at that stage, from the cellular level, to the effects on organ systems, up through the resulting behaviour, and contrasts the alcoholic at that stage with the nonalcoholic. It's really fascinating.
From reading this book, and some others that I've been working on ("A Million Little Pieces" and "Rational Recovery"), I feel like I actually like myself for the first time in a long time, or at least, some part of me loves me. Usually when I'm drinking there's a lot of self-loathing involved, but seeing how far some people can take drinking, and having the sense of urgency and willpower to recognize that I have a drinking problem as early on as I have, I don't know, ****, I'm really proud, I feel like I care enough about myself to stop this **** dead in its tracks before it _really_ takes over my life. This is further attested to by the fact that, while taking Adivan (which I am right now), nearly all of my so-called withdrawal symptoms have vanished. The only one I really have is anxiety (which the drug more or less obliterates), even though I have it/had it f-ing _bad_. Its becoming clear that I need to see someone for anxiety disorder after I finally sober up. I can't remember the last time I felt this good, and its all cause I'm not worrying about...well, everything, nervous, scared, paranoid, etc.
CarolD-- Thank you for that link. I'll try and browse the site here a little bit before asking stuff like that ;-). I am going to a SMART meeting here in San Diego tomorrow or Tuesday, I forget, I have it written down.
I went to my first AA meeting today. Well, actually I went to one about 5 months ago in Oakland, but I never went back. My doctor tells me I should try a meeting 3 times before I go to a different one, but I don't know if I'll go back to this one. I'm 24, and most of these guys are pretty old and stuff. It was really inspirational to hear their stories and it was interesting, but I'd like to find one with people my own age who are trying to get a handle on their drinking early on, not people with 20 years of sobriety following 20 years of abuse. I don't know how to put it...I guess I need people to go through this with and give me advice, not lessons. I don't know if I will go back to that one. There is one soon in a more hip part of town that I'm going to try out next. Also, at this one they ended it by holding hands and saying the Lord's Prayer in a monotonous voice. I did not care for that.
Well, last night went off with out a hitch. Following my doctor's advice of "not going dry all at once", i had 3 drinks and took this pill and went to sleep. Today its 2, tomorrow its 1, and tuesday its 0 for a long time, indefinitely if not forever. Yesterday I felt a little discomfort but it was no big deal.
I'm feeling really good about this!
Thanks everyone that is still following this thread...I know I'm gabby...I guess, well, I'm a computer programmer, so I type pretty quick. :-)
JOB
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 15
man, I just finished reading "A Million Little Pieces". I'm really sad about one specific line in the epilogue. I won't say which one for those who haven't read the book, but it made me cry and now I'm sad. Oh well.
My tapering-off is going really well. Reading books about drinking helps.
:-(
Job
My tapering-off is going really well. Reading books about drinking helps.
:-(
Job
Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 2,126
I've seen a couple of mentions about the book: "A Million Little Pieces," please remember that this book, as a non-fiction book, was a hoax.......the writer wrote it as fiction, but when he couldn't sell it, he changed it and made it a non-fiction book about himself (so totally fiction)......most of the stuff in the book never happened to the writer, and if they did, they were gross exaggerations.......just a bunch of lies and exaggerations.....a total HOAX....and all for the $$$$$
NoelleR
NoelleR
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
