Obviously, anyone who is an alcoholic and never quits drinking will never recover and may die drunk depending on wether they die from their primary disease or some other related cause, however, according to the study, 97% of those who do remain abstinent will end up relapsing within 10 years. My point in mentioning this article was simply to say that, if the study is true and accurate, it is rather dissapointing and not exactly a great morale booster for someone like myself who has tried to quit drinking over and over again and tried a number of ways to achieve this with no success so far.

Need4Change

Well, maybe they will relapse, but did the study end there?
Was the relapse permanent?

Lots of us relapse, I am probably the relapse queen here, but it may or may not last and many achieve sobriety again after a relapse. Permanent sobriety. Ask some people here. Good luck, and stick with it!

:beachball

I wonder what percentage of those that relapsed would have died if they had never stopped? Do you feel it is better to keep drinking making sure you die earlier and maybe kill someone along the way then gamble on a relapse?

Were you sober? It took over a month without a drink before the fog of alcohol started to lift from me. When I was drinking on the rare days I did not drink I never considered myself sober, I was just less drunk then I normally was.

I had no idea what "SOBER" felt like until I had been without a drink for over a month.

Keep drinking every other day and you will wind up like I was, I had no choice, I had to drink every day just to feel normal!!!!

I was exactly where you were at in your drinking about 5-10 years before I finally quit. IT GETS WORSE!!!!!! You think it is bad now? LOL You have seen nothing yet!!!!

Keep on drinking, the day will come when you will have no choice, physically and mentally you will be like I was and have no choice when you drink..... you will drink EVERY day.

Ask your self if you are ready yet to do anything to quit drinking and stay stopped?

Forget the odds, according to the odds I should still be drinking, I stopped & have stayed stopped.

Did I do it my way?

Nope my way like the vast majority of alcoholics who try stopping their way failed!

I was willing to do what millions of other SOBER alcoholics did to get and stay Sober!!!!

I admitted my way did not work!!!!

I got on the same path that millions of other alcoholics got on and started doing it another way, a way that is proven to work as long as I do it thier way and not mine!

I was at the point of either stop drinking and live, or keep drinking and die!

You are getting to that point drink by drink, alcoholism never stops progressing as long as we keep drinking, we can arrest the progression of our disease by TOTAL abstinance or we can drink our selfs to death!

I actually saw my death before it was to late....... will you? Will you let that day pass you by and die drunk?

Need4Change -- one day at a time !

This really jumped out at me.

For maybe the past year, my line of thinking has been "I don't get hangovers anymore." I figured hangovers are supposed to wear off, right? It only recently clicked for me that no, I'm just hung over all the time. And that's no better than being drunk.

I can't wait for that fog to lift.

need -

I wouldn't put too much into the statistics. After all, I know of a LOT of people who have years of sobriety (much more than 10) but as far as they know, they're not on any statistical database. Statistics pick certain people and follow them and their progress (or lack of). Because I'm pretty open about my addiction, I have met many people who have more than 10 years of sobriety.

I say forget about the statistics. I'm sure, with the things I did when I was active, I should be dead "according to statistics" and I'm not....but I am recovering.

Hugs and prayers!

Amy

Hi Need4Change:

Powerlessness and hopelessness often go together, but they don't have to. You have proven to yourself that you are powerless over alcohol, so why not take the first step and formally admit to yourself and someone else who has been there your powerlessness.

The second step is to take a leap of faith and have hope for yourself that you will be from among those who make it to the promised land. I think it's very misleading to focus only on relapse rates, because those who relapse and then continue on their journey are different from those who relapse and continue to spiral downward. Focusing only on relapse rates does not take the aforementioned into consideration.

I may be powerless, but I refuse to be hopeless and helpless. By taking a leap of faith and using hope as a platform, I can then jump head-first into what I can do to help myself. As I help myself, the powerlessness lessens. It's a process, my friend, but you need to take the first step and guess what? I have hope for you. You just need to have hope for yourself.

Peace.

What CC said. Stay sober just for today, ok?

100% of those who's desire to quit outweighs their desire to drink, never drink again. As long as they are honest with themselves and never lose sight of their priorities.

Don't worry about statistics. Just take the necessary action and steps needed for you sobriety and don't let those numbers get you down and discourage you. Besides, they can't say who will relapse or not.

So focus on you and your recovery.

Remember one day at a time. Just tell yourself, you can do this for that day. The days will take care of themselves.

Besides, we are only given one day to deal with at a time anyway (thankfully) so what is behind you and ahead of you isn't as important as the day you have at hand.

Don't ever give up hope.

Thank you so much!. I have just read all of these new posts and there is a lot of valuable advice and information in them.

Yesterday, I drank myself silly and said and did a lot of really stupid things. It's a miracle that I'm even alive today. I woke up with a racing heart, pounding head, dizzyness, loads of anxiety and wondered how I would ever make it through the day. I felt hopeless, deeply depressed and desperate for a way out of my alcoholism nightmare. The shame of it is that a day or two from now when the hangover abates and I'm feeling a little better, my brain will forget all about the horrible hangover I have today and I'll be right back to wanting to drink again. The cycle is just MADDENING.

Why do I drink?. I can't even stand the taste of beer anymore (I'm actually repulsed by it) and I don't even feel like drinking (ie; cravings, etc) when I start on a binge and yet I drink anyway. I can't put my finger on it but I think it has something to do with feeling bored, kind of crappy...perhaps my brain chemistry gets really screwed up and that's what makes me pick up that first beer. Perhaps I just feel like I need a beer to feel "normal" or "like myself" again because over the years my brain has become so accustomed to swimming in alcohol. I don't even get a "buzz" from drinking, there is zero pleasure in it for me and nothing but pain for myself and those around me and yet I still drink.

I've tried AA (it's not for everyone and it didn't work for me - sorry). I've tried Naltrexone and it works but the side effects can be intolerable and so I soon stop taking it and relapse. I've tried Campral and it works to an extent but the side effects again, are intolerable. I've prayed. I've asked others to pray for me. I've begged God to help me quit. I'm at my wit's end with this. I almost think I would rather have cancer or AIDS than to be an alcoholic. I'm speaking from the heart people and I REALLY DO want to quit. I could almost cry right now because I'm so sick of this cycle or drinking...hangover...drinking...

So HOW specifically/exactly do I quit?. I DO realize that I am powerless over this monster. I DO believe in a power greater than myself and I've even righted a lot of the wrongs I've done while I was drinking and apologized to those I've hurt. I'm familiar with the "steps" but HOW do I quit because I'm ready to quit NOW. Please help me. I am on the last rung of life's ladder and I don't know how much longer I can continue to hold on.

Thanks for listening and I really need your help...any help...PLEASE!

Need4Change

need4 REHAB TIME!!!

and as someone around this joint mentions...!

"Follow Directions!"

good wishes need4

xxoo

rz

What is rehab?. I've heard of drug rehab and rehab for alcoholism and other addictions but what exactly is it?. Is it a place you go to like a hospital and if so, how long do you stay and what's the "routine" there, etc?. Do they keep you involuntarily and if not, what's to keep you from checking out early and sneaking a drink and ending up right back in the same mess again?. What do you do all day there (ie; lay in bed, watch TV, etc?). Do they give you drugs and what kind?. Where do I even find a rehab?. Who pays the bills, feeds the animals, runs the business, checks the email, etc while I'm away?. Some of these questions are sort of rhetorical but others are important questions/considerations and of course, I realize that if I drink myself to death it won't matter who runs the business, feeds the animals, etc but while I'm still alive, these are important things that have to be dealt with.

Need4Change

Need4Change, I don't have experience with rehab, but I can tell you what my plan is: I'm going into an intensive outpatient program. It'll involve three (?) hours of meetings a day for a couple months combined with one-on-one counseling. After that, there will be a period of "aftercare," with weekly (?) meetings and checkup counseling.

I know they also have inpatient programs, but I don't know what those entail.

need4...

read up...

http://www.soberrecovery.com/links/detoxcenters.html

and talk with a good doctor about it!

me, i detoxed myself, and honey, i dont recomend it!

it did , and helps keep me clean and sober...

major side effect... death!

the salvation army has a free program too...

How did you detox at home?. What was your "program"?. What types of drugs did you take during your home detox (ie; benzos to prevent seizures, D. tremens, Naltrexone, etc)?.

Need4Change

You could try a doctor if you really want to stop drinking. You are just trying to control your drinking.