ferrette76

I am quite sure that I have not hit rock bottom. But I know that I am slowly killing myself, and hurting the people I love. Is the desire to change enough, or am I destined for a relapse?

Can some of you share your opinions and experiences on this? Are there people out there who have recovered without first destroying their lives?

tellus

I think your bottom is just when you stop digging yourself deeper into your hole. Compared to some people's stories, I got off pretty good: I'm too young to have kids or a husband to alienate, or a real job to lose. All I lost was my first shot at a graduating from good college, a few friends, and a few years. With any luck, that's all I'll lose to this. From what they tell me in the meetings, a desire (and willingness) to change is all you need.

(Hey, I just noticed you're from Milwaukee. Good to see a neighbor on SR. )

CarolD

I think the fact you know you are killing
yourself with alcohol is a rock bottom.

My alcoholism manifest itself in depression.
I had all the material things
never was homeless or in legal problems

But...Wow! did I need a sober life!

Unchecked alcoholism does kill.
No exceptions.

Please move into a sober future

bugsworth

Hello ferrette!

While I did a fair amount damage to my life, I feel that even one more drink could have made my worst nightmares come true.

Recovery starts with the desire, and no one is destined for a relapse.

You can have a new life, you need to want it.

Best of luck and keep posting.

ferrette76

Tellus,

Did you go to UW Madison? Wow, well, you must understand my concerns on trying to live sober in Wisconsin. Everybody here drinks! How do you do it?

tellus

No, I went to Oberlin for two years. Not much better than UW-Madison on the drinking front, with a nasty coke problem thrown in. I plan to go to the UW when I go back to school, though. We'll see how well that goes. So far I'm doing it by having literally no social life (I live pretty much on State, it's a terrible place to try to be sober). You're right, it's definitely harder up here than in a lot of places, I think.

reed

I think bottom is different for everyone. You don't have to lose everything. Personally, I'm six credits short from a major in History and a minor in American Studies after about 6 years in college. Eventually, I just told my fam- I gotta go to rehab and they were like "ok." (thank god). I definitely feel like sometimes I have more using years ahead of me but then I remember the terrible things I did and places I was (physically and spiritually). I dunno if its even worth using if I'm gonna head back there.....so don't think about the future too much....concentrate on staying sober today.....smile, say someting nice to someone....put recovery before everything else...

Jersey Nonny

Well...I've never lived anyplace colder than New Jersey; but, I can tell you, if you're predisposed to alcoholic drinking/alcoholism, you'll find a way, even if you're on a desert island! I've often wondered how there were so many alcoholics in the area of New Jersey I live in now...there are so few bars, compared to North Jersey...there must have been an awful lot of "closet drinkers". But, there are plenty of AA meetings in the area, too.

As someone already said, your bottom is wherever you feel you've had enough of your particular brand of insanity, and you decide you want to do something about it. You'll find people in AA meetings who had "everything" and lost it, people still living in mansions with good jobs, some who wound up on park benches or living under bridges, and folks just like me who wound up in detox when people who cared about me realized I was going through withdrawal when I tried to quit drinking (mostly bar-hopping) on my own.