TOPIC: Things You Lost While Drinking or Using
 

Hi, Im Sharon and Im an Alcholic.

I was sitting outside enjoying some
sunshine when a thought poped in
my head. Thoughts of things I lost
when I was drinking.

We get all dressed up to go out to
a club and you look nice with ur shoes,
dress, purse, jewelry etc. Get to the
club, sit at a table, place ur purse
under the table and begin drinking.

Before you know it you are out on
the dance floor and having a good
time as the time passes by. Then
you realize you're not sitting at the
same table you got when you first
got to the club. You quickly walk over
to find your purse is not under that
table and panic sets in.

Not only did that happen once to
me, but twice. You'd think we'd learn
our lesson the first time but instead
repeated it again losing your license,
money, wallet, credit cards etc.

Then another time you are out joy
riding, drinking and having a grand
ole time. Your so drunk that the driver
has to pull over to let you out because
you are sick. Your head is spinning and
you realize there are people looking
down on you.

Before you know it, strangers are
helping you get in ur night gown
and then all is quiet. The next day
you realize ur nice shoes are gone
or a nice belt you wore was also gone.

Not only did I lose material items when
drinking, but I also lost my sense of
direction as i would drive the wrong
way on the interstate placing not only
myself in danger but also others.

I lost my self respect and dignity.

Some 21 yrs later as I reflect on what
my life was like when drinking, I am
grateful I dont have to live like that
anymore.

How about you. What all did you lose
during ur drinking?

I lost my driver's license when I wrote a check for pizza delivery while drunk...couldn't find it anywhere after that..had to get another one. Once I was sober I was moving some furniture and there it was under the night stand. I lost many bottles of alcohol that I was sure I hadn't finished...truth was I HAD finished them. I, also, lost my ambition when I was actively drinking. Got that back, though.

my mind.

D

me too


:c020:

ugh god, frightning and good post sharron... let me think;

3 x iPhones
1 x Wallet
1 x House keys
? x Lots of coats / scarfs / sunglasses / gloves
? x Countless bags of clothes, shopping that I bought on the way home before stopping at a bar

BUT THE BEST PRIZE WAS:

1 x Car, yes, I went out with my car/house keys, came home so drunk I left my keys hanging in the front door of my old apartment, woke up NO CAR.

This I had actually nearly erased from my memory, but thinking of it again I CAN NEVER DRINK AGAIN.

shocked, but thankful.

All of the above... and finally the will to live.

Well although I don't use a purse LOL I have lost everything that you could even imagine Material or Possession wise. I lost a wife and my lovely kids at the time, I lost my Soul pretty much. I lost all sorts of Relationships, Friendships, Jobs, and along the way, I lost my word.

Bottles of booze. I must have finished them or threw them away. Somehow I always hid it.

Driver's License (revoked)

Respect of my family, friends & co-workers - they wrote me off for a few years.

I lost my appreciation for family and life. You get to that point where you think nothing matters -but you know deep down it does -but you can't seem to change how you feel, because you are enslaved to the booze.
I lost respect from my kids.
I lost a job.
I lost who I thought was me.
But in hindsight had found a greater appreciation and the utmost respect for my family, my life and found that sobriety had given me a new chance to gain all that I had lost. All that I had let go of. Now I embrace every single molecule of every single thing.
So although I had lost alot thru my drinking I feel I have regained much more threefold. I have spiritually grown, mentally developed, mindfully matured. It was part of the plan...the map of the journey...it was destined to be this way if I liked it or not and I wouldn't have it any other way. I have become an extremely strong person due to my past. Nothing can get me down now. Nothing.
As the saying goes, it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

What did my first drink cost me?.....Everything.

Tangible or intangible? Well, here's a partial list:

1. My self respect.
2. My family's respect.
3. My hope for the future.
4. The ability to function in my everyday life.
5. My health.
6. My mental faculties.
7. Good sleep.
8. Peace.
9. The goals I had set for myself as far as my career.
10. My belief in myself.

Many more, too numerous to list. Thankfully, I am getting them back ... one day at a time.

The ability to drink.

More than l could afford...

1 driver license
2 car
3 freedom
4 love of my life
5 many jobs
6 all my money
7 health issues
8 self respect
9 my honor
10 my word
11 any reasoning
12 any of material value
13 any spiritual value
Till quiting now alll can come back slowly but surely. :)

I lost my wallet about 3 times (credit cards, debit cards, driver's license, cash, you name it). I woke up once laying on the floor of my living room with no shoes and only 1 sock...that was weird. Left the garage door open while I went on a bender...lost my new mower, snowblower, bunch of power tools. I've lost out on the chance for promotions at work a LOT of times. Many more embarassing things.

The saddest thing I lost in addiction is my compassion for other people. I was always a caring person. I sometimes feel that society has treated me like garbage while in addiction and I have received little sympathy. As a result, I find it hard to care about other people. Of course, I lost all the material possessions as well but those I can get back.

Love & hope

I lost my love of life, the love of my husband, the love for my husband, love of my son, love for anything, love especially of myself............

But all that has come back(except the now ex hubby, but that is ok), because IMO love is the key to all recovery, and hope is what gets us there. :-)

Oh, wow, there were quite a few things but here's the highlights:
- a nursing career
- financial security
- my freedom
- the trust of family and friends (HAVE gotten that back, thank you to recovery)
- my home and everything in it, including special treasures that I can never get back
- 3 cars and an RV
- fairly new laptop and cell phone
- my self worth and dignity

Everything in my home, I lost because I trusted the man I was with - another addict, but it ultimately falls on me.

Thanks to recovery, I've yet to get most of this stuff "back" (or replacements) but I've gotten a greater appreciation for even the smallest of things.

Good topic, ((Sharon))!

Hugs and prayers,

Amy

yup ive lost a couple of laptops.. spilled drink on them