laana

Hi everyone....

since my last few posts here when i was super excited and felt like i could do sobriety its been up and downs as usual.....I keep trying and get 3-4 days without and then i fall back again..I drink mostly lighter beers here, 4.2% , some days 4-5 small cans, other days a bottle of wine and a few cans..sometimes more etc etc...Its such a roller coaster of a life. I worry about my health, and very much about my mental health.

For you who don't know i am currently living with my Indian partner in ******, (I am from Europe) this situation, being here and all is stressful in itself, i don't have a strong support system here and its a tough place for anyone to be in this city.

Anyway, I have found a rehab centre located in south of India, it seems like a very good place, they have had patients from other countries, US , UK etc and they have women's facility too which is a bit uncommon here. I've spoken to them today and they seem very nice and they would even let me pay the national Indian fees rather than the international fees as i am already living here..

The program is 2 months minimum and this scares me a bit, i wonder if 2 months really is necessary, the next minute i am thinking what is 2 months of the rest of your life if its going to turn me around and get well and happy?

The other thing is the cost, i am by no means rich and even though I pay the lower fees its still most of my savings and that too is scary as my future here is unsure already and I would step out of the centre with all these fears and doubts of my future. on the other hand, i am so much more likely to succeed if i am healthy and well.

I just don't know what to do, I don't even know if i would get well at the rehab, would i start drinking again and waste my money? or is this only my addictive voice talking to me as its scared of losing its power? It all feels a bit surreal too to be honest, rehab?? Really??

I feel like i want to sort this out myself here, there are cheaper options like going to therapy where i am but in the past i don't take these necessary steps. I often contact a therapist etc and just don't follow through. Maybe the realization of having to go to a rehabilitation centre will scare me enough to take action in ******.....I just don't know.

I'd love to hear of people's experiences with rehab, what its like and if it has a better success rate than therapy in your daily life....
Thanks for reading
xxx

Dee74

I have no experience with rehab but I recommend you look at all your options - sort out what you feel are the pros and cons, and make an informed choice

D

MrsKing

The MOST important thing is that you get yourself sober. There's no point having savings if you're going to carry on drinking. There's no point having two months at home drinking, either, when you could be not drinking. I'm not trying to sound harsh and negative - I just think that THE most important factor in you living a long, happy life is that you are sober. You have said that you are worried about your health and your mental health and I think it is so vital to be sober in order to get our mental health back in shape. I understand that it is a lot of money and a lot of time, but I think that's great, it sounds like a very intensive and extensive program and that sounds like a good thing. I know it's your hard earned savings and you are probably reluctant to spend it all... but it may be the best thing you've ever done, and the money won't matter when you're sober. I wish you all the best.

OCDDan

maybe you could talk to some of the people that are in rehab there, the rehab i went to, we had breaks where we could all go outside for about ten or fifteen minutes.

laana

Thanks for your replies....I do hear you and money doesn't mean anything if i don't have my health. I have made an appointment with a psychologist here this Friday and i will be honest to him about my situation about the rehab etc and try to work out with him what my best option is. He might suggest alternative options in my area, he might suggest i take the plunge and enter the rehab...

Its hard for me to make a decision as I am quite scared to go to rehab and find it difficult to differ between my healthy and unhealthy thoughts right now. I do need a professionals help to decide and to get me to be honest with myself.

Sapling

I can tell you from my experience at rehab...It was great for me because I needed a medical inpatient detox...5 days...And a couple weeks to defog my brain...The most important thing is what you do when you get out of rehab...I was introduced to AA and I liked it. I left two weeks early and totally gave myself to working the program....Going to meetings...Getting a sponsor...Working the steps....I was invited back for a six month reunion and out of forty people in my group....There were four of us there. I talked to a guy after a meeting the other day...And out of thirty people in his group...He and another guy were the only one's that made it. It's easy to get thirty or sixty days in a controlled environment....It's how you handle the real world that will make or break you. It amazes me how many people I have run into that have been to rehab four...Five...Six times....That just don't get that.

DisplacedGRITS

I've been to rehab twice and while both times were great experiences i also relapsed twice. Aftwr my first stint in rehab i had a couple of months of sobriety afterwards (i think). After my second stint in rehab i was drinking during my outpatient therapy. Basically, rehab can be a great jumpstart but it means nothing if you don't have a solid followup plan. I didn't plan for my ongoing recovery (i was still scared of AA) and tried to go it alone and it landed me right back in the bottle. I started going to AA on my own and have found strength and sobriety through the program. Rehab was great and gave me tons of information and tools and got me connected to the doctors and therapists i needed and still need to keep maintaining sobriety but it won't do diddly for long term sobriety unless you have a long term after care plan in place. Just my personal experience.

laana

Thanks to you both for sharing your experiences. You express what I am a bit afraid of, that I am not sure if it matters to me to be sober in a controlled environment (even though this would be invaluable) if i come out and start over again and have spent all my money.

I am not deciding against it yet, I have decided to give it my absolute best shot with therapy and hopefully other help too at home before i take the leap and go to rehab.

Its one month today to my 36th birthday.....i'd really like to have a month of sobriety behind me by then so that I can have a reason to celebrate instead of crying!!

Will join the June class today!

pinkdog

I did not go to rehab. I had a great support system here at home. I don't think 2 months is very long for quitting an addiction though. Look at all your options. Sobriety is the best! Hugs.:ghug3

IndaMiricale

I am simply sending you prayers for what ever decision you choose. As long as you get sober nothing is wasted.

ACT10Npack

Never went to rehab but when I was talking to a counselor about it, she said that even though I would binge for a week, I would not quality to go to rehab. My health was not bad.

4 to 5 beers a night is not the stage to think about rehab. Its would be a waste of money. Get into a support group and anything that will help you with your triggers. Your just at the beginning of alcohol abuse. Good luck.

2granddaughters

I got sober and stayed sober in the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.
It may just be the ticket for you as well.

Google and read AA's "How It Works" and "The Doctor's Opinion" and see if you can identify with those articles.

Best of luck.

Bob R

Sapling

I'm not saying you shouldn't go to rehab..But if you do...Find out what they prepare you for...For when you get out. I had a friend tell me...Rehab is to Discover....AA is to Recover. That may not be your cup of tea...I don't know...But look into what you will be doing to remain sober when you get out. Ask them questions about it....Educate yourself....It's a big investment.

Fandy

what is the rehab program like in an area like ******?

what are the outpatient support systems like compared to other cultures?

i'm just curious as to the different treatment plans, if any.

freshstart57

You have some questions about how to quit, and you are wondering if an institutionalized rehab will be right for you. It could very well be the answer you are looking for, but you gotta start from the right place. Make a decision to not drink again no matter what, and then look for the tools that will make it as easy as possible for you top be successful. I don't think that there is any program anywhere that will 'make you sober' without that deep conviction on your part.

I like to read from a whole bunch of sources to make up my own mind, test my idea, and then use it. Try googling something you choose, like 'How do most people get sober', and see what comes up.

artsoul

I'm a firm believer in rehab. I've been twice, and I've also gotten sober one time without it. The first time I went to inpatient treatment I was drinking 4-5 beers a night with an occasion binge, which doesn't sound like much, but when coupled with depression, I could feel myself slipping into a black hole.

Rehab gave me time to work on myself without the pressures of everyday life. I didn't have to worry about anything but getting well. It allowed me to address some of my deeper issues because I wasn't preoccupied with other things. I wanted to do the work, though. I can see how some people don't get to the underlying issues and for them, maybe treatment doesn't work as well.

Another thing rehab did for me was to break my isolation. I learned not only how to be around people again, but to relate in a more honest and open way than I ever had before. I developed emotional bonds which helped me even after I left treatment.

I could probably go on and on, but in the end, I think you have to trust your sense of what's best for you. I know it's scary and I had the same worries over money, but I also know that we wouldn't hesitate to get other kinds of medical help if we needed it, and to me this is just as important (if not more so). You deserve to invest in your own happiness after all......:ghug3