Lyoness

NIce to see you over here, SO! I was hoping/thinking this thread could be useful to others, too. I figure that everyone has probably thought about or worked their way through these issues.

Like you, I've had some rock bottoms in my life. In one very severe depression I literally felt that I'd actually hit/landed at the bottom. I could see and feel myself down in that tunnel with the opening way up there. It was a real relief to finally just hit that solid bottom and stop. From there I could just rest a bit and then start my climb back up. I could even "see" the ladder down there in my hole.

But like I read in someone's post (sapling!)--the way to hit bottom is to stop digging. So simple. Not easy, but simple and straightforward.

Edited to add--sapling was writing a post the same time as me. So thank you sapling for that wonderful idea!

Manz

I am not sure about reaching bottom because what exactly is that and how can you tell when you are in the midst of your addiction?......I am sure I needed to get to a place where I wanted to stop....and that was it...I knew I had to stop.

Then all the determination and everything I needed to do to remain stopped came later and over time. And it does.....and it will for you.

Startingover444

I get everywhere Lyoness
For me, I find I can stop digging when I take some action. Anything to propel me upwards.

wpainterw

For me there was no easy answer to this question. Countless times I thought that I had reached my bottom, that things could not get worse, that I was determined to get into recovery. And time and time again, recovery was only sporadic and transitory. It fell from my hands line sand and blew away with the wind. Things had to get really bad, really life threatening until, backed up against a wall, I had to choose between recovery or death. I chose the former.
I guess it depends on the person and the strength of the addiction. For some things have to get very very bad before long term recovery is a possibility. If this fails to happen they tend to stagger along year after year and the illness increases.

W.

Xune

I hadn't hit bottom. I had years of drinking insanity left in me.

Given more time, I'd have lost everything I loved and died a slow painful death.

I got off before hitting bottom and am glad for it.

Lyoness

Wow, Xune, sort of says it all in three little sentences.

Again, I'm grateful to all of you for answering and sharing. You've really helped me and I'm sure lots of others, too.