Well, that was easy!
 

No, not quitting drinking!:lmao

Meet and greet with a new family doctor. (Aside: our public health care system in Ontario is great in some ways. But try finding a family doctor! I've been without one since my last one retired more than 5 years ago.) Anyhow, I fill out the forms detailing my medical history, my family's history, sports I'm involved in, and how much I drink - which being a practiced boozer with a finely developed denial mechanism, I lie about as second nature. The doctor, when I meet her, proceeds to listen to listen to the ticker, notes my obvious beer gut, suggests ways I might want to manage my weight and gives me a requisition for some lab work.

I am leaving with she asks me - just like Lt. Columbo in the old TV show - if there's anything else. I almost tell her, no, nothing else, but from somewhere inside, out come the words I have never vocalized to another human being: "Well, I think I might be an alcoholic." I figure that she will probably scold me and fire me as a patient. Instead she takes the news as if I had told her that I sometimes have back pains. Without probing further, she answers thoughtfully, "Yes, you probably are. Once you get to the stage of wondering about it and spilling the beans to your doctor, it's a pretty good sign."

Emboldened, I add: "Oh, and I lied - I mean really lied - about how much I drink in the forms you had me fill out."

"I knew that," she notes drily.

"How?" I ask, thinking "OMG, the physical signs are manifesting themselves!"

"Well, I noticed that you listed fishing as one of your sports in the questionnaire you filled out," she says, smiling now, "and every fisherman I ever met is a pretty good liar."

I begin to relax. "Tell you what," she goes on, "we'll have a look at the results of your bloodwork and if there's any telltale signs we'll get some more tests to see if you've done any serious damage to yourself. Then we're going to sit down and figure out what we're going to do about this."

Something I'd been dreading, and here she was, strictly matter-of-fact, reassuring and disarmingly professional. And offering to help! Now why didn't I do this 10 years ago?

I had the same experience - after all my fear, it was a relief :)

good for you OttawaDry :)
D

You tell a great story! :) I was surprised as well at how wonderful doctors were once I got honest. It was a win/win...it felt so good to tell the truth, and it was wonderful not to have to struggle alone.

Congrats!

She sounds like a wonderful doctor. Looks like you've settled on a winner. Congratulations on your new sober life!

Ottawa, I'm proud of you for recognizing and reaching out for help. Sometimes our fear or shame prevents us from letting in those who can help us be who we truly want to be. I'm currently in that shell, keeping it to myself. Joining and sharing on SR is my first step in letting others help me. Well done!

What a great doctor you have found, OttawaDry! She seems to have a gift. It was when I finally saw my doctor that I started my journey, it was essential in coming to terms with what I had to do, a huge part of that 'acceptance' thing that we see mentioned here so often. This huge step you made and the happy result you experienced is why 'see your doctor' is advice so frequently given here. Acceptance.

Another aspect of this acceptance is preparing yourself to receive the benefits of being sober for good. All the worries and concerns you have now about your health will repair themselves and disappear, and you can get back on track to looking after yourself. And when you have made your plan about continuing to use alcohol, you will wonder why you waited so long! Onward!

The trurth wil set you free

Ottowa - that story is fantastic and made me so happy. We don't tell people sometimes because of the shame of knowing that drinking is chipping away at our control over our lives. Good and compassionate doctors don't treat alcoholism as SHAMEFUL, it's a condition, a dangerous one that needs to be managed and treated.

There are millions of people in the world who suffer from alcoholism. I often remind myself that I am one of the millions of people who has a reaction to alcohol that triggers a downward spiral of behaviors and health issues.

Good for you!

I love this! Good for you, keep up the good and honest work! :)

I'm glad you've found a good trustworthy doctor. :)

Wow, you are really lucky to have found a compassionate and caring doctor.

That's great news. I've also been fortunate to have compassionate, caring Doctors (maybe that's why compassionate, caring people become Doctors)