Thank you for saving my life
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Midwest
Posts: 9
Thank you for saving my life
Hi all,
This is my first post, although I'm not new to the site. I just wanted to say thank you so much to all of you in this community. You may not know me, but you helped me get clean and stay sober over 2 years now. I wouldn’t have done it without you and your wisdom.
I guess my story is similar to many others:
I started off as a binge drinker. I didn’t really pay much attention to it, which I guess was the problem. Like someone said recently on these forums, I just didn’t have enough respect for it. Of course, I wasn’t the only one binging, heck, I think most of us did back then. I wasn’t the worst of the bunch either, you could usually find someone who was more hammered than I was, but I was consistent. Maybe more so than others, I don’t know. Every few weeks I would go out with friends, and later end up passed out somewhere.
In my late teens this was pretty normal (at least with my crew), and then came college, new people but same thing. It’s really after that though, mid-twenties maybe, that I started realizing it might not be normal to drink until you lose bowel control and pass out covered in your own vomit. I didn’t really think I had a problem, I just thought I needed to grow up a bit, learn how to drink like normal people.
So I started drinking every day instead. And because I didn’t end up puking most nights (except when I did), I now thought I had mastered the art of drinking in moderation. In fact, in my mind, I was now drinking less than I did before, now that I could drink “moderately”. Like normal people do. Of course, that didn’t stop me from binge drinking like before.
Fast forward to my mid 40s, and I found that the intervals between binging were shorter, and my “moderate” drinking between binges was nowhere near “moderate”. Even I had to admit that. It’s not “moderate” to drink 1-2 bottles of wine and a full glass of vodka every day. On the days that you don't binge.
32 years of binge drinking, 17 years heavy daily drinking. Just dumb luck that I didn’t get myself killed. There’s nothing normal in that. By a miracle I didn’t lose my job, but I was underperforming badly, and it was only a matter of time until someone was going to start paying attention. I also got lucky that it never really ruined my family (wife, no kids). But I knew. I knew that it would kill me. Suicide by alcohol really. I started having health issues, nasty skin conditions, high blood pressure. Overweight. The whole gamut.
So I find SR, but it takes another two years for this to “brew” in my brain until I was ready to quit. I read and absorbed every piece of advice, every story that you all so generously shared, and I planned until I was ready. And then one day I was.
I did a full stop, I just couldn’t trust myself to taper. I also quit smoking (20+ years heavy nicotine user), because I knew that it would only pull me back into drinking. I didn’t go to a doctor, but I was ready to go (or rather, my wife was ready to take me) in case withdrawals got critical. Not much to say about that, most of you have been through that particular brand of hell. At least I didn’t have any seizures.
I really did it, I quit drinking, almost exclusively thanks to the advise and wisdom that you all shared here on SR. It took me 6 months to recover. For the psoriasis to go away, for the acne to resolve, for blood pressure and liver enzymes to go back to normal. I lost 30 lbs. It's amazing. Sobriety is everything I ever dreamt it would be.
So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all, thank you so much, for saving my life.
Mike
This is my first post, although I'm not new to the site. I just wanted to say thank you so much to all of you in this community. You may not know me, but you helped me get clean and stay sober over 2 years now. I wouldn’t have done it without you and your wisdom.
I guess my story is similar to many others:
I started off as a binge drinker. I didn’t really pay much attention to it, which I guess was the problem. Like someone said recently on these forums, I just didn’t have enough respect for it. Of course, I wasn’t the only one binging, heck, I think most of us did back then. I wasn’t the worst of the bunch either, you could usually find someone who was more hammered than I was, but I was consistent. Maybe more so than others, I don’t know. Every few weeks I would go out with friends, and later end up passed out somewhere.
In my late teens this was pretty normal (at least with my crew), and then came college, new people but same thing. It’s really after that though, mid-twenties maybe, that I started realizing it might not be normal to drink until you lose bowel control and pass out covered in your own vomit. I didn’t really think I had a problem, I just thought I needed to grow up a bit, learn how to drink like normal people.
So I started drinking every day instead. And because I didn’t end up puking most nights (except when I did), I now thought I had mastered the art of drinking in moderation. In fact, in my mind, I was now drinking less than I did before, now that I could drink “moderately”. Like normal people do. Of course, that didn’t stop me from binge drinking like before.
Fast forward to my mid 40s, and I found that the intervals between binging were shorter, and my “moderate” drinking between binges was nowhere near “moderate”. Even I had to admit that. It’s not “moderate” to drink 1-2 bottles of wine and a full glass of vodka every day. On the days that you don't binge.
32 years of binge drinking, 17 years heavy daily drinking. Just dumb luck that I didn’t get myself killed. There’s nothing normal in that. By a miracle I didn’t lose my job, but I was underperforming badly, and it was only a matter of time until someone was going to start paying attention. I also got lucky that it never really ruined my family (wife, no kids). But I knew. I knew that it would kill me. Suicide by alcohol really. I started having health issues, nasty skin conditions, high blood pressure. Overweight. The whole gamut.
So I find SR, but it takes another two years for this to “brew” in my brain until I was ready to quit. I read and absorbed every piece of advice, every story that you all so generously shared, and I planned until I was ready. And then one day I was.
I did a full stop, I just couldn’t trust myself to taper. I also quit smoking (20+ years heavy nicotine user), because I knew that it would only pull me back into drinking. I didn’t go to a doctor, but I was ready to go (or rather, my wife was ready to take me) in case withdrawals got critical. Not much to say about that, most of you have been through that particular brand of hell. At least I didn’t have any seizures.
I really did it, I quit drinking, almost exclusively thanks to the advise and wisdom that you all shared here on SR. It took me 6 months to recover. For the psoriasis to go away, for the acne to resolve, for blood pressure and liver enzymes to go back to normal. I lost 30 lbs. It's amazing. Sobriety is everything I ever dreamt it would be.
So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all, thank you so much, for saving my life.
Mike
grouphug:
Come back and post more often. Some of the newcomers might want to know how you did it. 
Blue Belt
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Soberville, USA
Posts: 4,174
Congrats Big!
You used SR w out posting.
That is good to know right there.
Something about the mid 40's. Some of us anyway. Our bodies change and we know it is time to stop or die.
My drunk buddy still drinks hard and he is in his early 60's. But, he got a late start and moderated well early on due to his line of work.
It is almost a gift for some of us to lose the ability to drink, or something, before we get to old and weak.
Thanks.
You used SR w out posting.
That is good to know right there.
Something about the mid 40's. Some of us anyway. Our bodies change and we know it is time to stop or die.
My drunk buddy still drinks hard and he is in his early 60's. But, he got a late start and moderated well early on due to his line of work.
It is almost a gift for some of us to lose the ability to drink, or something, before we get to old and weak.
Thanks.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: East Coast USA
Posts: 1,068
Mike, thanks for the great post. Anyone who can simply read SR, stop drinking for two years and keep their mouth shut by not posting for years has my respect.
I do have a question because I am trying to better understand what works for recovery. I think you mentioned that SR was your primary support system for recovery. Did you try/use anything else like AA?
Again congratulations.
I do have a question because I am trying to better understand what works for recovery. I think you mentioned that SR was your primary support system for recovery. Did you try/use anything else like AA?
Again congratulations.
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