yankees24

Im not sure if i met my turning point yet, i hope i have, but hopefully i can say that this website helped me find it...thanks for everyone sharing, it helps me more and more each day..

Firehazard

Being hopeless and powerless enough to finally ask a group of strangers for help.:ghug3

Theresa

I hope today is my turning point: turning back and looking at myself and simply admitting that, yes, I am an alcoholic for whatever reason I cannot drink.

littlefish

I also have more than one turning points. When I finally told my husband that I am an alcoholic, that was one. When I finally said that, after years of secret drinking, I had the incredible feeling that a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders, and I felt an overwhelming stream of emotions: relief, freedom, hope.

When I finally walked into an AA meeting, nervous as heck. When I finally called up a rehab center, crying. I had the feeling that there is no turning back now: I was entering uncharted territory, but I wasn't afraid: the territory was in the light, and I was moving towards it from a black abyss.

marty888

I feel I am going through a major turning point now. My first big overseas trip after 4 1/2 months sober. 8 hour flight, staying in executive lounge hotels with happy hours etc etc. Visiting AA in foreign countries. I feel in control and have no desire to pick up

yeahgr8

You see your part in all things and the simiarities over the years with people that have never met, different places and different things. Denial is a powerful thing but once you see yourself and accept your defects AND share all this with another person...it's amazing and you start to change...i don't care, and would not expect to be able to analyse it, but i am changing so much...ah i can't explain it you will know what i mean if you have done it, if not you really need to IMO!

mumbai78

My turning point was some seriously disturbing behavior (not for the first time) that led to strained relationships with close friends that prompted me to take the test and then call the AA helpline. For the first time I felt that my bizarre struggle with addiction and alcholism had an explanation. It was actually relieving to know that I wasn't as abnornal as I had thought I was.

tricky164

When i was two months sober and down by the river, every body was drinking and my head had gone , i was in bits and thinking "maybe i could have just a half a larger shandy). for the first time ever i ran the tape on in my head........ it wont be one!! i will end up going to the supermarket getting a bottle of barcadi and doing one of those 'buy one get one free things' ( which for me means 'buy one nick one'). ill end up in black out and probably in a police station or ER.

for the first time ever i picked the phone up and asked for help.

i told my sponsor i wanted to drink and he said "yes your thursty go and get a coke, lock yourself up until the meeting starts and you'll be ok". it was, and that was a couple of years ago now.

best thing i did that day ? pick the phone up, it has saved my life.

great post, god bless

NewMe11109

I believe that one of my turning points was when I realized how sobriety gave me back control of the "last 1/2 second".

What I mean by this is that there is about a half-second between when something happens - our brain processes it - and when we react. During that half-second, if we are sober, we have a chance to decide how to react. We can decide to: not react, keep quiet, use humor to diffuse a situation, show compassion/empathy, etc.

When I was drinking, even when I had a BAC of zero but was just hung-over, I lost that last 1/2 second to anger, fear, resentment, etc. This made me generally react poorly - with my wife, kids, and people I cared about.

One day in sobriety, my son did something that usually made me angry. But, just before I yelled at him, I stopped. I instead asked him in a very calm empathetic tone "What is making you feel this way? What you just did isn't like you, so I am just curious if something is going on?"

Wow, what a different response I got from my son!

I never realized how much that 1/2 second could mean to my relationships.

A turning point, a spiritual awakening, or just a moment of clarity? - all in a 1/2 second.

least

I had a 'light bulb' moment after my last relapse in July. I was going thru withdrawals - again - and realized that by continuing to drink I was just committing suicide slowly. Years ago I had promised my eldest kid that I would not kill myself, but by drinking I was killing myself slowly every day.

I don't want to leave that legacy to my kids and my friends and family so I have to stay sober no matter what.