SeinUndZeit

I've been able to quit drinking, but I'm having lots of other problems.

I haven't been able to apply myself in work... I lost my job.
I haven't been able to maintain a social life... I have no friends. My phone doesn't ring. When it used to, I ignored all of the calls.
I'm torturing my gf... i turn my pain out onto her, as if she is the problem.

All I can figure out is that I am running on self-pity: poor me I can't get drunk or high anymore, so I'll just crawl through life.

What recovery is there for me? I can't afford counseling.

Anna

Books were what helped me change my life in early recovery.

"A New Earth" and "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle are great books for helping you to find a way to live in peace.

Deepak Chopra has some wonderful books.

"The Seat of the Soul" by Gary Zukav helped me a lot too.

Phmdyw

Are you in AA already or doing it on your own?

Boleo

Sounds like "— that our lives had become unmanageable."

Kmber2010

Counseling has been tremendous for me in making some serious positive changes. There are many options out there and so forth so why not go for it? If I sit in the house today how can I complain that life is passing me by? If I don't get involved in things - volunteer, join clubs, etc. then how can I complain that I have no friends/social life? I had to step up and reach out and get involved. For me taking action on the things I wanted to change made the difference. You can to

justdave

I can identify with this. 20 years or more of abusing alcohol, I have withdrawn from every friend I've ever had. I have 'friends' at work, but none know of my alcoholism. Outside of my job, my addiction would not allow anyone to get too close to me on a personal level.

My phone does not ring either. I can't remember the last time someone called our house and actually asked to talk to me. Not in years.

Quitting drinking is just the first step in recovery. Simply staying away from booze does not solve all my problems. I am learning how to live and relate to people without my addiction. I'm a work in progress.

Boleo

Abstinence is not drinking and feeling bad about it. Recovery is not drinking and feeling good about. If there were no joy in recovery it would not be worth the trouble in my book.

joedris

You're discovering that your problem was never alcohol, it's you. You stopped drinking at that changed nothing. If fact, things may be worse now.

What recovery is out there? Well, I'd suggest AA to begin with, especially if money is a consideration. AA is free. You can find the AA number in the phone book. It's manned 24/7 and someone will help you to the nearest meeting. That program gave me exactly what you want for yourself - a recovery program that involved changing what i was.

If you find that after several meetings AA isn't for you, then there are a lot of programs available that don't involve much money. Just look through SR and you'll find a ton of them. And I'm sure that others will suggest different programs worked for them, too.

The worst thing you can do is sit around throwing pity parties. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You know what the problem is. Go out and do something about it.

daveinmd

Sometimes I read these posts and I get so sad. There are so many suffering people out there wanting sobriety and even when they get it they find that they are still sick.It opens are eyes to a yesterday we wish we could forget.Anger,loneliness,boredom,and a slew charachter defects and defense mechanisms we relied on to get our way,are in the way of happiness now.If we don't free ourselves of them,forgive and ask forgiveness of our own wrongs and cleanse our hearts, we lie in wait for the next drink or drug.Find something or some group to help you.I use AA ,but you have to want AA.My sponser tells me misery is optonal in recovery.Seek and ye shall find.