Stories of Alcoholism

Alcohol Anonymous wrote:

Going to parents and considering asking my 17 year old to not leave me alone. Don't let me go get gas, store or grocery for the next 5 days to help me. He knows I have a problem just weird asking your kid to help you.

Please don't do this, it is inappropriate and completely unfair to your child You are the parent, not them. You are depriving them of being the child in the relationship. They may seem mature, but they are only 17 and need you as an authority figure. I say this as the son of an alcoholic who has been the mature one in the relationship for 30+ years.

Is there any reason why you wouldn't ask your husband for help?

I'm an alcoholic. Would be classified as the high bottom kind (I never lost a job or went to rehab).

Stopped drinking and got sober at 35. It's the best decision I've ever made.

I do AA and find it extremely helpful - an amazing source of support and bonds that will last a lifetime. AA has changed my life and given me so many gifts (such as my fiancé, repaired relationships with family and friends - and a general sense of well-being).

As for my drinking history, from 15 to 33, it's never the amount I drank or the frequency I drank - but what happened to me when I drank. I would black out and wake up not remembering giant chunks of the night. When drinking, I would put myself in life threatening danger. People would always say, "Things were normal. And then you got SO drunk." I probably heard the term "so drunk" over 1000 times.

One time, my roommate found me passed out on the floor - next to the stove - where I had put a bag of nachos into a pan and was trying to cooking them. And that's just one hair-raising story of many.

Not to mention, towards the end of my drinking, I started feeling actual cravings for it - and began drinking every night - even thought I made it work and never lost a job.

Not sure what prompted me to stop on that day. I didn't have a jackpot or nearly die in a car wreck. But I did have a moment of clarity where I realized nothing was going to change if I kept drinking. It would be like Groundhog Dog and that bummed me out. Insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result. I did everything in my power to keep alcohol in my life. But in the end, I realize that I can't drink in safety. Not matter how hard I try.

Yes and I'm an alcoholic. And it's not my fault. But I'm responsible to take care of it. And fortunately I have resources and am glad I don't ever have to drink again.

My husband is in another state seeing his mom who is sick and has been there for 2 weeks since he can wfh. You are right it isn't fair of me to ask him.

kube wrote:

My husband is in another state seeing his mom who is sick and has been there for 2 weeks since he can wfh. You are right it isn't fair of me to ask him.

I would agree with Hank—please don’t ask that of your kid. Trust me, I get the impulse. I know how hard it is to quit. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve relapsed.

To be honest, I’m feeling so down lately. I don’t know if it’s seasonal or what, but I have ZERO energy. I guess I need to exercise more, since I haven’t ran in a few weeks, so hopefully that helps. I don’t really want to go back and use, since it’ll just make me feel much worse, but I’ve been having a very hard time cutting down my daily dose of Suboxone, an opiate addiction management drug I’m prescribed. Being off it would probably change my life for the better, but I’m also terrified of coming off. I clearly use it as a crutch.

Alcohol Anonymous wrote:

I am amazed at how many of you were able to just get through the first few days. I feel if I could just get through the first couple I would be on my way.

A short-term Rx for a benzo with a long half-life-- with a gradual taper-off--may make the first 1-4 weeks much, much easier. Just (obviously) do not trade one addiction for another.

By the time I got sober the last time, I was drinking 3-5 fifths per week. The last drunk was two pints of 100*. You are right that getting through the first few days is challening, but for me, I was so motivated to change my life at that point that it was ok. The hard part was when I came down from that after a month and had to start the really hard stuff: changing my thinking and behaviors. I’ve watched countless people do the same thing I did then and the same thing I do now: just make it 24 hours at a time. And you don’t have to do it by yourself if you don’t want to. The AA group that fits your personality can provide you with the support that can get you through the tough parts. No lie: it sucks sometimes. Sometimes even now, fifteen years a later, I can taste Early Times in my memories. That’s just the way it is. But people who don’t drink or do drugs have problems themselves, no one is immune, you know?

alchie wrote:

I definitely meet the medical definition of alcoholic, but functional. I can still support my self. But yeah, I'm throwing back at least 50 drinks per week at this point. Sometimes closer to 80.

Are drinking like that and racing sub-14:30 5000m? Are you racing 24:30+ 5K? Are you drinking like that and racing 5K something in between? Since this is a running site, how does your alcohol consumption affect your 5K racing?

I'm not sure if I meet the medical definition of an alcoholic, but I think I probably am one. You might not know it to look at me because I still have all my hair at 34 and am still in shape from years of residual exercise in college, by which time I was already becoming dependent on alcohol. The first time I ever got drunk it was on 11 cans of Coors Extra Gold. I only meant to have 8, one for each birthday (this was in second grade) but I was always a little precocious. I made straight A's in high school, because even as I was doing solo kegstands before homeroom on the front lawn of the school while people not aware of how bad I was egged me on, I was also studying and training hard. I ran a 4:14 1600 meters and wound up with a scholarship.

I have no idea how I never got in trouble. One time I was so tanked I tore right through a crowd of people, mostly kids, during some kind of rural street fair. This was somewhere in Missouri and I'm sure a few people died, but unfortunately I was so damn drunk I just kept going and was in Kansas before anyone really figured out the deal. I read about it in USA Today the next day. I can't believe my drinking has never had negative consequences because things like this happen all the time. That's not the only fatality my drinking has caused -- I stabbed a guy in the temple with an ice pick one time for laughing at the ketchup stains on my underwear in the locker room of my health club. Again, there were no witnesses, hence no consequences. I drink about 88 to 96 fluid ounces a day of Bacardi (NOT the 151-proof kind) but apparently people can't smell it or otherwise notice because no one ever says anything. I'm a Fed Ex pilot, so I spend a lot of time alone and it's not clear my drinking is really affecting anything. But like I said, medically, I am sure I qualify as an alcoholic.

I hope you only type in a dark and twisted manner. I hope all this is dark entertainment.

GoldenMiles wrote:

I’ve been having a very hard time cutting down my daily dose of Suboxone, an opiate addiction management drug I’m prescribed. Being off it would probably change my life for the better, but I’m also terrified of coming off. I clearly use it as a crutch.

Why are you trying to cut down on suboxone? If it is helping you from using illicit opiates, surely your life is much more stable than seeking whatever your pill of choice is and risking a fentanyl overdose.

I'd say congrats for taking the steps to get on suboxone. Saves lives.

Here’s mine below:

https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=6859002

Can you talk about other addictions? I know it's alcoholism because I have had almost every day for a year after giving up the alcohal, but I'm not a consumer.

Suboxone is a medicine developed to be used during the treatment process of opioid addictions. It is a mixture of Buprenorphine and naloxone. It is frequently used during the replacement therapy of opioid/opiates addicts.

addictionrehabcenters(.)com

I know this is 3 years ago but a rehab facilities job is to get you sober and assist in helping you find out what emotional or physical trama is causing the desire for you to need to be numb they are 100% not an employment agency. You also don't get to leave for work while you are in rehab your job is to get sober. If you have never needed rehab I would advise not giving your opinions or your advice.