Alcoholism Support Group

Yo are right to want to try something different.

Have you tried a "spiritual solution" yet?

If not, try working the 12 steps of AA with a sponsor who knows what "spiritual solution" means.

There have been people that have gone to rehab 10 times and finally they were able to quit their addiction.

I don't know why it takes some more than others that's for sure.

I have learned I can't ever let my guard down because after 22 years I decided to experiment and I would have done that with or without AA, that's just who I am.

I found out that I am, in fact, a drunk, wayyyyyyy worse than I was when I quit at 27 years of age.

I believe at some point in time I would have decided to experiment rather it was 22 years into sobriety or 30 because I'm just a curious person and everyone was wondering if I was really an alcoholic.

That is the insanity of alcoholism ~ doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results. Pure insanity.

I had to surrender my will and my life to my Higher Power. I had to work the 12 Step of AA. I have to CONTINUE to work the 12 steps. It's worked for me for 15 years with NO relapses. I've finally found a bit of peace and serenity in my life.

My hope and prayer for you is that you find the same. God bless.

My higher power has done for me what I could not do for myself. The 12 stepper might be the solution to your drinking cycle.

Thanks you for responding both, and BOLEON, I have tried, and tried again, and it makes PERFECT sense to me when I'm IN a REHAB, yet, I come home, feel better after awhile, and F *me is right because I can't get it right. They put me on drugs, sent em to rehab, and I STILL F*ing do it.

I'll binge until I "can't" anymore, end up at the doctors OR GOG FORBID in Jail( I stopped driving in 1993 because I Knew something was wrong", yet the insanity keeps repeating itself. I was having a pedicure for God's sake, and I DO feel victimized because the ads are all over and I HONESTLY BELIEVED I COULD JUST HAVE ONE. I know I'm going to die, but I don't even care anymore.

I know you are straight to the point and try to cut through the crap and get to the chase and will TRY to help me Boleon, but I can't seem to stop myself.

I relapsed. Is it O.K. to just forgive myself and move on? Please, I'm turning my husband into my alcohol supplier, and I NEVER wanted my life to be like that. However he drinks socially, and can handle it. He ALWAYS had alcohol in the house. Now I can't stop.

When will the war be over. I guess when I'm dead.

REPOST:

"I am fond of collecting definitions of the concept of Wisdom. While there are many different definitions of wisdom, the one most common is; “wisdom is applied knowledge”. By this standard, the Nazi’s would have been considered wise men because they were masters at applying cold, objective and brutal knowledge. But who in their right mind would call Nazi’s wise men? My personal favorite definition is; “wisdom is not so much about acquiring knowledge, as it is about shedding misconceptions”.

One of the major misconceptions in addiction recovery that I had to overcome was the idea that the same tools that enabled me to stop drinking were the same tools that would enable me to stay stopped. Stopping drinking is one thing, but staying stopped is a whole new ball game. Getting stopped requires applying knowledge. Staying stopped requires shedding misconceptions.

The psychological tricks and tips that helped me obtain abstinence are not at all the same principles that keep me in recovery today. The easy to grasp slogans and frightening war-stories that were so critical in my first few weeks of abstinence were excellent tools to get me to want to stop drinking, but were never strong enough to keep me in recovery for the long run.

Slogans such as; “one day at a time” were essential in the early days of my recovery. I doubt that I could have survived without them. In the beginning, it truly was a one-day at a time program for me. Sometimes it was a one-hour at a time or even a one-minute at a time program. However, at some stage of my recovery, I had to abandon these tricks & tips and move on to more powerful tools such as new ways of thinking and spiritual tools.
As an alcoholic I have many blind spots and my brain may even be damaged in areas used for intuitive thinking. I need to somehow circumvent these dysfunctional maladies.

In other words, just not drinking does not treat alcoholism. I had to face the fact that I was uncomfortable in my own skin before I started drinking and was once again uncomfortable in my own skin after I stopped. The only long-term solution to my problem was finding a new way “taking comfort” that did not involve some sort of substance such as a liquid spirits or pills.

Since I already knew that a liquid spirit had once worked for me, but started causing me more pain than gain, I began to look for another form of spiritual solution. Namely; spiritual principles. Specifically, principles aimed at finding me the peace of mind that would allow me to be comfortable in my own skin once again, without being anesthetized.

The slogans and war-stories that helped me stay motivated in my early days of abstinence did in fact give me the diligence and tenacity to overcome my urges to pick up a drink and temporarily overcome my feelings of anxiety, frustration, guilt and despair. The problem with using diligence and tenacity were that in the long run they were mentally exhausting.





Like the ancient Greek hero “Sisyphus”, I had to push a stone up-hill 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Something that I was able to do long enough to meet my short-term goals (passing a drug screening) but not something that I could live with for the rest of my life. What I needed was a way to be totally relieved of the temptation to drink. Not just something to help me temporarily resist the temptation. Resistance is a struggle and I knew that to struggle for the rest of my life was futile. Just choosing not to drink, one arduous day at a time, was not my long-term solution. What I truly needed was a way of life that would weather all storms.

What I needed to stay stopped was a “one life at a time” strategy. Something far to difficult for me to grasp in my early days of recovery. What is the long-term solution? Serenity, the “Deluxe Edition” of sobriety. It includes sobriety, peace of mind, optimism and a starting point for meditation. Without serenity, sobriety may not be worth having. True sobriety rides on the coat-tails of serenity."

Yes, it's okay to forgive yourself. The hardest thing about this is changing your patterns of thinking. We tend to return to old familiar ways, and you need burn all the old bridges to that pattern of thinking.

I really think that you do have to surrender yourself to God. That also means some type of daily meditation and prayer, to keep your connection with God.

TY boleon, I hope I make it. no guarantees in life, right?

TY as well Jacker, I just can;t stop screwing up.

i hope you find your way..i'm 55 and went to so many rehabs that i think i got addicted to rehab..it took my last drunk when i shifted gears and did heroin and ended up with hepc to get the 2 yrs sober i have now..thank God...and yes it is ok to forgive yourself..good luck