by nojuiceforbruce » Sat Jul 09, 2011 9:53 pm
I can relate to much of your story. I drank for over 30 yrs vodka and I am married with 2 adult kids living home. The youngest one is a girl at 23 yr old. On Sept 6 (our 30th wedding anniversary) my wife was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. I only knew to drink to cope and got a DUI and Hit and Run on Sept 11. I then didn't drink for 1 month and stayed over in the hospital next to her bed most nights so I could read to her and help her eat. When she got out, I drank again. The next few months brought drinking as I kept thinking she was going to die soon and I would lose my best friend. My drinking took me to a psyche unit in a hospital with a 302 (attempted suicide) and eventually into the Veterans Hospital rehab from Nov 25 to Jan 4, 2011. When I got out I went right back home with my heroin using 23 yr old daughter, who kept stealing from us, and my wife. I wound up back in a VA psyche unit for 2 weeks and, in between court dates, I went back once again but this time to a hospital. I am now sober for 10 days and feel great. The way I changed was that I continued, after inpatient, to go to the Veterans Hospital Addiction Unit for outpatient treatment, I joined a 6am AA meeting, as my homegroup, and asked for help and, when my license was suspended, I got enough help from new AA friends, where they would drive me to up to 2 meetings/day, I joined them when they went to breakfast so I could extend the meeting to hanging out with sober people, I got a sponsor who I can bug every day about sobriety and he will listen (a good sponsor is extremely important to early recovery), I WORKED THE PROGRAM --- YOU KNOW ---- WALK THE WALK NOT JUST TALK THE TALK, I got involved in AA and called people in the program, I am working the steps, I planned for AA meetings each day and simple tasks to complete when I wasn't attending those meetings, I meditated, I set up an exercise program where I jog around the block to relax and destress (#1 cause of relapse is stress), I took my meds prescribed to me the way I should take them, and lastly, I did good things for people because it made me feel good and it made them feel good (this is spirituality) without expecting a thank you from any of them. I hope this helps --- if you wish ---- please try these suggestions but remember that they are only suggestions because, as it says in the Big Book of AA, you shouldn't be approached with suggestions about staying sober until you can be open-minded about it.
I can relate to much of your story. I drank for over 30 yrs vodka and I am married with 2 adult kids living home. The youngest one is a girl at 23 yr old. On Sept 6 (our 30th wedding anniversary) my wife was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. I only knew to drink to cope and got a DUI and Hit and Run on Sept 11. I then didn't drink for 1 month and stayed over in the hospital next to her bed most nights so I could read to her and help her eat. When she got out, I drank again. The next few months brought drinking as I kept thinking she was going to die soon and I would lose my best friend. My drinking took me to a psyche unit in a hospital with a 302 (attempted suicide) and eventually into the Veterans Hospital rehab from Nov 25 to Jan 4, 2011. When I got out I went right back home with my heroin using 23 yr old daughter, who kept stealing from us, and my wife. I wound up back in a VA psyche unit for 2 weeks and, in between court dates, I went back once again but this time to a hospital. I am now sober for 10 days and feel great. The way I changed was that I continued, after inpatient, to go to the Veterans Hospital Addiction Unit for outpatient treatment, I joined a 6am AA meeting, as my homegroup, and asked for help and, when my license was suspended, I got enough help from new AA friends, where they would drive me to up to 2 meetings/day, I joined them when they went to breakfast so I could extend the meeting to hanging out with sober people, I got a sponsor who I can bug every day about sobriety and he will listen (a good sponsor is extremely important to early recovery), I WORKED THE PROGRAM --- YOU KNOW ---- WALK THE WALK NOT JUST TALK THE TALK, I got involved in AA and called people in the program, I am working the steps, I planned for AA meetings each day and simple tasks to complete when I wasn't attending those meetings, I meditated, I set up an exercise program where I jog around the block to relax and destress (#1 cause of relapse is stress), I took my meds prescribed to me the way I should take them, and lastly, I did good things for people because it made me feel good and it made them feel good (this is spirituality) without expecting a thank you from any of them. I hope this helps --- if you wish ---- please try these suggestions but remember that they are only suggestions because, as it says in the Big Book of AA, you shouldn't be approached with suggestions about staying sober until you can be open-minded about it.