Drinking Alcohol was Everything to Me

I feel my drinking has given me much to share with others about alcohol. It has taken 31 years of drinking to decide my love affair with alcohol had to end. There are many factors that inspired this article.

Why Admit to Being An Alcoholic ?

I must be willing to share what has been freely given to me. If I am to keep sobriety, I have to give it away. If it helps just one person to tell of my twisted affair with drinking alcohol, it's well worth it.

How Did This Mess Start ?

The initial introduction to alcohol began at the age of 10. Of the few things I do remember, this I remember clear as a bell. It was my birthday party and I was sneaking beer from a cooler outside, and drinking them behind our garage.

This was the start of a 31 year journey drinking alcohol. I could write a book on this, but will share the key points of my story. I was all fun, at first. My affair with alcohol started with sneaking and lying and as my drinking progressed my manipulative nature did too.

Where Has Alcohol Taken Me ?

My drinking afforded me several trips to jail, many accidents, hurt family and friends, prison, several health problems that just about took my life and it was not enough to stop drinking. When you type it out it looks like I was insane.

What made me decide to end my 31 year affair with alcohol was the fact I realized while almost dead in the hospital that drinking was no longer fun.

It Was Time For A Change

I would like to say once I stopped drinking alcohol everything started to get better. The discovery of pain pills made not drinking seem easy. The only problem was I needed a doctor to get the pills. It was short lived because I couldn't get enough pills to fuel my addiction and I only wanted what I knew best, alcohol.

The positive thing from trying all these drugs was that I did see the fact that all they did was lead me back to drinking alcohol. It had run it's course and just wasn't fun anymore, it made me feel sick every time I drank.

I know that every day I wake, is a gift. I make the most of it. I am only one drink away from reuniting my affair with alcohol and don't know if ever I would be afforded the chance to recover again.

What Will Alcohol Do ?

It will make a liar and cheat out of you. Alcohol will robe your family of time with you. It will take you away from everyone and everything that means something to you. The only people that can really understand the alcoholic are other alcoholics. No amount of education or experience will enable you to really understand unless drinking alcohol was something you once battled.

Somehow God has spared me, because alcohol generally takes you on of two places, in prison or the grave. I have seen prison, and almost the grave several times. If you pray, please remember all the alcoholics who still suffer out there.

In order to move forward I had to draw a line behind myself. I had to stop for myself, not anyone else. Unless you feel you have a drinking problem, chances are your not ready to stop. I will not sugar coat the truth, if it was still fun, the fact that it would kill me would not have been enough for me to stop drinking alcohol.

When I am not sure how or what to pray for I say this one: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference, Amen.