Reaching an Alcoholic Bottom - You Don't Have to Reach Rock Bottom to Escape Addiction

There are many beliefs that addicts, and those around them, hold that can lead to misunderstandings; one of these is about the alcoholic bottom. You will often hear it said that any drunk will need to hit rock-bottom before they will be able to recover from their addiction. This type of comment makes me uncomfortable, and for a long time this was my excuse for continued drinking. I developed the idea that the only way that my escape from addiction would be by reaching this mythical place; this alcoholic bottom. Even during two years sober during my twenties I continuously worried that maybe I hadn't yet reached my bottom and was doomed to drink again; I did drink again but it is not my belief that this continued suffering and deterioration in my life was needed. It is my view that an alcoholic bottom is where you want to stop, and there is no special place in the suffering addict's fall into misery that will make recovery any more special or likely to last. If you have enough then you have reached your rock bottom.

The problem with waiting for things to get bad enough to force you to quit is that this type of thinking can easily kill you. I almost destroyed my own liver while waiting for inspiration to arise. My final day of drinking was no worse than many of the other days that came before it; the only difference that day was that I had enough. I have no belief in the possibility that a few more weeks drinking would have made my current recovery any more special or strong; it would only have extended the suffering and considering how bad my health was at the time it could have been fatal.

If addiction is making your life miserable then just quit now. You don't need to wait for any special day or for anything particularly bad to happen; there is no alcoholic bottom that will lead you to freedom. The only place that continued drinking can lead you is to misery and death. You don't have to lose your family, end up on the streets, or kill someone when drink-driving. When you want to stop you have already reached your rock bottom. It is foolish to ever get the idea that more drinking will improve life in recovery; it just doesn't work this way. You wouldn't bang your head more with a hammer to improve your chances of recovery from a head injury, would you?