It's your life, choose carefully. Review on Quitting Alcohol

I just read a review on this topic and had not seen it before and this one really hits home.

Please remember that what I write is to help those that need help, my opinion only and in no way am I condeming a drink or two now and then. So with that being said I will tell you my story.

Back some 20 years ago my then husband worked evenings and it was very boring sitting home alone. My sister asked me to go to a bar with her. Now I was never one for drinking more than a couple of beers a year with a pizza, and me in a bar room was a scarey thought. I had heard many things about fights in bars and so on so was very skeptical to go.

She then told me that it was not just a bar room but they had a live band and dancing and I love to dance so decided I would go but only if she picked me up and we went in together as I was not about to go in alone.

The band was great and I had a lot of fun. Consumed a couple of beers and was giggling away not being used to it. Some man was trying to'pick me up' and wanted me to go home with him but I was sane enough not to do that.

I had a bad marriage and soon after we separated and then I went 4 nights a week to this club still consuming only 2 drinks each time. I met a wonderful man and we became friends.

He was a drunk but we had a lot of fun. I ended up seeing him for 2 years and I stayed sober as he was not and I had to drive him home.

After all this time he broke up with me and I was hurt beyond hurt. I had problems on top of that from a bad childhood and nightmares and I took to drinking very heavy.It wasn't just at the club anymore either. I drank 7 days a week from the time I got up until I went to bed and consumed as much as a case of beer a day and usually a couple of quarts of vodka straight and yes I could still function.

I even worked at the bar room by then and the booze was free so I tried everything there was often mixing several types together. I drove my car. Luckily I never hit anyone and I could drive straight so I never got stopped.

I learned all the tricks of not having a hangover and I never got sick. I hardly ever ate and I dropped 60 pounds. I felt great in one way. In another I would cry a lot and I do not know why.

Then I started having a few black outs. I remembered part of the evening but the rest was lost. I remember driving one night in the rain with no car lights on and when I checked the car the next morning I had used nearly a tank of gas but to this day I have no clue at all where I went and what I did. This happened more than once.

My family and friends tried to talk to me all the time but the more they preached on why I should stop the more I drank.

Then came the night I quit. I had consumed a quart of vodka straight down in less than an hour, no mixer just vodka then I ran out so I got dressed and decided to walk to the bar and party. It was rainy but I didn't care. Off I went. I got part way there when the vodka hit home.

I could see tons of car lights coming and it looked like they were all side by side and I could barely see by this point. My first thought was to go home but I could not remember how to get there. So I got over to the side of the road as far as possible to avoid being hit and there had been construction, no flares up and I certainly did not see

the giant ditch.

Plop I hit hard and fell in a ditch full of rocks, tried to crawl out and fell again, after 3 times I could barely move and I remember saying'Dear God, help me'

Next thing I know a police officer was pulling me out of the ditch and asked me if I was oaky. Heck I didn't know. He asked my name and where I lived and I could not remember either. He called in on the radio and luckily my Uncle is a cop and was on duty. So he asked for my description and from that told the officer where to take me.

That was the last I remembered as evidently I passed out. I woke up the next morning clothes still on and tucked in bed so the officer must have carried me in.

A couple of days later the pain started. 12 aspirins and it wouldn't touch it. I couldn't walk. I spent 6 months in bed just about all the time.

I did a lot of thinking in that time and took a home study course to get a better job. I also began to read my Bible.

I will include tips on helping to quit and to those that have loved ones that are in this situation a not to.

Never preach to the person. It will do nothing except maybe make them drink more. They have to admit to themselves they have a problem and seek help.

There is always a reason the person drinks that much and they may not even know it themselves so my suggestion is if you know you have a problem seek counseling. To get rid of the drinking problem you must find the cause and face it head on. This is hard work but well worth it.

Myself I do not recommend AA as they make you say at least a dozen times a night that you are an acoholic even when you no longer drink. I went to 2 meetings with a friend and all they talk about is drinking which makes a person want to in my opinion. They should make things positive like talking about how to improve their lives and so on.

There are support groups that do things that way and I would recommend you join one but be sure it is what they claim it to be. Counselling with working on your deep rooted problems is good.Also if you have a good friend that has quit this would be great to talk to them and let them give you their pointers.

Different things will work for different people. The first thing is admitting you have a problem then wanting to stop. No one can help you until you do.

I was in counselling for two years to get to the bottom of everything that had bothered me from my past and that I had blocked out.

I went on to a legal job, turned back to God and became a new person. Lost many of my fears. I tested myself at one year and had a 6 pack and didn't want any more. I tested myself again at 2 years and when I finished I went straight to coffee as I did not enjoy what I was feeling. Since then I have not touched a drink. I can go in a bar with friends and drink a soda and it does not even bother me. I almost ruined my life.

Please feel free to m2m me if you need to talk and have a problem.