So I'm checking myself into detox....
- Thread starter Colonel Green
- Start date
Good luck, dude!
You can always volunteer to be the DD. People love the DD! And a lot of bars will give you your beverages for free.
I can vouch for that! I don't go to bars much, but I did get a free drink once for that reason.
Of course, you may need to make a decision as to how comfortable you'd be in that kind of environment. Some people need to not be around alcohol at all when they decide to get sober.
Good luck, dude!
You can always volunteer to be the DD. People love the DD! And a lot of bars will give you your beverages for free.
I'm not much of a drinker so I'm pretty much always the DD.
I couldn't care less if I drink or not, so it works out.
Best wishes, Colonel Green.
Good Luck Col.
You can do it.
You can do it.
I wish you luck my friend. My brother has been an alcoholic since he was fourteen. Despite seven attempts to get sober over the past twenty years, he keeps falling off the wagon. Right now, he seems to be in a dry spell, but given his past, I fully expect that to end sometime soon.
I'm not telling you this to scare you, or say you can't do it. I just hope you're not looking for a miracle cure.
Anyway, good luck. I hope you make it.
I'm not telling you this to scare you, or say you can't do it. I just hope you're not looking for a miracle cure.
Anyway, good luck. I hope you make it.
Good Luck Green.
I've never had an addiction issue, but I've seen plenty of people who have. My one bit of advice would be to remember that once the initial detox is over, the aim is then to find out which programme works best for you in terms of abstinence. Don't think of each programme as being a treatment, but rather, a lifestyle choice. They're all a bit different, emphasising different things. Not all of them will suit everyone. Find the one that works for you, and you might find yourself picking and choosing from several. Judge them on your merits, not theirs. Oh, and be honest with yourself while judging; that's the really tricky part.
I've never had an addiction issue, but I've seen plenty of people who have. My one bit of advice would be to remember that once the initial detox is over, the aim is then to find out which programme works best for you in terms of abstinence. Don't think of each programme as being a treatment, but rather, a lifestyle choice. They're all a bit different, emphasising different things. Not all of them will suit everyone. Find the one that works for you, and you might find yourself picking and choosing from several. Judge them on your merits, not theirs. Oh, and be honest with yourself while judging; that's the really tricky part.
Thanks for the well wishes and advice everyone. I went to see my psychologist yesterday and then to admissions. They weren't able to process me then and there, I'll be going back on Thursday for intake, after which my application will be triaged. With a little luck I'll be checked in by Monday for 7-10 days. I spoke to my boss today, she seems very supportive. Based on what she said I don't think I need to worry about losing my job over this, they seem very happy with my work.
I saw some scary shit at the detox centre, not sure how well I'll be able to cope when I'm in there. At least I have a wife and job to come back to, which I imagine is more than most ppl in there.
In conclusion, FML.
I saw some scary shit at the detox centre, not sure how well I'll be able to cope when I'm in there. At least I have a wife and job to come back to, which I imagine is more than most ppl in there.
In conclusion, FML.
^Try to look at it this way, it's FYL if you don't go through with it. You are probably saving your life by taking this step.
I wish you the best.
I wish you the best.
Haven't posted here much lately due to work constraints (used to have a job that allowed me to post all day, now not so much), so I'm not even sure why I'm posting this. All I can say is that I value you guys as a sounding board.
I have a serious drinking problem. I've gotten it under control from time to time over the years, but it always comes back with a vengence. I made a decision to stop drinking completely about a month ago, didn't make it a week. I've been going to AA, which is helpful, but I have issues with the religious overtones.
My wife is very supportive, I honestly don't know how I'd get by without her. I'm hoping that my employer will be willing to give me a week or two off to deal with this shit. I've been working at a call centre for ppl on welfare and disability for the last 5 months or so, I've been told that I do a good job so hopefully I won't get canned.
I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. Any advice or lessons learned from personal experience would be greatly appreciated.
I`m off to see the intake ppl now, be back in a couple hrs
Dude, if I can be of any help in any way please don't hesitate. This is the most important thing you'll probably ever do, and it takes a lot of courage to begin it. Bless you.
As for AA and the religious overtones - if you find the fellowship there helpful enough to want to be there, the best I can suggest is to relax as best you can about some of what's said there. Over time you'll find that there are all kinds of people there who believe every kind of thing, and some who believe nothing at all. The people who stay aren't there because they all agree on the religious stuff but because they're the folks that the mutual support program happens to work for.
Which is better said than the way I put it. The thing to remember is that any alcoholic or addict can only speak about recovery out of their own experience, and the fact that there are millions of folks in recovery who seek to help others means that there are millions of different experiences to share.
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Please don't think this way. As auntiehill said, you're saving your life.
If you have a serious drinking problem (though I don't know anything about your lifestyle or consumption amounts or anything else), and you're checking yourself in for detoxification, and your wife and employer are supportive -- then you shouldn't say "Fuck my life," you should be saying, "Thank God for my life." You've got support that most addicts will never, ever have.
Alcoholics come from all works of life. I'm in marketing. My sponsor worked in a factory. His sponsor is an IT expert. His sponsor is a retired salesman. In my meetings, I've met bankers, corporate vice presidents, retail workers, Marines, restaurant servers, chefs, cab drivers and more. But while we all come from different backgrounds, we have far more in common than we do differences.
One of the hardest parts of the early days of recovery is the guilt and the false pride and the thinking that, "Oh, shit, there's no way I can do this."
But I'm here, and I'm telling you that you can get sober. It takes a lot of work, and constant vigilance, but it's possible, and it happens, and there is no greater gift in this world than waking up in the morning and saying, "I'm not hung over, I feel good, I'm ready to take on the day, and when I go to bed tonight sober, that means tomorrow can be a good day, too."
All the best to you, Colonel Green. I hope that detox goes well and that you find a program that works for you. We are all behind you and will do whatever we can to help!
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
Haven't posted here much lately due to work constraints (used to have a job that allowed me to post all day, now not so much), so I'm not even sure why I'm posting this. All I can say is that I value you guys as a sounding board.
I have a serious drinking problem. I've gotten it under control from time to time over the years, but it always comes back with a vengence. I made a decision to stop drinking completely about a month ago, didn't make it a week. I've been going to AA, which is helpful, but I have issues with the religious overtones.
My wife is very supportive, I honestly don't know how I'd get by without her. I'm hoping that my employer will be willing to give me a week or two off to deal with this shit. I've been working at a call centre for ppl on welfare and disability for the last 5 months or so, I've been told that I do a good job so hopefully I won't get canned.
I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. Any advice or lessons learned from personal experience would be greatly appreciated.
I`m off to see the intake ppl now, be back in a couple hrs
I know you and I have had our differences but good luck, man.
Sending my best Colonel Green.
That's really cool! Like you say, you've got a great foundation for recovery, which may be more than the other folks.
Good luck CG. It can be done. My father was an alcoholic for most of my childhood and adult life and then one day he stopped drinking. If that man could do it, anyone could. {{{squishy hug}}}
For what it's worth, Colonel Green, I don't count days of sobriety. I know a lot of people do, and AA hands out "chips" for intervals of sobriety, which is cool, but -- for me, again, not speaking for anyone else -- that doesn't help. It's actually a hindrance. Like a lot of things, the quality of the sobriety is far more important than the quantity. My sponsor's only been sober for three years, but his sponsor, with 21 years, is going nuts due to unresolved amends he hasn't yet made to his kids. I trust the words of my sponsor a lot more than I do those of his sponsor, because right now the latter is white-knuckling it, he isn't talking and I'm not sure how much longer he's going to keep up with all of it.
That's not to say that prolonged sobriety is doomed to fail, or that everyone relapses. I'm not saying that at all. I know a guy, 73 years old last week, who's been sober since he was 24 years old. He drank like a fish from 15 - 24. But he's living life, loving life, and is enjoying the twilight of his days. I'm just saying that, in my experience, I stay sober by really and truly taking each day at a time. I'm still an alcoholic -- I just didn't drink today. Or yesterday. Or the day before that. And so on. and I'm okay with that.
That's not to say that prolonged sobriety is doomed to fail, or that everyone relapses. I'm not saying that at all. I know a guy, 73 years old last week, who's been sober since he was 24 years old. He drank like a fish from 15 - 24. But he's living life, loving life, and is enjoying the twilight of his days. I'm just saying that, in my experience, I stay sober by really and truly taking each day at a time. I'm still an alcoholic -- I just didn't drink today. Or yesterday. Or the day before that. And so on. and I'm okay with that.
^Tim, I just wanted to thank you so much for sharing your story. I know it was intended mainly for Green, as is fitting. But I think you have given many of us a lot to think about with regard to those in our own lives who struggle with addiction. Thanks so much for your insight. And I'm so glad to hear that you are doing okay. 
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