How have you successfully battled Alcoholism?

Question

What actions have you taken to beat this demon? Was it AA, rehab, meds etc. Have you relapsed? Why are some people prone to this disease and others aren't?

Answer 1

I have spent much of my life wondering why some people are alcoholics and others are not. I am an adult daughter of an alcoholic. My father and first two husbands were alcoholics. Even if you don't have the disease, you still suffer if it is part of anyone's life you care about. The only person I have ever know who conquered it was my dad. It took years of loss and pain, but in the end he truly had it behind him and was able to learn from it.

Answer 2

I am a recovering alcoholic 20 years sober in AA. I keep going to AA because the people that go there are like me-same sort of thinking and emotions. There are thousands of men and women who have recovered from alcoholism with AA's help in this country and worldwide.To stay sober we try and live by our 12 steps which are the suggested program of recovery that we take. We can talk there about our problems. Where else can you do this? That is why alcoholics recover from alcoholism in AA. It isn't a case of being weak willed, alcoholism is an illness.
I have never relapsed because I have never wanted another drink.
Alcoholics are bodily and mentally different from 'ordinary people' whatever they are. We also carry an alcoholic gene I understand which makes us more susceptible to alcohol. It doesn't make us become an alcoholic. Any opinions I have expressed here are mine and are not necessarily the opinions of AA as a whole.

Answer 3

I personally never have had a drug or alcohol dependency, but I have known friends that have.
Keep going to the AA meetings, and get yourself a sponsor. Participate in the meetings so you will actually benefit from them. Don't go out with so-called friends who invite you to go to bars or parties, where there obviously will be alcohol there. That's not a true friend looking out for your best interest.
You must go back and research in your mind what is or was going on in your life that led you to start drinking in the first place.
Talk with a therapist, if you think that may help you. I think some meds may be beneficial. I knew someone who went into rehab for awhile, and he said it helped him. But only you can continue with the winning streak once you get out on your own.
Sometimes I have heard it can be hereditary, but I'm not sure on the research behind that notion.
Think also about how many lives can be saved if you or someone else doesn't take that drink and get on the road.
It's a new year. A good time for a good resolution for a good cause...for your benefit and the benefit of others.
Good luck to you.

Answer 4

I think by dealing with the original causes of the alcoholism.

I went to my GP who was very supportive, and confimed that I was indeed alcoholic this helped a lot as it helped me to understand I did really have a problem that needed sorting. He gave me some pills (antabuse) to take every day and said seriously I might die if I drank whilst taking them - It was good because he was there for me and not blaming.

When I got clear of the urge to drink I was able to start therapy on the causes. My partner too is an ex alcoholic and AA worked for him. Both of us have a really abusive childhood to get over and underlying mental health problems.

I think you have to take a route to recovery that you can happily throw yourself in to and believe in. Its horses for courses.

I havent relapsed becasue I dont go into places where alcohol is as people who are drunk, like my abusive father, scare me to bits - their eyes go vacant like there is no one inside.

Also I hate cigarette smoke it makes me cough so one of the good things about giving up was waking up to a sensitivity to all that dirt and unhealthiness of the pub as a meeting place. My thoughts are that some people are more easily hooked because they are more sensitive to the pain of life and have no resilience so cant deal with it and self medication with a substance that wipes out the pain seems a reasonable solution.
I dont think of alcoholism as a demon just soemthing I did to myself which didnt work but had far reaching effects I had to deal with. I was told it was only labelled a disease so that those in the US could claim insurance for help in rehab and to allow other medics to take it seriously. I am not sure that I personally would label alcoholism a disease - I think of it as an addiction everyone I know who is alcoholic and has stopped drinking obsesses on some other substance or activity and so on and infinitum - I stopped drinking thirty years ago and a current addiction is bitter chocolate.I think others arent susceptible as they haven't crashed through their own psychological safety barrier to a place where aclohol is the answer and becomes god.

Answer 5

Rehab. That's how I did it. I haven't relapsed but I've come pretty close because a lot of the feelings I had before are still there and that's really hard especially when I'm just trying to be sober. I'm still sad and still angry and I know how to deal with it better but I really don't have much of a support system outside of my family.

I am prone to addictions and alcoholism because it's genetic, it's in my family. That and I live the kind of life and I have the kind of personality that allows for me to be rebellious and that's how it started. But now it's a mental ilness that I have to battle everyday.

Answer 6

I used to think nothing of getting through up to a litre and a half of scotch every day, but despite that I never regarded myself as being an alcoholic. Hard up yes, but alcoholic no!
Then one day over six years ago I said to my friends "I'm not buying any more when that's gone" pointing to the bottles on the shelf, and sure enough, when it had all gone, that was it.
It had so little effect on me that a fortnight later I gave up smoking as well - and as for that, I was on over 100 a day. To this day I have never smoked, and although I did have a little drop or three of Banana liqueur at midnight the other night, I've not had a drink either.
I was obviously VERY lucky insofar as I had no ill- or side-effects in the form of withdrawal symptoms, and to this day I can't understand why! I just thank my lucky stars I was able to do it without any outside help.
The moral of the story is that if I can do it, I would think ANYBODY can !

Answer 7

not personally as from an early age I have been acutely aware of the effects of alcohol on family life I truly believe it is genetic.Lots of members of my family suffer from this My father and brother before they died were self confessed alcoholics both died young. My sister is an alcoholic and is detoxing at present 2 other siblings are heavy drinkers/alcoholics so although I like to have a glass of wine with dinner or a beer on a hot summer day I have always been careful of my intake....however I am thinking of giving up completely because of the genetic element of the disease. Good luck for the future

Answer 8

I have beaten it. I drank a lot when i was younger. u just stop. AA Will not work. rehab's Will not work. when u have had enough u Will either quit it or it will cause something to happen to force u to quit. like death, jail, prison, or if u are lucky u will do it w/out any drastic life altering happenings in ur life. the easy way is to replace one habit with another. smoke-ing, hard candy to keep ur self busy. being preached at will not work. sex can help alot if u have the out let available. good luck because u will need it.

Answer 9

i'm not an alchoholic. never drunk anything alcoholic in my life till now.

Answer 10

bringing blood up. frightens you to death