- Alcohol
- Drugs
My story is a tale many can relate to. I have seen my share of ups and downs throughout my brief time on this Earth. The ups can all be attributed to blessings given by God. The majority of the downs can be attributed to blunders I caused myself with the aid of my good friend, or so I thought, alcohol.
I started drinking at a young age, about thirteen. I didn’t drink frequently, but drank far too heavily when I did. I drank on most weekends for a few years, but never got too serious with it until I hit about 16. I began drinking so heavily around that time that I frequently ended up in a blackout. I nearly killed myself one morning in a single car accident that did nothing to deter my desire to drink heavily. I entered and graduated outpatient treatment, but that did nothing to decrease my desire to drink. Not only did I maintain my heavy drinking quantities, but I increased the frequency in which I drank as I entered college. Arrests, blackouts, problems with relationships, and a constant compromising of my morals did not diminish my lust for alcohol.
As I got a little older, I graduated college, began working in the real world, had a wonderful family, and tried my best to decrease the frequency in which I drank. I would do well for periods of time, but as soon as I took that first drink, no one knew when I would stop, not even me. I frequently placed my desire to stay out all night drinking above how it would affect my family, my productivity in my professional life and, more importantly, how it would compromise my spiritual life with God. My drinking led to the destruction of the happy family I had and this led to what I prayed would be the bottom of my drinking career. I still didn’t drink over a couple of times a week, but I didn’t need the practice of daily drinking to get myself into trouble; I did just fine on a part-time schedule.
The night of Father’s Day in 2009, I drank myself into such an oblivion that I decided going into work still drunk the following morning was a much better idea than calling in “sick.” I showed up to work and was sent home, as I was obviously still drunk and falling asleep in a meeting that Monday morning. I was sent to be tested for drugs and alcohol. I had no drugs in my system, but my B.A.C. came back over two times the legal limit at 9:00 that morning. I feared that alcohol had not only cost me my family, but was about to cost me the job I had worked so hard for. I was blessed with the option of entering an outpatient treatment program instead of losing my job. I entered the program, learned about the disease, and realized I WAS an alcoholic, even though I didn’t drink every day. I always thought of an alcoholic as someone who HAD to drink daily, but I have learned that is not necessarily the case. I have since completed the outpatient program, regularly attend meetings, and have not had a drink since. My life is so much better now than it ever was before. I owe the progress I have made to God, first of all, but secondly, to the people who were so willing to help me overcome my disease. My experience has taught me that people are willing and eager to help others in need, and all they need is the opportunity. I pray my story can inspire another person in need to ask for the help it took me so long to ask for. Help is out there, all you have to do is ask for it!