This time 3 years ago I was in my dinning room listening to my cousin tell me how I needed to go to rehab and thinking to myself, “I have not lost anything at rehab”. I was in Lighthouse (Recovery Center of America), May’s Landing N.J. 6am the next morning. Best thing I could have done for myself. I knew nothing about AA, being an alcoholic, or getting sober. Wow was I blind and dumb. There were some good old addicts there who helped me get on the right side of things and a bunch of young folks who taught me about Alcohol Addiction, (out 45 of us there I was the 3rd or 4th oldest.50yrs) . They explained how addiction works and what I needed to do to get sober. I remember one of the counselors there saying to me that the most wonderful thing about being there was I only had to get sober once. I was also tripping on the fact that a great many working there suffered from some type of addiction and were using the steps to stay clean (sober). They earned my respect very quickly.
Now, since then I’ve had drinking dreams so real that for over a year I thought when I came home from rehab I went out and drank on two occasions, until my wife said it wasn’t true.
I’ve had good days and bad, but stayed sober. Did the 30 AA meetings in 30 days (more like 50 in 30).
Read any and everything on sobriety and addiction (still do). Took every suggestion given to me except get a sponsor, but my 75 year old “12 Stepper” neighbor checked on me daily. I consider myself to be a “12 Stepper”. It has and continues to work for me.
Soberity has made life so much better for me and my wife so very happy.
Anyone reading this and just getting started I’m telling you there is life after alcohol. There is a life you have never known or forgotten about. Once that drink is taken from your lips life changes. You have to deal with life on life’s terms.
You will have your ups and downs, but life is better on the other side. You just have to stay out of the weeds.
Once an alcoholic always an alcoholic, but not always a drunkard.
It truly does take a drunk to get a drunk sober.
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Thank you for sharing. This is truly inspirational.
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Congrats! Thanks for sharing
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Thank you so much for this much needed post and congratulations on your days
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Congrats!! Very inspirational. Thank you
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Congratulations on your 3 years!!! Very impressive!! Keep up the great work!!
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Thank you so very much.
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