Sunday, October 12, 2014

Fighting For Your Life In Recovery

When someone has been addicted to alcohol or drugs for most of their lives there comes a time that many will say, "enough is enough".  This was my life while drinking and abusing alcohol for many years.

I started drinking alcohol at the age of nineteen because of something that came into my life that I felt I couldn't handle being sober, so I took up drinking thinking this would be the fix all of my problems, and was I ever wrong.

Nothing got fix, in fact with drinking and abusing this drug over the years I depended on alcohol each and everyday as a result.  As the years went by I realized, "I am an alcoholic!" I thought that just drinking to feel good would wind up me being an alcoholic in the future.

There was one thing though.  I knew deep down inside that I was addicted to alcohol, but I just never wanted to admit to others, and I in turn I really lived in denial.  I told myself, and other I could stop drinking alcohol anytime I wanted, but I knew for a fact that this addiction to alcohol got the best of me and it showed according to others that knew me, including my wife and children.

Fighting for your life in Recovery would be the next thing I would have to do, once I finally got out of the denial I lived in for so long, and decided to get and stay sober.

As you all might know, especially those alcoholics out there that are reading this, it is not a easy thing to say goodbye to the one thing you love and depend on each and everyday.

If I wanted to save my family, and in the long run, save my own life, I would have to surrender to the demons that had control of my life and the lives of my family.

On the night of October 26, 2009 I finally made up my mind to surrender once and for all to the demons of alcohol.  I sat in the garage as I usually did all alone ready to open my first of many beers for that night and all of a sudden a voice came in to my head.  That voice was the voice of God,

Many of you may not believe it, and then some of you just might.  I wrote a hub on this experience of the night of October 26th and it is titled "A Life Changing Whisper."

That was the night that changed my life.  To be able to hear the words of God in my head.  I sat with a beer in my hand not even opened yet.  I sat and listened to the words spoken to me and to tell you truth those words frightened me to death, because I knew right then that I MUST do something to change my life right that moment.

I put the beer down, that I never opened, and said to myself, "tomorrow October 27, 2009 will be the change in my life, and I will never ever pick up a alcoholic drink for the rest of my life."

October 27th is only day away as I write this and it will be 5 years clean and sober for me.  This is something I never thought I could ever do.  I thought all those years that I drank, why stop drinking now, the damage is already done with all the years I drank and abused alcohol, so why bother now was my words for many years."  I was wrong in that statement I said to myself.

So ever since that day in October of 2009 my life has changed in so many ways, but believe me it was not easy to say goodbye to my addiction, BUT I did it and so can you!

Remember, each and everyone of us only have one life to live, so why would we destroy it with an avoidable addiction to either alcohol or drugs?

I truly can't believe in a few days I will be clean and sober for 5 years! My sobriety not only changed my life, but I have changed the lives of my wife, children, families members and dear friends, and I am not talking about the so called friends I drank with because they are all out of my life ever since I stopped drinking alcohol, for we now have nothing in common.  Sad to say, But very true.

So just remember, you need to fight for your life while in recovery, because everyday there may be some type of temptation or urge to drink again.  I (we) will always be alcoholics no matter how you look at it, but we all must be stronger than the demons that once ran our lives, and other lives that we were so close to.

Be strong each and everyday of you new life. Stay clean and sober and try to help others as I do to make them understand that there is HOPE for every alcoholic and drug addict. 

If you get sober and just happen to relapse, get back up and try again until you get it right. Anything is possible in life if you truly want it bad enough and that includes a life of  long term sobriety!