ALCOHOL ADDICTION - Where Is Your Life Headed?

Unfortunately, there are millions of people that have an alcohol addiction, and in other cases addicted to drugs as well. It is so sad to see so many people in the world having these addictions that will in the end ruin their life, and the lives they share, and in other cases, DEATH by self-destruction.

Here are a few things from my own experiences of being addicted to alcohol, and have been tagged as an alcoholic for the rest of my life. I made my bed so I must now lie in it right, BUT I was strong enough to admit that I had an alcohol problem and I did something to change my life.  I stopped drinking alcohol and couldn't happier.

Alcohol addiction, and where your life is headed is something to really think about if you care to live a longer, healthier and happier life.

I thought many times over the many years I drank alcohol that I should really slow down or quit drinking alcohol for good, BUT I didn't have the willpower to just stop drinking and never touch alcohol  again.

I thought, "how can I survive without alcohol in my life. Wouldn't life be boring I thought to myself."  "What would my drinking buddies think if I decided to just stop drinking?"

Well, back in October of 2009 it finally hit me and I thought, "where is my life headed if I continue to drink and ABUSE alcohol?"

1.  I thought long and hard of my past with drinking and abusing alcohol.
2.  I thought of the hurt I put on others by my actions, and things I said to the ones that loved me and          cared for me.
3.  I thought of all the money I was blowing on alcohol when my family needed more important things        such as food.
4.  I thought about all the quality time and family gatherings I missed out on because I wanted to stay          home and drink.
5.  I thought about my health and what my physical appearance started to look like.
6.  I looked in the mirror and said to myself, "I look like crap and not what I used to look like."

Do any of these statements ring a bell to you yet?  I hope so because I think all of us alcoholics have thought about this, and deep down wanted to get sober, but we just didn't have to willpower to stop.

Well, for myself the statements above made my make a change in my life and a HUGE change in my family's life as well.

Any of us can do this, as I did, if you truly want a new life for yourself.  It just takes some Massive Action on your part to make this happen for you.  It won't be easy, BUT anything good in life doesn't come easy and that includes GETTING and STAYING SOBER.

God Bless all of you that are suffering from an addiction. You can do it!!! It is worth trying and trying HARD. You will not be sorry you changed your life, I Promise You!

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!

Never Lose Hope On A Life Of Sobriety

Many people that have an addiction to alcohol want in the worse way to be sober, but their addiction is holding them back from getting and staying sober. Many times the alcoholic is simply not ready for sobriety to be back in their life.  I was one of them. For many years I tried to get and stay sober with no success.

I did get sober twice in the years I drank.  The first time sobriety lasted for about a year and the second time I tried to stay sober lasted only two years until I went back to my old ways of drinking and abusing alcohol.

The reason for these two failures of trying to stay sober was that I simply wasn't ready to stop drinking and live a life with long term sobriety, BUT I never gave up hope on myself.  I knew sooner or later I would finally admit that something had to be done with my life and live with long term sobriety.

You can never lose hope on a life of sobriety.  The road to recovery is tough when you have an addiction to alcohol or any drugs for that matter, but if you continue to keep hope alive you will achieve that life you wished for.

If you truly want to change your life, and know that you indeed need to change your life, than anything is possible in life, and that includes long term sobriety.

Like I said earlier, it took me three times to get and stay sober, but I never gave up hope that one day I would finally surrender to the one thing that was running and ruining my life, and that was my addiction to alcohol.  The third time was the charm for me and I thank God each and everyday for giving me the hope, the willingness and the strength to get sober and stay sober.

You truly need to love and believe in yourself in order to have a wonderful life of sobriety.  You also need to get out of that negative mood you are in because of your addiction.  For myself, I was a very negative person and always wondered why nothing would ever work out the way I wanted it to.  Once I became sober and changed my attitude in life to nothing but positive, everything I wanted and dreamed of started to become a reality for me.

As hard as it was to finally make that life change and become sober, it was worth every bit of hard work, and my life shows it now.  I am a much happier person.  I continue to keep a positive attitude even when times are tough, and I never once reached for an alcoholic drink just because things were a little rough.

If you never give up hope, your life will indeed change as mine did.  Sometimes it may take longer than you wanted it to take, but if you continue to try your very hardest to change your life, it will happen.  Like I said before, it took three tries before I nailed sobriety and got rid of the demons that were in my life for so many years.  Three is a charm so they say!

So my advice to all those that are suffering from an addiction to drugs or alcohol is to NEVER give up hope on yourself.  Your life is so precious, and all of us were put on this Earth for a reason.  All of us should enjoy the life we were given and not destroy your one and only life with an addiction.

Lets everyone try our very hardest to make that change, and take Massive Action in order to make that change.  Some of us may have to stay distant from our friends that we drank with in order to keep that temptation and urge to drink again from coming over us.  As for myself, I did just that, and in the long run I lost many friends because now we had nothing in common such as drinking and getting drunk with each other.

It seemed like they all ran away because my life was now much different than their life was. I was sober and they still had their demons running their lives. I never preached to them about sobriety, although they saw that I was a new man because of my sobriety.  My hope is for one day they see the light as I did back in 2009.

NOW LET ME TELL YOU WHAT THINGS HAVE CHANGED IN MY LIFE BECAUSE I NEVER GAVE UP HOPE!

• Even though I had lost many friends because of my sobriety, I gained many new sober friends in the end. Great sober friends are really awesome.  To be able to speak a conversation with out blurring your words, and to not get in any drunken fights because the alcohol is altering your thinking and acting is a wonderful thing.

• Back when I drank and abused alcohol my relationship with my wife and children started to decline, although we still loved each other very much, it still wasn't the same when I drank.  Today, now being sober the relationship with my wife and children are unbelievable.  It is so amazing how being sober and happy can change so many lives that are in your life.  People now are excited to be in my company and I get along with each and everyone of them.  No one wants to be around a drunk person unless that person is also drunk. Misery loves company so they say, and believe me I was very miserable when I drank.

• When I had a couple of drinks there were many people that stood and talked to me at parties or other occasions, BUT after those couple of drinks as I continue on my way to getting drunk I started to feel the effects of the alcohol and then people would shy away from me because they knew what the future hours would bring as far as my continuing to drink. Now being sober I still go to those parties and occasions, but without a drink in my hand and still have those conversations that last the complete night without anyone walking away because of me getting too drunk. Sober conversations are always the best believe me.

• I truly believe, and I hope that I am a service to many people that read my articles here on my blog and on so many other websites.  I write just about everyday regarding alcohol addiction and ways that I have found that helped me get and stay sober since October of 2009. Writing has been my life since 2009 when I got sober.  Each article I write gives me more hope knowing that maybe one of these articles will touch someones life and will help them to understand that having an addiction of any sort is not the end of their life.  Never give up hope on your new life.  All of you that have an addiction have the chance to make that life change.  The only thing you have to do is to want your life back no matter what it takes to get it back.

• Writing about my alcohol addiction experience indeed helps me to stay sober each day.  Some may wonder how writing keeps me sober and my answer is... as I write, I think about the way my life was years ago when I abused alcohol, and then I think as I write, how many people I maybe helping that have been suffering with their addiction as I was for so many years.  It brings me great joy and happiness to know I may help someone in the world, even if it is only one person. 

I pray for all those that are suffering with an addiction, and hope everyone can get clean and sober and live that one and only life they have with happiness, contentment, love and sobriety. 

How Remembering Your Past Alcohol Addiction Helps With Your Recovery And Long Term Sobriety

This has helped me in many ways over the past years of my sobriety.  How remembering your past alcohol addiction helps with your recovery and long term sobriety.

I have been sober since October 27, 2009, and I must say it has been a journey to say the least. Many times during those years of recovery the urge and temptation to drink alcohol again came over more than I can say.

Once the urge or temptation came on me I admittedly thought of my past drinking days and what I did to myself and those that loved and cared for me. I remembered the wrong things I said, and the wrong things I did.  By thinking of my past addiction, and the things I did and said put a stop to the urge and temptation to drink alcohol again.

I knew and learned over the years that drinking alcohol solved nothing, and in fact only made things worse.  I drank alcohol all those years thinking that whatever was wrong in my life it would just go away by drinking and abusing alcohol.

If you are in recovery and those temptations and urges come over you, like they do me, just remember those bad days of your addiction and hopefully that reminder of those days will put a stop to picking up that drink of alcohol.  It really works for me and I truly think it will work for you, BUT you have to be stronger than that temptation and those urges to drink.

Another thing that pops into my mind when that urge to drink comes over me is all the years I have been sober and if I were to touch that drop of alcohol all those years would be in vein,, meaning I would have to start at day one in my sobriety and that is something you or I would never want to happen!

So, this is what really helps me to stay clean and sober, and hopefully this will help you to remain sober when that temptation or urge to drink comes over you.

Granted, I am sure that urge will come over you, more than once during your recovery, as it does me, but if you think of what your past was while drinking and abusing alcohol, and give that urge some time to pass, you will be just fine.  Just do yourself a favor and never give in to the demons that will always be inside our bodies. You must be much stronger than them, and if you keep that positive attitude and stay strong (you and I will be just fine!)

God Bless all those that have made it to sobriety and have had the strength to surrender to their inner demons, and God Bless all those that are still coping with their addiction to alcohol, but never fear, with the right frame of mind, having a positive attitude and having the willingness to stop drinking forever, all will be fine for you.  

It is not the end of the world because you have an addiction, but it could be if you don't change your life around for the better.  

I DID IT AND SO CAN YOU!

How Life Can Change Just By Changing Your Life

HERE IS WHERE MY WIFE AND I SIT HERE ON LONG BEACH ISLAND.

For anyone that has an addiction of any sort, such as alcoholism or drugs, we tend to be simply down in the dumps most of the time, and the only thing that somewhat makes us happy is to drink or use.  At least this is my opinion, and my experiences with drinking and abusing alcohol for many years.

After that first one or two drinks, you start to forget all the problems you may have because you just care and only care about getting to that drunk you had the day before.  Mine you, this is my experiences and I am not speaking for anyone else that drinks or uses drugs.

Then it comes the time where you are feeling no pain because of the alcohol, and you begin to start feeling sorry for yourself and start crying in you booze.  "Why me?"  "Why doesn't anything ever work out for me?"  "Why don't I have what others have in their life?" Does any of this sound familiar to you?

It sure does to me, and it is very familiar indeed. You have to realize how life can change just by changing your life. I know it may sound stupid, but it is the truth and it really does work.  Changing your life and your lifestyle will indeed give you a brand new life in the end.

Just by changing your life, meaning giving up alcohol or drugs, and get out of the denial you have been living in will truly change everything, including your life.

Back in October of 2009 I decided to change my own life meaning, I finally got out of the denial I was living in and surrendered to my alcohol demons.   Ever since that night sitting in the garage all alone drinking my last beer of my life I knew deep down inside that getting and staying sober has to be far greater than drinking my life away and slowly killing myself along the way.

You don't have to be an alcoholic.  You have a choice of being drunk all the time or living a clean and sober life.  The choice is in your hands so make the right decision and change your life around all for the better.  Your body and those that love and care for you will thank you, Trust Me!

I have hundreds of articles I have written on HubPages.com so click here to read them.  They might just change your way of looking at life, and hopefully help you to change your life and life a life of sobriety.

How To Stop The Urge To Drink Alcohol While In Recovery

Here is how to stop the urge to drink alcohol while in recovery from what works best for me now being sober for over four years.

As we all know, or for anyone that has an alcohol addiction problem, we know that urges and temptations to drink alcohol come over us more than once while we are trying to stay sober.  For myself when those urges come over me I look back at the dark days of hell when I drank and abused alcohol.

It is a reminder of just how my life was, always depending on the alcohol to make me have a good day, so I thought.

You need to really think of what you put your body through, and not only that, what you put your family and friends through while you were drinking and abusing alcohol.  You know that when we drink too much, and are addicted to the substance that just may ruin your life, and the lives of others, you have to realize once you are sober and that urge comes about you can not give in ever!

The demons that are still inside us are just waiting for us to mess up and pick up that one glass of alcohol.  That one glass of alcohol that will be the ruination of out sobriety.

I know for myself, if I were to touch one sip of alcohol it would be the end of my long term sobriety, and I am sure it would be the same for anyone that has been sober for some time.  All of us have to be stronger than any urge or temptation to drink alcohol and it has to be forever.

Here is what I think about when that urge to drink comes over me:

• How I felt while drinking and abusing alcohol.
• What I put my family through all those years of drinking.
• The money I spent on alcohol instead of spending it on my families needs.
• The massive hangovers every morning.
• What I began to look like over time appearance wise.
• How I felt physically and mentally.
• How negative I became.
• How I felt sorry for myself and wondered why nothing ever went my way.

These are just a few things I think of when that urge to drink comes over me.  Believe me it is enough to say NO to alcohol.

Back in October of 2009, the 26th to be exact, I made a promise to myself that no matter what ever happened in my life, whether it be good or bad I would never pick up an alcoholic drink ever again and believe me, many things have happened over the last four years, some good and some bad, BUT it was never enough to make me drink alcohol again.

I always thought drinking alcohol would solve all my troubles in life and once I became sober I found out that that theory, or saying was dead wrong!  Alcohol solved NOTHING, it only made matters worse!  

Now being sober for the last four years I feel so much better.

My appearance has improved 100%.

All the weight I gained while drinking has disappeared, and I am back to the weight I should be.

My family and married life has changed 100%, all for the better.

No more massive hangovers.

My appetite is going strong.

I am now 100% a positive guy and very happy with the life I now live.

My health is great and I am finally a very happy man!

My dream of living by the Ocean has become a reality, something that never happened as hard as I tried when I was drinking.  Nothing ever worked out for me as hard as I tried.

I guess the old saying is right.... You can't be helped unless you are willing to help yourself first!

Alcohol - The Temporary Escape From Reality

Alcohol the temporary escape from reality is so true and I can certainly relate to it. The buzz or being flat out drunk is only temporary and it will go away when you stop drinking and be taken over by your huge hangover in the morning.

So what should someone do to keep reality and whatever problem you may have from coming back? Well of course, keep on drinking and keep that drunk on.  This is what many people do to escape from reality.  They continue to drink each day hoping for things in their life to get better, not knowing that those problems will never go away because you are drinking alcohol.

I used to think, "wow I feel great drinking all this alcohol and I am not worried about a thing."  Sure drinking will tend to ease the problem because you simply don't care anymore at that time, until the booze wears off and then reality sets in and Bang, there is your problem you originally had.

Drinking alcohol will sometimes just make matters worse than they are.  You sit there drinking your life away coming up with all these stupid ideas that you may think will work to solve this so called problem in your life, and when you sober up and reality sets in again those so called great ideas sound stupid.

Your sober and think to yourself, "how in the world would this idea I had last night being drunk even work?"  Although last night when thinking up these wonderful ideas, they all sounded great, because you were not thinking clearly and you were drunk.  Does any of this sound familiar to you?  It sure does to me!

When I was drinking and getting drunker by the minute I thought I could run the world. I thought nothing could get me down. I knew everything and had answer for anything, although those answers were most likely wrong.

Alcohol is a wonderful thing?  It make you forget about anything happening in your life, but just for short while until you sober up.

Don't get me wrong, I love alcohol and loved to drink it every single day of the week without missing on day.  If by chance I was sick and down in bed, my mind only though about when "will I get better so I can drink again?"  That is really a sorry thing to think about when you are down and out with sickness and you are thinking about drinking alcohol and not thinking about getting better and what you can do to get better fast.  It was as if someone cut one of my limbs off.  That is how addicted you can get when you are missing a day or so without alcohol.  Pretty sad right? It is sickening to me now being sober.

I would give a anything to go into a club and have a drink or two and just shoot the breeze with the people at the bar, but I can't do that.  One or two drinks wouldn't cut it for me.  I would start a fire inside me if I were to have one sip of alcohol.

I know what would happen to me, so that is why I simply don't drink anything.  You have to know your body.  I know for a fact if I drank one sip of alcohol I would be right back to drinking alcohol every single day of the week.  That's why I don't drink and will continue not to drink for the rest of my life.  Sad, but true!

I have a friend that has written a book and has a website called "living sober sucks, (but living drunk sucks more)" Those words are so true in my book now.  Living sober does indeed SUCK, but I have to do what I have to do in order to save my life and all those that are in my life.  Family and friends are far more important to me than any alcohol by far. What is your choice?

I guess it is all what you want in life.  To be happy, healthy and sober or just live drunk everyday.  Sooner or later the alcohol will indeed catch up with you and you will be the one that suffers in the end.

Alcohol Addiction And How It Will Effect Your Life And Others

So many people have this huge problem with alcohol addiction.  We all need to really sit down and think of our alcohol addiction and how it will effect your life and others in the future and right as of today.

We get so involved in our addiction to alcohol and we tend to forget about our life and what our addiction is doing to others that care and love us so.

The more we drink and abuse alcohol the more we are getting addicted. I know from my experience of drinking alcohol, that as each week passed by I needed more and more to get to that point of being satisfied with the buzz I was out to achieve.

We tend to get blinded by our own addiction.  We think more of alcohol than our own life and others that are being effected by what we are doing.

Do you think you are just a social drinker or do you think deep down inside you may have an alcohol addiction?

HERE ARE SOME TELL TALE SIGNS THAT YOU MAY HAVE A DRINKING PROBLEM.

• Do you try to hide your alcohol and pretend you don't drink as much as others think?
• Are you ashamed or feel guilty by your drinking habits?
• Does your family or friends worry or say things regarding your drinking?
• Do you need to have alcohol in order to get through each day?
• Do you drink alcohol in order to relax?
• Do you disagree with what others say to you regarding your alcohol intake?
• You never know when to stop drinking.
• You think of alcohol, and when you can have your first drink of the day as soon as you wake up.
• You drink alcohol alone.
• You are embarrassed of your addiction.
• And you live in denial, thinking there is nothing wrong whatsoever by what you do.
• You use alcohol to try and solve problems.
• You relationships are falling apart, but you do nothing to stop drinking. 
• You refuse to attend a function that alcohol would not be served.
• Continue to have trouble with the law (DUI) etc.
• You make any excuse to drink alcohol.

So there are a few things I can think about, and what effected my life regarding my own addiction to alcohol.

If you think you may have a problem with your drinking, then really consider making a life change and seek living life clean and sober. Believe me, lots of your drinking buddies will say something to you about your decision to quit drinking alcohol, but never let that stands in your way of sobriety.

Let them continue to kill themselves as your life begins to improve and you get healthy and happier as each day passes. You will never regret living a life of sobriety.  As I said many times before, "all of us here on Earth have but one life to live," so why would we shorten that one life with an avoidable addiction to alcohol?

One thing I have learned that helped me get sober and stay sober is having a positive attitude. It has changed my life in more ways than one. You need to continue to tell yourself that you Can and Will get and stay sober. No negative thoughts whatsoever, and that means anything you do in life, not just getting sober.

How To Help An Alcoholic Quit Drinking

HERE ARE THE TWO BEACH CHAIRS MY WIFE AND I SAT IN MANY TIMES LOOKING AT THE OCEAN AND THANKING GOD FOR MY SOBRIETY.

There are so many families that have one or even two people (husbands and wives) that are are addicted to alcohol.  In many cases that I know of, and one case was my past addiction to alcohol that my wife wanted to help me try and quit drinking alcohol, but anything she said, I just wouldn't listen because I thought she didn't know what she was talking about.  After all, in my mind, I had no problem whatsoever with my alcohol, and how much I drank of it. I guess I was living in denial for sure.

That being said, there are, I am sure, millions of families going through the same thing as I did.  The spouse wants in the worse way to know how to help an alcoholic quit drinking, but doesn't know the right way to go about it without getting into a huge argument with the alcoholic.

It is like walking on eggshells in a sense.  You want to help the alcoholic, but worry at the same time that you my light a fuse and make things worse than they really are.  Some spouses just say nothing and deal with the tortures the alcoholic puts them through, until one day, they just have had enough.

That is when things could get ugly in a sense, because they have been holding back saying to the alcoholic what they really think and feel.  They just want to help the alcoholic get sober again and remain sober, but in many cases lost for words.  And suddenly they start to spurt out everything they have been holding back for so long.

Sometimes arguments and fights may start because the alcoholic knows the truth deep down, but they still don't want to be helped.  They may say, (as I did) "I can stop drinking alcohol anytime I wish."  Well you know, as well as I know that is a false statement, at least for me it was.

Sometimes the alcoholic needs to be threatened, such as the spouse threatening to leave and not come back until things in the alcoholics life changes for the better.  Sometimes, as hard as it might be to do, you need to light a fire under the alcoholics butt and let them know you mean business in every word you speak.

Many times this will work and make the alcoholic think twice before drinking another alcoholic drink.  It worked for me that's for sure.  Those words, "I WILL LEAVE YOU IF YOU DON'T STOP DRINKING!"

Words such as those are not to hurt the alcoholic, they are to help them.  Those words of meaning business may save the marriage or relationship and will in turn save the alcoholics life. Tough love as they call it!

I guess the whole thing here is, if the alcoholic truly loves their spouse, parents or relationship enough, they will stop drinking alcohol and start their recovery process towards long term sobriety.  That is what will make the difference of continuing to drink or quitting drinking.  Love, and what is more important in their life.  Their spouses, families and friends or alcohol?  It is not a hard decision to make!

If you really want your spouse to get sober and stay sober try sitting down with him/her while they are sober, (with no alcohol in them) and try to explain in a calm way what they are doing to them self and how their drinking is effecting the family and friends they have.

The alcoholic has to know this unless they are totally blind to the whole situation.  I knew and agreed that every word spoken was correct, BUT when a alcoholic lives in denial it might be a bit hard to convince them to stop drinking.

The alcoholic has to be ready to change his/her life on their own and not be forced or threatened into sobriety, because if the alcoholic is not ready, no matter what you say will make a difference. I can relate, because I had those talks many times and might of stopped drinking for short time to let the fire burn out and then, bang, right back at my old habits.

In the case of my 2009 experience drinking my beer in the garage all alone, a voice came into my head and it was a voice that changed my life forever.  While the talks I had with my wife helped me understand what I was doing to the family and myself, the voice that came about me convinced me I had to get sober and to do it at that moment.

HERE IS THE ARTICLE I WROTE ON HUBPAGES
 A LIFE CHANGING WHISPER

I wish that every alcoholic could experience what I did. Many people will not believe me and what I have written in this article, but I know what I heard and that is all that matters.  I am a SOBER guy once again and will remain clean and sober for the rest of my life.  I never want to go through the hell of alcohol addiction ever again.   

Stand up to your addiction and save your own life.  Your life is worth a second chance, so give it to yourself.  You will never be sorry you made the decision to quit drinking alcohol!

Signs Of An Alcoholic

HERE I WAS BACK IN 2009, DRINKING ALONE AS I MENTIONED IN THIS POST AND RIGHT BEFORE I DECIDED TO STOP DRINKING ALCOHOL FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

Millions of people in the world drink alcohol.  Some can handle it and then there are those that can not handle alcohol whatsoever.

Many of those that can't handle alcohol may often ask themselves."what are signs of an alcoholic?"  Am I an alcoholic or just someone that loves drinking?

From my past experiences of my addiction to alcohol, I can honestly say when I asked that same question to myself, it was YES indeed, I was an alcoholic. I knew deep down inside of me that I was, but did I think others thought the same about me?

I can assure you they thought I had a drinking problem.  Many would not come right out and say it to me, but hearing the way they spoke to me I knew they knew something was up and just didn't want to come right out and say it to me.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF BEING AN ALCOHOLIC?

• CRAVING A DRINK THE MINUTE YOU WAKE UP.
• DRINKING EVERYDAY OF THE WEEK.
• NEED TO HAVE A DRINK BEFORE YOUR DAY CAN BEGIN.
• DRINKING TILL WEE HOURS IN THE MORNING.
• PROBLEMS WITH YOUR SPOUSE REGARDING HE/SHE TELLING YOU DRINK TO MUCH.
• YOUR HAPPY AND THE NEXT MINUTE YOU ARE A DIFFERENT PERSON.
• YOUR BEHAVIOR CHANGES AS YOU DRINK MORE AND MORE.
• DRINKING ALONE.
• HIDING YOUR ALCOHOL.
• NEVER WANTING TO ATTEND A FUNCTION THAT DOESN'T SERVE ALCOHOL.
• CAN NOT REMEMBER THE NIGHT BEFORE.
• SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, UNLESS YOU HAVE PASTED OUT.
• YOU NEED MORE AND MORE ALCOHOL TO GET TO THE DRUNK STAGE.
• LOSING JOBS BECAUSE OF YOUR DRINKING PROBLEM.
• FREQUENT FIGHTING OR ARGUMENTS WITH YOUR FAMILY.
• DENIAL THAT YOU HAVE A SERIOUS DRINKING PROBLEM.

If you are seeing signs that you maybe an alcoholic then I would really stop and take a hard look at your life and those lives around you.  Is it really worth losing everything in your life from an avoidable addiction to alcohol.  I bet you are saying NO, it is not worth losing everything from something that will kill you in the end.

If you said No it is not worth it, then are you going to do something about it or just continue to drink your life away?

Believe me once the demons get hold of your body it will get harder and harder to get out of your addiction to alcohol.  Don't let that happen.  Nip it in the bud before it is too late!

I know you might think, "how can I live without alcohol in my life when I have been so used to having it be a huge part of your life?"

Trust me, you can live without alcohol.  You will see a new you my friends!  Your spouse, family and friends will see a new you, and you will be so proud of yourself when you finally stop drinking alcohol forever.

You will start to feel back to your old self.  Your appearance will not look like you are an alcoholic anymore. Your health will improve each and everyday.  You will regain your self-esteem and start living with a positive attitude, and not be so down on yourself because of your addiction. You know how alcoholic may say, Why Me? why doesn't anything go right in my life?

To tell you the truth, nothing will go right in your life unless you do something to change it.  You have to help yourself before anyone or anything can help you.  If you are not willing to make that change and make something out of your life, then I guess you will continue to be a lonely alcoholic for the rest of your life.

You will start to lose things, one at a time, and before you know it, you will then hit rock bottom.  Speaking of rock bottom, sometimes it takes an alcoholic to hit rock bottom before he/she does something to change his/her life.  Don't Let This Happen To You!

Why Is It So Hard To Stop Drinking Alcohol

There are millions of people in the world that drink alcohol.  Some can handle their alcohol and then there are some that just get addicted and wind up abusing alcohol.

For those that got addicted to the booze and want to stop drinking often ask them self, "why is it so hard to stop drinking alcohol?"

I know for a fact, trying to stop drinking alcohol is a very hard thing to overcome since you have been drinking and abusing it for so long.  Somewhere deep down inside us (the alcoholic) wants to live a life of sobriety, but the alcohol that has been in our life for so long wants no part of leaving our bodies.  The demons are settled in us, and very content as long as we feed them the daily dose of alcohol.

But, watch out if we decide to slow down or simply stop drinking all together. That would really piss off the demons inside each alcoholic, and they will put your body through the tortures of hell.  We all know how we feel if we stop drinking.  I know that I felt like crap for sometime, but I keep telling myself that I can and will beat this addiction to alcohol I have.

Any alcoholic can do the same if that is what you want in your life.  Many alcoholics are very content with drinking alcohol everyday of their lives and don't care what the consequences will be in the future.

If you truly love yourself, you will not put your body through this painful thing we call alcohol addiction.  You can stop drinking if you want to!  You are the one that is in full control of the one and only body you have.

Give your life a second chance and just try to stop drinking and see how your life will begin to turn around as mine did back in 2009.

A would recommend highly to seek Professional Help if you do decide to stop drinking.  You have to detox the right and safe way.  It will be very dangerous if you try to stop drinking on your own as I did.  I made up my mind to quit drinking back in October 2009 and simply went cold turkey.  Yes I was scared to death for things I heard about going cold turkey and the dangers of doing so.

I took upon my own to do it anyway regardless of the outcome.  Why, because I was afraid to go to any Doctor or Rehab. Center for the worry of what they may say to me regarding my long relationship with alcohol. I even thought to myself, "it just might too late to heal my body and live a sober life."

With that said, I chose to go Cold Turkey anyway.  I took a huge change and worried every minute of the day and night, wondering if something horrible was going to happen to me.  Will I get sick by not detoxing the correct and safe way? I was a nervous wreck I must say.

Once I made it through the first week or so without a drink, and my nerves started to get a little better, I knew I could make it and change my life.

So Lets Get Back To The Main Question Of Why Is It So Hard For You To Stop Drinking Alcohol?

• Is it that you are simply not ready to stop drinking?
• Is it that you don't know how you will survive without alcohol in your body?
• Is it that you feel that your drinking friends will look down at you because you stopped drinking?
• Is it that you feel you would have no more fun at parties or any kind of functions?
• What is stopping you from changing your life?
• There must be something holding you back from living a life of sobriety.
• You must know the answer of why it is so hard to quit drinking.
• Are you simply afraid of living clean and sober because you have been drinking for so long?

Stopping drinking is not as hard as most people make it to be.  I thought I would never in a million years be clean and sober again, but I sure fooled myself.  If you want something bad enough in life you will achieve it, and that includes your sobriety.

The only thing holding you back from sobriety is, you and you alone.  You make the call my friends.  I guess it depends on whether or not you wish to live or die.

Does that word DIE frighten you?  It should.  We all were given a gift of life and many of us chose to ruin the one and only life we have with the addiction to alcohol and drugs.  

Life is precious and we should start to cherish our life a little more than we do.  Get sober and get healthy again.  Live the life you were given in a clean and sober way, and stop making excuses of why it is so hard to quit drinking.

Put your mind to it and it will happen.  Think positive and act positive and you will see results, and that includes anything in life.  Negativity will get you nowhere in life, but pure depression.

It is not hard to stop drinking.  I did it and so can you!  The only way to stop drinking alcohol is to JUST STOP!  It is that simple.  Now, make up your mind to get sober and do it.  Time is wasting away, and your life clock is ticking away as you hesitate on getting sober and finding your sobriety.

Making Peace With Yourself After An Addiction To Alcohol

Making peace with yourself after an addiction to alcohol was harder than I thought.

When I stopped drinking alcohol in October of 2009, I never thought that my earlier addiction to alcohol would haunt me for many years to come.

It was a very hard decision to stop drinking alcohol, because my entire life revolved around alcohol for so many years. Alcohol ran my life and included in that, were the people that loved and cared for me.

I never realized how I hurt them with all those years of my drinking, but now being sober, I now know that you and I could destroy the lives of your own flesh and blood and we would never even realize it.  That is so sad to me now thinking back at those horrible days of my addiction to alcohol.

None of us ever think about others in our life that we are hurting, while we are so much in denial, and don't even think for a moment that we have an alcohol problem.

You know, you or I can not turn back the hands of time and make things better of what we messed up over the years of alcohol abuse, but we can fix our life now and make things better for ourselves and the ones that loved and cared for us while we abused our lives.

If you happen to have an addiction to alcohol or drugs, just stop and think for a moment and look around you and see with your own eyes what you are doing to others.  They don't deserve to go through the hell you are putting them through by your habit of drinking your life away.

They don't deserve being pulled down to rock bottom along with you. This is what bothers me the most.  I put many people, such as my parents, my spouse Linda (of 32 years) and my children through hell.  They saw their husband and father drink every night of the week, and they got to the point when they were older, that they were embarrassed of my life style and they way I acted and talked when getting that buzz and drunk on.

Abusing alcohol, and being so selfish can, and will destroy families sooner or later if you and I don't do something to change it.  We, the alcoholics are the only ones that can make things right in our life and make the lives of those that love us right.

Please don't get me wrong, I have nothing against drinking alcohol at all.  I loved alcohol just as much or ever more than the next person, but I was one of those guys that never knew when enough was enough.  More, more I would say to myself until I got that drunk on that I was so used to having.  In the meantime, it took more and more alcohol to get to that point that I was satisfied.

So getting back to my earlier statement, I never knew how my alcohol addiction would haunt me for years to come, meaning, yes I got sober, but I did ruin many things along the way to my sobriety and I felt, and still feel ashamed and upset of my past lifestyle.  But, I have made it right now, and with that said, I am proud of myself and happy my family stood by my side through all the hell I put them through.

It is my turn to help others now understand that if you have an addiction of any kind, never give up hope. You can change your life.  All you have to do is to DO IT!

I still, to this day, feel bad for what I caused my family and friends to have to go through while I was having a great time drinking my life away.  I remember the arguments and fights (verbal - never physical) over my abuse of alcohol and what I was doing to myself.

So many times I was told to stop drinking, or least slow down. I just let those words go in one ear and out the other.  You know what I am talking about, I am sure of it. None of us alcoholics what to hear the true because, WE CAN'T handle the truth. And why is that?  Because we all live in DENIAL, that is why.  We don't think for a minute that we have a drinking problem, and the people that tell us we do, don't know what they are talking about.  Does any of this sound familiar to you?

Once you own up and admit you are an alcoholic, and want to stop drinking alcohol, is when you will start to feel peace in your life.  You will not have your demons running your life anymore.  You will feel FREE and at peace with yourself, and at that time you will begin to have peace in your family life as well. Those that you hurt along the way while you were drinking and abusing alcohol will feel that peace in their life too, and will be so happy and proud that you took action and changed your life as I did.

It is the time to make things right in your life, and the people that are in your life.  They too will feel that sense of peace as well when they see that person that they love and care for being clean and sober and getting their life back on track.  In that case, everyone involved will be getting their lives back on track.

It is then you will feel the peace in your life, that you let your demons go and are now living a sober life.

You will start to see how your appearance will improve and will start to feel so much better, physically and mentally.  You beat your demons, and now it is time to take care of yourself and others in your life.  Before, all we thought about is to feed our demons and give them the alcohol they needed to thrive in our bodies.  Bye bye demons, you will no longer run and try to ruin my life for not one more second.

This is what you have to think about and tell yourself in order to make that huge change in your life.  Sobriety will not just come to you.  It will take hard work to get sober and then stay sober forever, but once you make that life change and stick to it, you will be so proud of yourself that you won the battle between you and your inner demons.

Don't get me wrong, it will be a battle for the rest of your life to stay sober.  Your demons will be hanging out in your body just waiting for you to mess up and start drinking alcohol again.  They will never go away.  It is up to you to keep them where they belong, and where they belong is NOT IN YOUR LIFE anymore.

So, if you want that peace in your life and continue to have that peace, DON"T ever give in to the demons of alcohol no matter what happens in your life from now on.  There will be urges, craving for the rest of your life, but never give in, NEVER!  

No ones life is a bed of roses.  There will always be something that will come up that will upset you, or you may have a sickness in the family, or financial problems, but whatever pops up in your life, never give in and turn back to drinking alcohol, because it will NOT solve anything! 

Stand strong and keep that positive attitude at all times in your life and you will see how being strong and positive will help you stay sober.

The past is the past and now it is time to make things right for you and yours.  Get sober, and stay that way, and you will see what a great life awaits you and yours. 

How To Have The Willpower To Say No To Alcohol

Willpower is a huge word that many people that are addicted to alcohol do not have. How to have the willpower to say to alcohol is a huge thing for many people that have a drinking problem.

I can relate to those words so very well.  You know when you don't know when enough is enough when it come to your alcohol intake.  Some of us just don't know when to say, "I have had enough."

Yep I was one of those guys that it was never enough until I got that buzz I was looking for and as we all know, it takes more and more alcohol to achieve the buzz or drunk you had the last time.

Having the willpower to say NO is really rough, because you and I might think we will miss out on something if we stop drinking half way through the night, right?  The only thing we would miss out on is having a bigger hangover the next morning!

HERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT HELP ME TO SAY NO TO ALCOHOL

• I remember what it was like when I drank and abused alcohol.
• I remember how I hurt the ones that loved me and cared for me.
• I remember the money spent to get my fix for the day even though I didn't have it to spend.
• I remember the mornings I felt like shit, but knew I had to get up and go to work.
• I remember the awful things I would say being drunk, but never meant them.
• I remember how I would hide and drink alone because no one wanted to be around me drinking.
• I remember not wanting to go anywhere that alcohol wasn't being served.

I never want to feel like that again in my life, so that is why I need to say no to alcohol.  Don't get me wrong, I am not a anti-drinking guy.  I loved the drink just as much as the next person, but I never knew when to stop.

I am one of those people that CAN NOT have one or two drinks and call it the night like many people can.  I wish I could, but that will never happen.  So, the only way to stay sober for me is, "NOT TO EVER DRINK again."

Keep that Positive Attitude in everything in life, and it will help you say NO To Alcohol.  Stay Strong and never let anything or anyone stand in your way of your Sobriety.

The Best Things In Life Are Not Things

Material things, what many people in the world think are the best in life.  I have nothing against the finest things in life, but the best things in life are not things by no means.  This is of course is my own opinion.

Ever since I got sober in October of 2009 I realized that life itself is the best thing in life, and not having expensive material things.  Many may call me crazy for not wanting the best of things in life, but I have learned that material things don't make me a happy person and they may not make you happy either if you really think about it.

In my opinion, the best thing in life is to live my life clean and sober.  That is what makes me a happy person, knowing that I have beat the inner demons that took control of my life for so many years.

Just stop and look around you a see what life has to offer you such as a beautiful sunrise or that breathe taking sunset in which there is not one the same.  I go to the bay each night and watch the sunset and take that photo that will only be one of it's kind.  That in my opinion is worth everything in life.  To see what God has made, and to enjoy that breathe taking views even if it is for a few minutes.

These imagines are something that money cannot ever buy. So see, money can't buy everything right?

I usually write about alcohol addiction and the ways I was able to get clean and sober using my positive attitude and the strong will within to make it happen, but in this article I just wanted to point out that there is more to life than having the best of everything and using material things to make you happy.


These sites that God has created are (entirely free) and we all take them for granted, in my opinion, at least I did when I drank. 

Stop for a moment each day and look into the sky for that breathe taking site.  It takes only a second of your day.

As far as myself, when I drank alcohol these things were not important.  I did see them, but never really thought about how beautiful life was, because alcohol was more important at that time, sorry to say. 

The main thing I am trying to say is not to take everything for granted in life.  I found that living with sobriety in my life, my life has become the best ever.  I have everything I once wanted, but couldn't not achieve because of my addiction to alcohol.

Alcohol held me back in many ways, meaning I knew what I wanted in life, but could not achieve them due to putting my addiction to alcohol before all else.  

Check out my Ebook called " My Life Of Alcohol Addiction."

You can read more of my articles on life itself, being happy and being addicted to alcohol on HubPages

Taking Action Is The Key To Sobriety

For anyone that has an addiction to alcohol and wants to get sober, there is one thing that is so important, and that is, taking action is the key to sobriety.

You will never see sobriety without taking action to change your life.  Sobriety will not fall in your lap, that's for sure.  Hard work, determination and the will to get and stay sober is the key to recovery.

Many alcoholics talk  a good game and tell many people that they want to get sober, but the truth of the matter is that they are not willing to stop drinking at that moment in their life.  They may say, I will quit drinking next week after my birthday, or any excuse to drink alcohol for a little bit longer.

If they were that determined to stop drinking they would not waste time and take action right away and not wait to that special moment.

Either you want sobriety in your life or you don't. There is no happy medium when it comes to changing your life and getting sober.

I can tell you, when I tried to stop drinking alcohol many years ago, it lasted about a month or so and then something came up in my life and it drove me right back to drinking alcohol again.  The reason I relapsed was the fact that I wasn't ready to change my life and get sober.  I used any problem that came up in my life as a excuse to start drinking again.  There should be no excuse for drinking alcohol after you have stopped for so long. You need to have the willpower to say no to the demons that lurk
inside of you just waiting for you to break and start drinking again

                                           
                                             


                                             
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If you are an alcoholic and want to get and stay sober, you must take the action needed to change your life.  Sobriety will come to you.  Sobriety must be wanted so bad in your life that you are willing to do anything to achieve it.

Sure it will be a long and hard road to recovery, but nothing in life is easy, that is worth wild, such as sobriety without hard work involved.

So get that positive attitude going and start you plans to get sober and stay sober.  Don't look back at your past, only forward to a bright, healthy, sober and happy life ahead.

How To Avoid The Temptation To Drink During The Holidays

The Holidays are coming up soon and there will be many of parties and get together s throughout Christmas and the New Years.

The problem for many people that have an addiction to alcohol is "how to avoid the temptation to drink during the Holidays."

The biggest problem for many with an addiction to alcohol is when they stop drinking just before the Holidays are coming, like I did over 3 years ago.  I stopped drinking on October 27, 2009 when Thanksgiving and Christmas were near by.  It was a tough time for me, but I was determined to stay sober no matter what the Holiday was and who I was with during those Holidays.

Once you make up your mind to stop drinking you have to stick with it no matter what happens in your life and no matter what the day of the year is.

If you have surrender to your demons, don't ever give in to them ever again, because if you happen to do so you will be back in the same boat as you were before, and that is drinking and abusing alcohol.  Believe me it will not be pleasant knowing that you gave into your demons the morning after.

AVOIDING THAT TEMPTATION TO DRINK

• Continue to think of how hard you worked to get and stay sober.  
• Continue to keep that Positive Attitude every second of the day.
• Remember how you felt when you drank alcohol and all the mornings hungover.
• Look at your spouse and family and think how disappointed and hurt they would be if you drank.
• Look at yourself and how disappointed you would be of your own self if you drank alcohol.
• Drink your soda or coffee and mingle with all those at the party just as if you were drinking right along with them.
• If they ask you why you are not drinking, be proud and say, "I stopped drinking and never will drink again."

If you want to stop drinking alcohol and live a clean and sober life, then CLICK HERE to read just how you can do it and live the rest of your life with sobriety.

So when you are out at your Holiday parties don't be embarrassed that you are not drinking and carrying on with the others.  Be proud that you have the strength to say no and that you don't need alcohol to have a great time.


If you are looking for cell phone information here is a link that may help you http://www.touristhaven.net/ . a blog from a friend of mine.

Quit Drinking Cold Turkey

The question I asked myself when I thought it was time to stop drinking alcohol is, "should I quit drinking cold turkey?"

I wanted to quit drinking and knew it was way past time to do so.  I have wasted many of years of my life, and other lives as well, all due to my addiction to alcohol.  I am sure many alcoholics have thought about stopping drinking alcohol, but were afraid of how they would feel with the abstinence of alcohol in their bodies.  Thinking this way will tend to hold up the process of recovery and getting and staying sober.

As for me, I thought, and knew I was doing wrong and harming my body with each drink I consumed, but no matter how I thought, and what other people would say about my drinking, I just wasn't ready to give up the one thing I loved, and the one thing that was a huge part of my life and other lives as well.

The alcoholics really don't realize what harm they are doing not only to themselves, but those that love them and care about them.

I was lucky enough to be able to quit drinking alcohol cold turkey.  I had it in my mind that no matter what happened in my life I would never go bad to my old ways of drinking alcohol again.  I heard a life changing whisper that night.  I made my mind up once and for all that I had to stop drinking, before it was too late for all involved.

I made a promise to myself that lonely night in the garage drinking alone.  I told myself, " I will not let this addiction to alcohol run and ruin my life, and other lives for one more second of my life."

The promise to myself was that I would never pick up another alcoholic drink for the rest of my life, because I knew by past experiences I would be doomed if I did.  It is all balls out or nothing!

For any alcoholic that wants to quit drinking you must know that there is only one way to do this, and that is never to touch a drop of alcohol ever again, if and when you stop drinking.  If you are okay with this promise, as I was when I made mine to myself then you are on the right road to recovery.

There is no such thing as, I will only have one or two drinks.  This will NEVER work if you have had a addiction to alcohol, and have abused alcohol for some time.  There can be NO cheating whatsoever.  It is all or nothing!

NOTE:
I must add this in: I am not saying quit drinking cold turkey.  I quit cold turkey, but I was taking a chance and was afraid of what could happen when I stopped drinking.  I worried for days and weeks of the DT's and just getting sick from stopping that fast.  If you are concerned about what may happen to you if you do quit drinking cold turkey you should look into a Rehab. Center that has trained professionals to help you detox in a safe manner.

So if you are serious about getting and staying sober, the first thing to do is to admit you are an alcoholic.  Second, promise yourself that once you stop drinking alcohol you will never touch it again. You need to believe in yourself and love yourself enough to make this sobriety work for you.  You need to continue to have a positive attitude each and everyday from that point on and never let anyone or anything stand in your way of your recovery and long term sobriety.

Living With A Spouse That Has An Addiction To Alcohol

Are you living with a spouse that has an addiction to alcohol?  If so, what do you do to try and make living with that spouse a bit more easier?

I don't have all the answers, but I can tell you that my wife put up with me drinking alcohol everyday for years.  Sometimes when love is so true and unconditional, spouses seem to just hang in there hoping for a miracle that the person they love will see the light and stop drinking alcohol forever.

In my case, and I am sure millions of people throughout the world, have had the same problem.  They wish so bad that their loved one would stop abusing and drinking alcohol.  They wait and wait hoping they will quit drinking and start living a life of sobriety.

How long should you really wait until you just give up on your spouse surrendering to his/her addiction to alcohol?  I just think it depends on how much you love that person and how determined you are and want that person to see the light and stop drinking alcohol and get back to his/her real self without relying on the crutch of alcohol.

Life is so precious and we the alcoholics don't even realize what we are doing to the people that love and care for us so much.  We are not only killing ourselves, but we are destroying our families and the ones that love us.  Alcohol blinds us so much and runs our lives everyday, we can't see what we are doing to others,a and if by chance we do see it, we don't care because the alcohol tells us different.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP YOUR LOVED ONE STOP DRINKING ?

• You are helping your spouse by enabling him/her in their addiction to alcohol.
• You have to be strong and be able to say no, I will not give you any money to support your addiction.
• You have to be stern. but not so that you and your spouse begin to fight and argue over the addiction that is ruining your lives.  I have seen, and have been there, when my wife would approach me regarding how much alcohol I drink and that I should really stop.  I would listen as many alcoholics do, until the sober spouse has said so much that the alcoholic gets more upset and starts to drink even more just out of spite.  It is a vicious cycle, day in and day out.  
• You must talk to the alcoholic in a way that you make are making a strong point letting them know how unhappy you are and you want this relationship or marriage to work and not be ruined by the addiction to alcohol they have.
• I have found that talking in a civil manner helps more than screaming and yelling at your spouse.  Be calm, but stern about your concerns of their addiction.  Try to explain to them that they are ruining their health and destroying the love that they once had.
• I know from my experiences of drinking alcohol for years that no matter what a spouse says to the alcoholic, the alcoholic will never stop drinking until he/she is ready to do it on their own and not be forced into sobriety.  
• I had quit drinking a couple of times just to make peace in the household, but over time when I felt that everything had calmed down, I felt save to start drinking again.  I would start out with a beer or two and then BANG I went right back to old ways of pounding them down all night long.  I am sure many alcoholics have done the exact same thing.  To stop for awhile to just make peace.  It will never work, believe me. You have to want sobriety and until then no matter what anyone says or what Rehab. Center you may go in, long term sobriety will never happen until you have it in your heart to stop drinking and stop forever.
• It is really a hard thing to do if you fight it, but if you just look at your life and those around you that love you, sobriety will happen when you are ready and not before.
• Rehab. Centers are wonderful, but you have to stick to it even after being released and not think you can have a drink or two at a party, etc.  You will relapse faster than you can shake a stick, as they say.

**Love yourself and others enough to stop drinking alcohol forever.  Save your life, and save your relationship and marriage.  Don't let alcohol run and ruin your life.

Anyone can stop drinking if you put your mind to it and think with a POSITIVE ATTITUDE that you will get and stay sober.  Believe in yourself and love yourself enough to stop drinking.

What Steps Are Needed To Getting Clean And Sober

There are so many people that have an addiction to alcohol in our world today.  Sad to say, but so very true.  You have no idea just how many people suffer from alcoholism and want a better life , but have no idea how to go about getting that life of sobriety.

They are caught up in the world of addiction with nowhere to turn, or should I say, they choose not to change for the fear of how their life would be without their crutch.

What steps are needed to getting clean and sober?


Step #1 -  First and most important, the alcoholic needs to want to be clean and sober and not get sober because someone is forcing it on them.  They have to want sobriety so bad that they are willing to do anything to get their life back on track and get sober.

Step #2 - They have to get out of the denial they have been living in and finally admit to them self that they are indeed an alcoholic and need help to get clean and sober.  I think once the alcoholic admits there is a huge problem with them and their family life, in which is totally effected by the actions of the addicted person, things will begin to make more sense of why they should try their hardest to surrender to their addiction to alcohol.

Step #3- They have to look at their life and how they are living it in comparison to the way they lived before getting addicted to this horrible addiction we call alcoholism.  They must see for themselves that they are destroying their bodies and their family as well. 

Step#4 - They need to visualize how their life can be living it sober.  Once they can see that their future can be brighter they may then just surrender to their addiction to alcohol.  All they have to do is to look around them and see for them self who is avoiding them.  People that may have been close friends and falling distant because of the poor life style the alcoholic has could be the reason they steer away and avoid being around the alcoholic. The alcoholic can surely see that something is missing in their life and without changing their life they might just lose everything they have over time including their own life.  Addictions are nothing to mess with.  It is like holding a loaded gun and playing Russian Roulette.  Sooner or later you will pull the trigger and the one single bullet in the chamber will be fired.

Step#5-  The alcoholic needs to take a good hard look at their spouse and children a see just how his/her addiction is also effecting them and ruining their lives as well.  You really have to be blind not to see that your bad habits effect many people, not only yourself.

Step #6- The alcoholic needs to change his/her outlook in life and stop feeling sorry for them self and start doing something about it and then take massive action to get sober if they truly want to be free of their addiction once and for all.  Sobriety is out there for all.  It will not come to you.  You need to go after it and shut down the demons inside of you that run and ruin all those addicted in time.  The only way to beat you addiction is to SURRENDER to it.

Step#7- Tell yourself and promise yourself that you will never pick up another alcoholic drink the rest of your life.  If you can hold true to this promise to yourself then you are serious about getting clean and sober.  So now, all you have to do is to JUST DO IT and don't look back.  Run as fast as you can from your addiction.  Never be weak and let your demons back into your life no matter what happens, whether it be bad or good.  Don't back down or give in because something may have happened to upset you and feel as if you need to drink to fix the problem because believe me it won't work.

Step#8- Keep a Positive Attitude towards get sober.  Believe in yourself.  Tell yourself no matter what happens in your life you WILL NOT relapse. Stay strong.  Keep determined to stay clean and sober forever.  Stay busy physically and mentally.  Take up a hobby that you are interested in.  Spend quality time with your family. If you feel uneasy at a party that is serving alcohol, don't go!  Stay clear of all those that are still drinking alcohol and partying. ( These people just may try and shame you into drinking again, but don't give in.)  Just walk away and say NO THANKS.  You know those words, "MISERY LOVES COMPANY"  Don't be the company.  Be stronger than your addiction and with all this and the determination and desire to get and stay sober you should have no problem getting clean and sober.  It's all in the mind and that mind you have can do miraculous things if you let it, so lets get sober and stay sober!!

Do You Drink Alcohol To Cope With Life

Can you handle what life throws at you, or do you drink alcohol to cope with life? 

Everyone has his or hers ups and downs in life, but you need to be a strong person to overcome these hurdles and problems that come to everyone sometime in their lives.  Many people think that drinking alcohol is the fix all problem solution and in fact drinking just makes things worse than they really are.

The problem that you may have will be lightened while drinking, but at the end of the day, and you sober up, that problem that was so minor while drinking has come back to haunt you and sometimes even worse than ever.

Drinking alcohol will never wipe away any problems in life, so why even try.  Everyone has to get out of the negativity they maybe living in and drinking alcohol thinking it might help.  We all need to start living with a positive attitude and cope with our lives being clean and sober and not masking our problems with alcohol.
I have seen so many people that never drank start to drink alcohol when something went wrong in their lives and by doing so, these people that never drank alcohol now have acquired a love for the booze and before they knew it they were hooked and addicted. 

You can't live life hiding your problems by drinking alcohol and furthermore booze fixes nothing at all.  We all have problems in our lives and we need to cope with it and figure ways to solve our problems and make everyday count in our life.

Think before you drink, and if you think things are better being drunk then you are totally mistaken.  Stand your grounds and never give in to the bottle to make your life better.  As I said, it won't work, it just makes things worse all the way round.