How Tinnitus Effects Your Life

This post is much different than the posts I do on alcohol  addiction.  This is about tinnitus (ringing of the ears) and how Tinnitus effects your life, as it has effected mine for the last 38 years.

Back when I was about 18 years old, a friend and myself decided to go to a quarry at the Jersey Shore and shoot a few boxes of ammo from a 357 magnum without any ear protection whatsoever.  A very stupid move on the both of us and something that would ruin my hearing for the rest of my life.

In the beginning we were having a great time shooting at tin cans and different things we could find in the quarry, such as bottles, wood and anything we could find that we could shoot at.

My friend and I had a bet on just who would be the best shooter with this high power pistol.  We continued to shoot and got into the second box of ammo when my ears started to bother me just a little bit, but I knew they were not feeling right.  So we stopped shooting the pistol for a half hour or so just to take a rest and rest our hurting ears.

We set up some new things to shoot at and opened the third box of bullets and began to shoot away.

After about 5 minutes I had to stop because me ears were killing me.  I had a wrangler jacket on, so I took it off and wrapped the sleeves around my hurting ears hoping it would help with the pain in my ears, but not knowing the damage had already been done to my ears.

We finished the last box of bullet and I have to say, my ears were hurting so bad.  My friend took me home to Long Beach Island where I was living with my parents for the summer.

By the time I got home I laid down on the couch and feel sound a sleep.  My mom woke me up a couple hours later to ask if I would like to have my dinner  and as she spoke, her voice sounded like Micky Mouse. I then knew I mess up my ears big time.

The sound of other people speaking to me for the next three to fours more days, was that sound of a high pitch Mickey Mouse voice.  The pain in my ears was unbelievable.

As the days passed the sound of other people's voices became to be more normal sounding, but the ringing in my ears never went away and is still there 38 years later.  24/7 I hear high pitch continuous sounds that keeps me from getting to sleep each and every night.

After a month or so went by and there wasn't any relief in my ears I made a appointment with an Ears, Nose and Throat Doctor.

He examined me and gave me some test coming up with the conclusion that I damaged my ears so bad and now I will suffer with what he called "Tinnitus" probably for the rest of my life.  I damaged all the tiny hairs in my ears causing the constant ringing in my ears (Tinnitus).

Recently I found on the web an article that has changed so many people's lives that suffer from Tinnitus.  The system is called, "Tinnitus Miracle" - The Only Clinically Proven 5-Step Holistic System For Curing and Preventing Tinnitus Permanently.  Read this amazing system and what it has done for so many people in curing their Tinnitus.

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.

How To Get Ready To Walk The Road To Recovery

Here is my version of "how to get ready to walk the road to recovery."

First and foremost, you must want to change your life and start to live a life of sobriety.  Until you have admitted you have an addiction to alcohol, and need help, your road to recovery is not in the cards just yet.

You have to really want to live life clean and sober, and I don't mean for a week or month, I mean Long Term Sobriety. Forever without another drink of alcohol.  Do you think you can handle that, or do you think you will cheat while sober and just have a drink or two every now and then?

If you are sober now that is wonderful, but as the Holiday's are approaching us the alcoholic that has sobered up has that temptation and the urge to drink.  I know for myself it is a touch road when these Holiday's come around each year.

You see some many people drinking alcohol and just having a grand ole time while you sit there sober and drinking your soda or coffee.  The parties are everywhere around Christmas time, and then New Years Eve comes and the booze really is flowing at many New Years parties.

How can you stop the urge to drink alcohol during these times of big parties?

1. Remember just how hard you worked to get on the road to recovery.
2. Remember how you felt each morning after a heavy night of drinking.
3. Remember how you acted when you drank too much alcohol and made a fool of yourself.
4. Remember what you almost loss when you were addicted to alcohol.
5. Remember how much money you have saved from stopping drinking.
6. Remember the arguments and fights you had with your spouse or friend because of your drinking.
7. Remember those days you got behind the wheel being so drunk because you just didn't care.
8. Remember being pulled over and given a DUI.
9. Remember the horrible things you said to someone that meant so much to you.
10. Remember the buzz you had was only temporary, until the next time you drank.  It is nothing but a vicious cycle, day after day.
11. THESE THINGS SHOULD MAKE YOU THINK TWICE WHILE AT A PARTY AND YOU HAVE THE URGE TO DRINK.

It will take lots of work to get on that road to recovery, but once there, and you stay on that road, life will be so much better for you and those that love and care for you, such as your families and friends.  

HERE IS HOW I PREPARED MYSELF FOR THE ROAD OF RECOVERY.

1. I took a good hard look at my life as it was at that moment.
2. I looked around at those that loved and cared for me and wondered if drinking alcohol was worth losing all of this love and respect they have for me.
3. I had to get out of the mood of being negative and change that to Positive Attitude.
4. I looked at what I was depriving my family from my addiction to alcohol.
5. Preparing yourself for the road to recovery takes thought and the willpower to stop drinking alcohol.
6. You must have the willpower, determination and the strength to say NO MORE to the demons that have run and ruined your life, and when you see what they have done to you and what they are going to do to you in the future, you may what to think long and hard to stop drinking and get on that new road to recovery.

**Here is a great website by a friend of mine that will help you sober up and have long term sobriety back into your life.  He has great Pod Casts, and so much information on stopping drinking alcohol and turning your life around, as I have, and he has as well.  It is called Living Sober Sucks, (but living drunk sucks more).  Check it out for it will help you get on that road to recovery.

**As for myself, I wrote this eBook a couple years ago regarding how I started drinking and and my life of alcohol addiction.

So if you want a new life and get out of the addicted life of alcohol then here is what you should think about doing:
* Think positive, and continue to tell yourself that you can and will find long term sobriety.
* Have the strong desire and the willingness to change your life once and for all.
* Don't let anything or anyone steer you off the road of recovery no matter what.

God Bless all those that have an addiction to alcohol and want to change their life around.  Keep telling yourself that you can do it, and before you know it you will be on that road to recovery.  Stay strong, believe in yourself, and keep that positive attitude in everything you do in life.

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Why Do Alcoholics Live In Denial

If you are, or know someone that is an alcoholic, answer me this.  "Why do alcoholics live in denial?  Can you answer that question?

I bet I can answer this question because I was one of those people that had an addiction to alcohol and lived in denial every single day of my drinking days.  Those days are long gone now, Thank God.

No matter what anyone told me, I thought that what they said was completely crazy and out of order.  I would think and say to them, "you are out of your mind and don't know what you are talking about."  I can handle my alcohol just fine, and as far as drinking everyday, who cares, I am not hurting anyone!"

Man was I wrong with that statement.  I never knew I was so addicted to alcohol and certainly didn't realize I was hurting so many people that loved and cared for me. The alcohol ran my life and told me what to do and say.  I was completely blinded to the outside world and never thought I was hurting anyone, but myself and my health.

Alcohol made me feel as if I would never get sick from it, and thank God that never happened, but if I were to continue drinking and going down that destructive path of life, sooner or later it would of got me, as it will get every alcoholic one way or another in the end.  Whether it be sickness, or a horrible accident caused by over drinking and abusing alcohol and for the worst part, drinking and driving accidents.  With drinking and driving as we all know, we are not only putting your life in danger, but you would be putting innocent lives in danger as well.

The alcoholic just can't accept the fact that they have a real alcohol problem.  They think that their life is just fine and they are not bothering anyone.  Well, I have to say, your life is not fine and you are bothering many of people by your addiction to alcohol.  You can't see it because you are living in denial and blinded by your own addiction.  I can say this, because what I am stating here was me three years ago until I finally saw the light and stopped drinking alcohol.\

The alcoholic thinks they are living a normal life, because many of their friends are also alcoholics and share the same interest which is drinking alcohol.  The drink and carry on, having a great old time and when the booze starts to flow they are all the smartest in the subject they are talking about.  Does any of this sound familiar to you at all?

What I did, and what you should think about seriously is to look at your life as you are living it at that moment and think to yourself where you will be in a year or two from that moment.  Look around you carefully and take notice of the people that are in your life and that love and care for you, such as your spouse and children.

Think real hard if it is worth having an addiction to alcohol and abusing alcohol everyday or be apart of the family that care for you so much.  The choice really isn't that hard to figure out.  It took me years to be able to look past my addiction to alcohol and see the world around me as I was sober.  You can't look at things in the right way having alcohol in your system.  Take a break for a day and really look into your life and what is all around your.  The vision will be clear and it just might give you a wake up call to turn your life around and start enjoying life being sober.  Sobriety is a wonderful thing if you just give it a chance!

One other important thing to mention once you get out of denial and what to live a life of sobriety is, "YOU NEED TO THINK AND ACT WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE!  

By having a positive attitude in your quest to living a clean and sober life, you will see the denial start to just go away just as it did for me over three years ago.  Once I admitted I had problem with alcohol, and it was out of control, I got out of the denial I lived in for so long and I wanted my life back the way it was before alcohol took over.
                                             MY eBOOK AND HOW I STARTED TO DRINK

You too can do the exact same thing if you have it in your heart and soul to live a better life for yourself, and for your families and friends, you will give them a better life just by being around you sober. 

THINK ABOUT IT, AND GET OUT OF THE DENIAL YOU ARE LIVING IN.  MAKE UP YOUR MIND AND JUST DO IT ONCE AND FOR ALL. ONCE YOU HAVE TASTED SOBRIETY, EACH DAY WILL GET BETTER AND BETTER AND YOUR LIFE WILL CHANGE RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES.

GRANTED, GETTING AND STAYING SOBER WILL NOT BE EASY, BUT NOTHING IS EASY IN LIFE WHEN SOMETHING GOOD WILL COME OUT OF IT!!

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.

How Alcoholics Can Fight Their Addiction

Have you ever been in a fight and have lost?  Have you ever been in a fight and won? Alcoholics fight their addiction every single day of their lives.  How alcoholics can fight their addiction is in the hands of each and every alcoholic.

Some alcoholics feel as if they don't have a drinking problem and are very content with the life they are living and then there are those that live in hell each and everyday wondering how they can fight back and win over the addiction they have.  This is no easy task believe me.  I have had the unpleasant experience of alcohol addiction being first on my priority list and first in my life above all.

This addiction to alcohol is like living in hell. If you have it in your heart to be clean and sober, but just don't have the willpower or enough determination to get sober, you are one step in the right direction. You want sobriety deep down in your heart, but something deeper tells you that you may not be ready just yet to get sober and find yourself and your sobriety. So what is the next step in frighten back at your addiction?

Anyone that is addicted to alcohol knows exactly what I am talking about.  It is a rough ride trying to get sober, but if you want sobriety bad enough it will come, and stay, if that's what you want in your life.

1. You know that sobriety is possible, but how to you go about achieving it?
2. You know your life is not normal and depend on your addiction to alcohol to get through your day.
3. You know that your family is falling apart due to you addiction to alcohol.
4. You know that alcohol is your crutch and without it you are lost.
5. You maybe losing days at work due to being so hung over from the night before.
6. Your health is declining each and everyday you drink.
7. You look into the mirror and wonder if that is you staring back.
8. Your looks have changed and you have either lost or gained weight.
9. Your self-esteem is about none.
10. You have no positive attitude and living in a world of negativity because you are depressed.
11. You wonder why nothing works out for you.
12. You wonder why the only friends you have are only drinking buddies.
13. You family is becoming distant from you and don't want to be around you when you start drinking.

DOES ANY OF THESE THINGS SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU? I bet they do, and you are at wits end to finding your sobriety.  What can you do to get and stay sober is the question many alcoholics ask.

Here is what I have learned when I finally surrendered to my addiction to alcohol three (3) years ago.

I took a good hard look at my life (while being sober and not drinking) and asked myself these questions.

Where will I be in years to come if I continue drinking alcohol like I am right now?

Will my family stay with me until the end of my time, or will they just get fed up and leave because of my drinking problem?

Do I have enough willpower to beat the demons within? 

Do I really want long term sobriety, or just a short break in my drinking to dry out a bit? 

Do I want to live a long healthy life to see my children grow up as adults?

Do I want to walk my daughter down the Aisle on her Wedding Day?

Do I want to see my Grand Children be born and have their own families? 

None of the above will happen if you and I don't stop drinking and abusing alcohol.  Sooner or later the alcohol will catch up with all of us.  We alcoholics thing it will never happen to us, but believe in time it will bite you on the ass and you will be so sorry you continue to abuse your body with drinking alcohol every single day of your life.

Just imagine how great you will feel getting up in the morning with no Hangover and feeling like plain old crap, until.... that next drink inters your body and then all is well for then.  It is a vicious cycle, day after day, week after week, month after month.  It is not the life God had intended us to have.  Smarten up and stop drinking and abusing your body.

Think of what you are doing to your body and the family and friends that love and care for you so much.  You are breaking their hearts by them watching you destroying your body slow, but sure.

It is not that hard to stop drinking alcohol.  I thought it would be for me, but after the first few weeks had passed and I realize, "I have be alcohol free for 3 weeks."  It is a wonderful feeling and a huge accomplishment.  If you can make it 3 weeks, or a month you have the capability to doing it for the rest of your life.  You just can not CHEAT!!

None of this stuff like, " I think I will have just one drink."  That crap WILL NOT WORK EVER!

You have to go all out sober or nothing.  Once you make up your mind to get sober and have said, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH" is when you will be heading to recovery and making your sobriety Long Term.

Believe and you will achieve.  You have to believe in yourself and promise yourself that you will never ever pick up a drink of alcohol again.  If you are okay with that promise to yourself then you are going in the right direction and have taken that first and MOST IMPORTANT step in your life.

Stay strong and keep that positive attitude in everything you do in life and your sobriety will happen.  Sure it will take some hard work in the beginning, but nothing good happens in life without hard work involved.

Do You Know What Your Addiction Is Doing To You?

Alcohol does many things to the human body. First, and the most important thing is that it is designed to get you feeling good and drunk as heck.  That is the main purpose in my opinion, and it does a great job at it.

Many people that drink alcohol can handle them self in a sense that they know when it is time to stop drinking alcohol and then there are those, such as myself, that don't know when enough is enough.  When we start out experimenting with drinking alcohol many of us don't realize if we are not careful this fun time drinking can turn into an addiction.  Do you know what your addiction is doing to you?  I bet not, for the simple reason, this addiction to alcohol has been slowly creeping up on you and now you can't figure out why in the world must you have alcohol every single day of your life.  Many of us can not live without this harmful poison in their bodies. We would start to go crazy and feeling on edge, nervous, shaky and the whole nine yards due to the absence of this poison we call alcohol not in your bodies.

Many people live, breathe, sleep with alcohol continuously on their minds. I have the right to say this because the minute I would wake, of course after drinking all night, my first thoughts were not, " I wonder how my day will be today." "I wonder if I will be productive today." No, the first thing I thought of was, "when is it time to have my first beer."  How pitiful is that I might ask you? I am sure many people that have an addiction to alcohol the same and some might even crack open a can of beer or take a shot of booze minutes after they wake up to start their day and get their head out of the clouds from the night before drinking alcohol.

When you start to think to yourself, what is this addiction I have doing to my life and what is it doing to my family and friends?  None of us that are addicted to alcohol ever for a moment think about the damage we are doing to our self and the hurt and pain we are causing to others, such as you family, spouse, and your children.

So, what do you think alcohol is doing to your body? 

• Are you gaining weight?
• Do you look in the mirror in disgust?
• Are you not getting along with your spouse?
• Are you feeling useless?
• Are you short with your children and friends?
• Are you missing work due to being hungover?
• Are you spending money on alcohol that you don't have to spend?
• Have you loss your positive attitude?
• Is you self esteem gone?
• Are your dream and goals put behind your addiction to alcohol?
• Are you beginning to be a loner and drink by yourself person?
• Do you head to the bars right after work?
• Do you have the "I don't give a shit attitude?"

These few things can define what and alcohol addiction can do to you.  The fact of the matter is many people that are addicted to alcohol can't even see it when it is right smack in front of their eyes.

Wake up people, as I did, and see the light and lets try to change your life around for the better with a positive attitude and living life sober.  Sobriety will never hurt or kill anyone, ALTHOUGH, your addiction to alcohol will in time make you lose your job, your family, your children, your health and in the end losing your life all because of an addiction to alcohol that can be avoided and stopped.  The only think you have to do is take action and stand up to the demons that are controlling your life.  

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