I am new to the concept of "Recovery" and Addiction. I have been a heavy
drinker for the last 25 years, and have finally sought professional
counseling (Last 2 months). Man, this is by far the hardest thing I have
ever had to deal with so far in my life. (I am 45) I am going to give AA
a try, and see if that works for me. I am single, and have no one I want
to burden with this. I do have some close friends, but most are non
drinkers, who would just not understand.

The emotional element to alcoholism is huge, much bigger than even
perhaps the physical one. I am established in both career and financial
situations, I have worked very hard to get to this point in my life, but
am scared I might be heading off the proverbial cliff. To blow my life
away because of booze is a frightening thought. To admit this to myself
has been, the most terrifying thing. This coming from a guy that has
cheated death so many ways, Illness, Surgery, Car Accidents, Skull
Fracture, and even Skydiving (Twice)!

I feel like such a sap, unloading on a very public forum like this, but,
I really do not have any other outlet at this time. No other mind
bending substances I have ever done have had nearly the impact of
Alcohol. I guess "Everyone has his Poison" and alcohol has been mine.

I have read some of the heartfelt posts on this group, and the feelings
are genuine, and mirror my situation. It is just a shame it takes so
long to clue into what is going on.

Bill.

On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 23:06:56 GMT, Zoloft <Zoloft@hotmail.com> wrote:

>I am new to the concept of "Recovery" and Addiction. I have been a heavy
>drinker for the last 25 years, and have finally sought professional
>counseling (Last 2 months). Man, this is by far the hardest thing I have
>ever had to deal with so far in my life. (I am 45) I am going to give AA
>a try, and see if that works for me. I am single, and have no one I want
>to burden with this. I do have some close friends, but most are non
>drinkers, who would just not understand.
>
>The emotional element to alcoholism is huge, much bigger than even
>perhaps the physical one. I am established in both career and financial
>situations, I have worked very hard to get to this point in my life, but
>am scared I might be heading off the proverbial cliff. To blow my life
>away because of booze is a frightening thought. To admit this to myself
>has been, the most terrifying thing. This coming from a guy that has
>cheated death so many ways, Illness, Surgery, Car Accidents, Skull
>Fracture, and even Skydiving (Twice)!
>
>I feel like such a sap, unloading on a very public forum like this, but,
>I really do not have any other outlet at this time. No other mind
>bending substances I have ever done have had nearly the impact of
>Alcohol. I guess "Everyone has his Poison" and alcohol has been mine.
>
>I have read some of the heartfelt posts on this group, and the feelings
>are genuine, and mirror my situation. It is just a shame it takes so
>long to clue into what is going on.
>
>Bill.


Welcome Bill,

Thanks for the post was a good reminder of how I felt when I got
sober.

It seems like an impossible task but the simple "One day at a time
works"

Even after all the time I have, I still think of a drink or a fix as a
possible solution to my problems. But after I give it some thought and
realize my biggest problem is me, its hard to escape from me...lol.

If the time is right for you and your willing, be open-minded and find
someone and tell em you need some help (meeting).

If that don't work after giving it a shot , try something else.

Good Luck
Daveb

Seventeen months ago I began going to AA. I 'sort of' thought I was an
alcoholic, and had done so for about 8-10 years. Yet, I functioned,
never had the more obvious signals, and in many respects had life pretty
good. Yet, my wife and I were having trouble, and it'd become an issue.
So, I agreed to go. Deep down, I didn't really think I'd do more than
go for awhile, until 'the heat was off' on the homefront.

Somehow I managed to go to enough meetings, and read enough, and to
discuss enough, that I began to understand a few truths. Such as, there
was no 'sort of' about it; I _AM_ and have been for a long time an
alcoholic. I had lost control of how much and how often I drank, even
if I did manage to hide it most of the time. It had infected my
marriage, which came as a big surprise to me, since I'd long felt that
there was no harm in me drinking a few glasses of wine each night (O.K.,
it got to be frequently more than a few, and I frequently resorted to
strategies to hide how much I'd drunk the night before. I broke
promises to myself routinely regarding how much I'd allow myself to
drink in an evening. I even started to have trouble remembering all the
details of what I'd done the evening before when I awoke the next
morning.

Today, thanks to AA, life is pretty good once again, and fast getting
better. My marriage has been rejuvenated. A lot of my pride in myself
is coming back. I try to live the life of 'rigorous honesty',
continually looking at the ways that _I_ brought about my troubles.
Refusing to blame others for my own flaws, and working daily at 'fixing'
myself, rather than just drifting.

Surprising to me, people have told me that "you're a new man" and I see
that they're sincere.

Life's becoming a much, much happier place to be.

It can be for you also.

Maybe taking the plunge, . . fully, . . can lead to you getting your
life back to where you want it to be.

I'm just grateful that AA was there for me, and that its members shared
themselves with me, guided me, helped me, kicked me in the butt, etc. as
I needed them to do.

I never want to go back to where I was, even if that was was seemingly
successful in lots of its aspects.

HH



In article <kywth.180490$hn.133380@edtnps82>,
Zoloft <Zoloft@hotmail.com> wrote:

> I am new to the concept of "Recovery" and Addiction. I have been a heavy
> drinker for the last 25 years, and have finally sought professional
> counseling (Last 2 months). Man, this is by far the hardest thing I have
> ever had to deal with so far in my life. (I am 45) I am going to give AA
> a try, and see if that works for me. I am single, and have no one I want
> to burden with this. I do have some close friends, but most are non
> drinkers, who would just not understand.
>
> The emotional element to alcoholism is huge, much bigger than even
> perhaps the physical one. I am established in both career and financial
> situations, I have worked very hard to get to this point in my life, but
> am scared I might be heading off the proverbial cliff. To blow my life
> away because of booze is a frightening thought. To admit this to myself
> has been, the most terrifying thing. This coming from a guy that has
> cheated death so many ways, Illness, Surgery, Car Accidents, Skull
> Fracture, and even Skydiving (Twice)!
>
> I feel like such a sap, unloading on a very public forum like this, but,
> I really do not have any other outlet at this time. No other mind
> bending substances I have ever done have had nearly the impact of
> Alcohol. I guess "Everyone has his Poison" and alcohol has been mine.
>
> I have read some of the heartfelt posts on this group, and the feelings
> are genuine, and mirror my situation. It is just a shame it takes so
> long to clue into what is going on.
>
> Bill.

Depends on one's body I suppose. Pamela Anderson has HepC, and even her
doctor says one or two glasses over dinner is fine.


On Jan 23, 10:49 pm, (DaveB) wrote:
> On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 23:06:56 GMT, Zoloft <Zol...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >I am new to the concept of "Recovery" and Addiction. I have been a heavy
> >drinker for the last 25 years, and have finally sought professional
> >counseling (Last 2 months). Man, this is by far the hardest thing I have
> >ever had to deal with so far in my life. (I am 45) I am going to give AA
> >a try, and see if that works for me. I am single, and have no one I want
> >to burden with this. I do have some close friends, but most are non
> >drinkers, who would just not understand.
>
> >The emotional element to alcoholism is huge, much bigger than even
> >perhaps the physical one. I am established in both career and financial
> >situations, I have worked very hard to get to this point in my life, but
> >am scared I might be heading off the proverbial cliff. To blow my life
> >away because of booze is a frightening thought. To admit this to myself
> >has been, the most terrifying thing. This coming from a guy that has
> >cheated death so many ways, Illness, Surgery, Car Accidents, Skull
> >Fracture, and even Skydiving (Twice)!
>
> >I feel like such a sap, unloading on a very public forum like this, but,
> >I really do not have any other outlet at this time. No other mind
> >bending substances I have ever done have had nearly the impact of
> >Alcohol. I guess "Everyone has his Poison" and alcohol has been mine.
>
> >I have read some of the heartfelt posts on this group, and the feelings
> >are genuine, and mirror my situation. It is just a shame it takes so
> >long to clue into what is going on.
>
> >Bill.Welcome Bill,
>
> Thanks for the post was a good reminder of how I felt when I got
> sober.
>
> It seems like an impossible task but the simple "One day at a time
> works"
>
> Even after all the time I have, I still think of a drink or a fix as a
> possible solution to my problems. But after I give it some thought and
> realize my biggest problem is me, its hard to escape from me...lol.
>
> If the time is right for you and your willing, be open-minded and find
> someone and tell em you need some help (meeting).
>
> If that don't work after giving it a shot , try something else.
>
> Good Luck
> Daveb- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

Hawth,

Thanks. I know this is going to be hard, but I have to give it a try.

Bill.

Hawth Hill wrote:
> Seventeen months ago I began going to AA. I 'sort of' thought I was an
> alcoholic, and had done so for about 8-10 years. Yet, I functioned,
> never had the more obvious signals, and in many respects had life pretty
> good. Yet, my wife and I were having trouble, and it'd become an issue.
> So, I agreed to go. Deep down, I didn't really think I'd do more than
> go for awhile, until 'the heat was off' on the homefront.

I was very afraid to change, much like you seem to be. I thought stopping alcohol would be
horrible, a huge insult to all the breweries out there; The anheuser Busch Co would knock on my
door and wonder why I wasn't drinking a case of their beer every day like I used to.

But it turned out that the really big deal about stopping completely was that my life was no
longer handcuffed to an addictive chemical. No longer did I have to worry that I need enough beer
to get by day after day. When I went to restaurants, no one there cared if I had a cocktail or a
diet soda. But I cared and my family did too, that my heart had not collapsed, my liver stopped
tearing itself apart. I felt better, healthy, there were a million things to do around the house
that I never noticed before. There were so many extra hours in the day because I didn't spend them
drunk anymore.

A life change isn't easy, we know that. A year after I stopped, alcohol rarely entered my mind.
Now, 14 years later, no drinking at all, my old life is just that. History.
Oran


--
--------------------------------- --- -- -
Posted with NewsLeecher v3.8 Beta 8
Web @ http://www.newsleecher.com/?usenet
------------------- ----- ---- -- -

In article <nM6dnVlFMPNhCCbYnZ2dnUVZ_rCsnZ2d@giganews.com>, oran
(oran@kinzua.net) says...
> I was very afraid to change, much like you seem to be. I thought stopping alcohol would be
> horrible, a huge insult to all the breweries out there; The anheuser Busch Co would knock on my
> door and wonder why I wasn't drinking a case of their beer every day like I used to.
>
> But it turned out that the really big deal about stopping completely was that my life was no
> longer handcuffed to an addictive chemical. No longer did I have to worry that I need enough beer
> to get by day after day. When I went to restaurants, no one there cared if I had a cocktail or a
> diet soda. But I cared and my family did too, that my heart had not collapsed, my liver stopped
> tearing itself apart. I felt better, healthy, there were a million things to do around the house
> that I never noticed before. There were so many extra hours in the day because I didn't spend them
> drunk anymore.
>
> A life change isn't easy, we know that. A year after I stopped, alcohol rarely entered my mind.
> Now, 14 years later, no drinking at all, my old life is just that. History.
> Oran
>
That was a nice story. I liked that.

--
"Ich bin ein Donut.' " John F Kennedy

Welcome Bill and congratulations on taking your First Step.

Some suggestions: go to AA meetings. As many as you can. If you don't know
where they are in your area, check the AA site online. They let you search.

If you are uncomfortable sharing at this point, just go and listen, listen,
listen. Look and listen to the men with over 2 years sobriety. When you fnd
someone you click with, ask them to be your sponsor.

I highly recommend you get a copy of the Big Book, 12 Steps and 12
Traditions and a copy of a daily meditation book. I recommend either 24
Hours a Day or Daily Reflections.

Another thing I find very helpful for the times you are tempted to drink is
to have an incident from your drinking days when it got you in trouble or
had serious negative consequences. Then when you are tempted, remember that
time and ask yourself, is it worth going back to that?

For me it is the time I went out to the bar drinking, woke up with 2 black
eyes, a broken nose and a torn rotorcuff and no idea how or when I got home.

Also, when you go to your first meeting, ask for a "call list". These will
be men from the group that are willing to take phone calls from fellow
alcoholics when they feel the need to drink and need to talk to not drink.

Hope some of this is helpful to you.
Good luck on your journey to sobriety.
Mary R
Jacobs Recovery House
http://jacobsrecoveryhouse.bravehost.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Zoloft" <Zoloft@hotmail.com>
Newsgroups: alt.recovery.addiction.alcoholism
Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 6:06 PM
Subject: Finally Admitted I need help


>I am new to the concept of "Recovery" and Addiction. I have been a heavy
>drinker for the last 25 years, and have finally sought professional
>counseling (Last 2 months). Man, this is by far the hardest thing I have
>ever had to deal with so far in my life. (I am 45) I am going to give AA a
>try, and see if that works for me. I am single, and have no one I want to
>burden with this. I do have some close friends, but most are non drinkers,
>who would just not understand.
>
> The emotional element to alcoholism is huge, much bigger than even perhaps
> the physical one. I am established in both career and financial
> situations, I have worked very hard to get to this point in my life, but
> am scared I might be heading off the proverbial cliff. To blow my life
> away because of booze is a frightening thought. To admit this to myself
> has been, the most terrifying thing. This coming from a guy that has
> cheated death so many ways, Illness, Surgery, Car Accidents, Skull
> Fracture, and even Skydiving (Twice)!
>
> I feel like such a sap, unloading on a very public forum like this, but, I
> really do not have any other outlet at this time. No other mind bending
> substances I have ever done have had nearly the impact of Alcohol. I guess
> "Everyone has his Poison" and alcohol has been mine.
>
> I have read some of the heartfelt posts on this group, and the feelings
> are genuine, and mirror my situation. It is just a shame it takes so long
> to clue into what is going on.
>
> Bill.

I'd say good luck Zo . . . . .

But luck has nothing to do with it! Most of us have to get our own
experience - being the EXTREMELY stubborn, self-will run riot ego-
maniacs that we are. I could give you a long story, if you want one -
email me.

I was "in", out of, and around "AA", thousands of "AA" meetings,
hospitals, detoxes, "sober living" homes, and other "programs" for 20
years before I found out what Alcoholics Anonymous really is. I found
out by losing EVERYTHING worthwhile in life, and having no choice but
to do what they did 70 years ago, that THAT IS all there is to it.
Nothing more, nor less, than doing about as precisiely as I can (word
for word) what the first 164 pages say they did. It works for 75% of
us that actually do it!!

You will probably have to have ask someone who has done, and does what
I do (what they did) - to show you what to do.

We Had to be Shown.

Thy Will Be Done!!!


On Jan 23, 3:06 pm, Zoloft <Zol...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I am new to the concept of "Recovery" and Addiction. I have been a heavy
> drinker for the last 25 years, and have finally sought professional
> counseling (Last 2 months). Man, this is by far the hardest thing I have
> ever had to deal with so far in my life. (I am 45) I am going to give AA
> a try, and see if that works for me.

Attending AA may help simply because of the support you get. But AA is
not for every one. I certainly would look for a group where you feel
comfortable.

Because of my career as a drug counsellor I look upon addiction in a
slightly different way.I see drug addiction as a physical disease and
not so much as a "mental" illness. When you have a metabolic disorder
then of course this may affect your mind, but "mental aberration" is
not the cause of addiction. Rather the underlying biochemical disorder
causes you to be addicted to alcohol. It is like the underlying faulty
personal biochemistry that is more powerful than your will.

The question is why should this be the case? Alcohol is made from a
chemical substance called pyruvate, one of the end product of sugar
metabolism. Addiction to alcohol really means that the body has
problems metabolizing sugars in the diet into pyruvate, and then on to
biological energy. So that people become dependent on an abnormal
biochemical pathway as follows;

pyruvate ---> alcohol ---> acetaldehyde ---> acetate ---> ATP
(biological energy)

as their source of energy.

Normally the chemical pathway is

pyruvate ---> acetyl-CoA ---> ATP (energy)

Acetaldehyde is the major problem with alcoholics and cause most of
the health problems.

The energy is important because without energy the body cannot produce
the feel good neurotransmitters such as serotonin.

When an alcoholic consumes alcohol he gets ample supply of energy from
alcohol to produce the feel good neurotransmitters. So alcohol can
make him feel good.

The problem seems to be in the first part of sugar metabolism called
GLYCOLYSIS that ends in pyruvate.

The reason appears to be that alcoholics and for that matter any
addict (or person with depression) has a problem converting sugar into
pyruvate at the very first step of sugar metabolism.

People with insulin resistance have an obstruction in the transfer of
sugar (glucose) into cells for energy production. This may lead to
unstable blood sugar levels, usually going up and down and triggering
the release of stress hormones such ads adrenaline. Adrenaline
specifically functions to raise blood sugar levels especially when the
brain senses energy starvation. The brain cannot do without energy for
only a few minutes.

So the idea of an alcoholic drinking because of his stressful life, is
really the other way around. He produces a lot of adrenaline due to an
internal abnormality, that causes him to feel stressed.

Alcohol being a depressant drug is an antidote to adrenaline (stress)
it goes without saying that if you abstain from alcohol you are going
to be very stressed.

Withdrawal symptoms (excess adrenaline) can be reduced by taking
GLYCERINE. This is a substance that is converted to glucose slowly via
the liver and does not trigger excess insulin from the pancreas.
Excess insulin as occurs in insulin resistance (hypoglycemia) drops
the sugar levels suddenly activating adrenaline secretion. So the post
withdraw;la period of an alcoholic is one of anxiety, sleeplessness,
mood swings and depression/

The scenario is confirmed by the fact that if you test alcoholics with
a special test for hypoglycemia, you will find most of them are
hypoglycemic. Therefore the first step in the treatment of alcoholism
is to get the person on a hypoglycemic diet, together with nutritional
supplements, especially zinc.

Most of the information is given at our web site.

Please read:

"Alcoholism (Addiction) is a Treatable Disease" at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/artic...treatable.html


I hope this makes things clear.