i am thinking about checking myself into rehab

i drink far too much.
i spend most of my money on booze.
i get to the point where i don't remember # and i wake up not knowing how or when i went to bed.
i definately think i need to get some help. anyone ever been to rehab?

reply to post by thing fish



I tried but I didn't have insurance so they gave me an AA big book and sent me on my way. The 12 steps of AA works even if you make a halfassed effort like I did. Been sober for awhile now.
But I am a firm believer in rehab. Much more efficient than white knuckling it like I did.

Good luck!

rehab is for quitters.

and i aint no friggin quitter !

reply to post by thing fish


Do it while you will still actually admit that you have a problem. I have had someone very close to me drink themselves to death and it is a horrible thing for everyone involved.

Rehab worked for him for about 8 years. Then he fell off the wagon and nobody intervened until it was too little too late.

You need a good support network as well.

Good luck man.

buddy, it's not the alcohol that is the problem, but the reasons why you are drinking it.
Gotta tackle those as well, and if you are mixing alcohol with medication..then I'm worried about you.
You just got a job, starting to turn things around, keep going forward man..please.
Rehab or not, keep your head above water.

reply to post by AccessDenied



Wise words AD! Substance abuse is a symptom of unrealistic thinking.
Actually a form of self medication, an excape mechanism that never works.

And Good on ya Boon/TF for realizing that there is a problem.

In my arrogance I denied the problem and suffered a "darkness" that came very close to killing me.

It's good that you recognise that you have a problem, well done for thinking about the right way to turn things around.

I've read a lot of your posts and know your ambitions - you hardly need me to tell you that drinking is going to get in the way of achieving any of them.

You'd like a partner, but there are few things that will turn off a potential girlfriend more than finding out that you are a heavy drinker. Honestly, it's not great for a relationship.

Even worse than having to spend your evening with a drunk when you were looking forward to spending some time with your boyfriend is trying to cope with all the sneaking and deception drinkers subject their partners too - all in an effort to either hide the problem or scam money for a drink. I'm not suggesting you are at this stage yet, but be warned, it could come to it.

Also, you have your son to think about. Adults tend to forget that kids have to face life stone cold sober. They don't have all the 'crutches' we do (unless things have gone very horribly wrong with them). On top of all the other problems they have to deal with a drunken parent can greatly add to the strain.

I used to wonder why a drunken person had such a heavy presence in the house. Why it was that everybody had to tiptoe around them, scared to say a word out of place.

Then it occurred to me, they have such a tenuous hold on reality they can't bear for anything to go wrong around them, or for things to be different. One tiny little thing that's 'off' can skew their world and they can't handle it.

And work - you've expressed ambitions to teach, or drive a truck or be a tattoo artist. Drinking will be a great hindrance to those ambitions. Imagine how your reputation as a teacher would suffer if it was found out that you had a drinking problem, or how hard it would be to drive long distances if you were needing a drink, or how difficult it would be to tattoo someone if your hands were shaking.

If you continue to drink you will take yourself out of the game. All your money and time will be spent on alcohol. You'll never save up to go abroad, take driving lessons or even have enough to buy your tattoo equipment.

Don't think I'm nagging you. You can probably see all the things I've pointed out but sometimes it just needs a little kick from someone else to get you started and I've tried to explain things from the 'other side'.

You have so much support and encouragement here. Come and talk to us more instead of drinking.

As always, best wishes to you.

Find an equalibrium, you dont need to completely give up, socialising is fun but you need to realise there is a time to drink and a time for sobriaty, please find within yourself the will to succeed with this. People change their mind all the time, the problem for alcoholics is that their minds are affected by excessive drinking. Giving up for a few days to get your head strait will be a good idea, You can them make decisions about whats best for you. Please dont let your drinking affect your familly.

reply to post by thing fish


Hey thing fish. I'm sober 8 years, 2 months and 5 days. I'm also a certified counselor for drug and alcohol addicts. Admitting you have a problem is the first step. I used to tell people for years that I had a problem while I was drinking myself to oblivion.

At the end I was a passout/blackout drinker. I didn't drink every day but when I did, I couldn't stop.

GW8UK..no offense, but for people like me there is no equlibrium. I can't drink in safety, period. There is no social drinking for me. Social drinking makes no sense to me. Why bother? If I was going to drink, I would get wrecked. What is the point otherwise?

I'm not missing out on anything by not drinking. Quite the contrary. I have a full life today because I don't drink. I don't have the first one and I'm all set.

Back on track: REHAB - it's really only a good idea if you can get a decent amount of time there. Most insurance will give a person 3 days which is ridiculous. You end up sending someone on the street that is jonesing worse than ever (we all know the third day is the worst).

Are you a union member? If there is any way you can do a 28 day rehab program, then that is what really helps people. They leave with a foundation and always in much better health. I think unions are about the only group that have insurance that will cover such a stay. There may be a few odd companies out there that will also provide such coverage...

Otherwise...go to a meeting. Ask for help. Get a sponsor. Do what is suggested. Join a group. Make cofffee at a meeting or some other job.

I'm no AA Nazi by any means. I went to two meetings last year (both after arguments with the missus). But...my first 6 months I went twice a day and sometimes 3 times on Saturdays. I approached it like I did my drinking...with a passion.

Then for the next 1.5 years or so, I went probably 5 times per week. I spoke at meetings and enjoyed it.

I hit bottom. I knew I was going to die if I didn't stop. I wanted more out of life than an existence. I wanted it while I was still reasonably young and could enjoy it.

I've been through a lot in the last 8 years but nothing that would make me drink. Let me tell you: as much as life can suck...at least I am dealing with it sober. In other words, being sober isn't going to solve your problems. It will give you a means to work on the problems. You can't fix anythingn while you're drinking. You can do amazing things if you stop and stay stopped.

If I have a drink right now, I might as well shoot myself in the head because both would result in the same thing.

It's up to you. You probably aren't ready. The holidays are coming....how do you not drink for those, right? Maybe a wedding or an office party. Hell...Friday and Saturday. Then of course Thursday and Wednesday and Tuesday and Monday and Sunday. It's football season. How can you stop now?

There's plenty of reasons to drink and it is the most natural thing for an alocoholic to drink.

There's reasons to stop: your health, your life, your family, your friends, your sanity, etc....

It's all up to you.

God bless!



[edit on 6-10-2009 by Excitable_Boy]

Originally posted by Excitable_Boy
I'm not missing out on anything by not drinking. Quite the contrary. I have a full life today because I don't drink.

I agree completely. There's no need to drink to enjoy life. I don't drink anything stronger than a coffee. Even today when my wife was canned at work for no reason at all. Bills keep coming in, kids still need things, but ya just got to focus on what's good in life. There's always tomorrow and I don't want to drink to forget today. Today was great even though it was more down than up.

Secondly, we're all a little messed up in some way or the other. It's good to just admit it because you're no different from anyone else even if you have a drinking problem. My problems just have a different flavor than yours.

Just take your problem by the horns and work through them. And never give up no matter how many times you fall in the dirt. You don't lose by getting knocked down on the mat. You lose when you don't get back up again.

Thing Fish...If you ever want to talk, you can U2U me anytime.

Peace!

reply to post by thing fish


May be worth a few minutes of 'your' time ...

After reading your post ,I feel it would be in your interest to ask yourself "do I want to go into re hab for me or is there some other reason?"

I Have been in re hab on more than one occasion and found out the hard way that I needed to do it for myself.

I hope this is of some help to you and if you decide to go, make a commitment to yourself that no matter what happens you will see it through to the end. I found re hab quite difficult at first as I realised after looking at myself and being honest I needed to change some of my negative behaviours and shortcomings . I can honestly say it was the best decision I have ever made.

It gave me a unique opportunity to look at myself in a safe and caring environment.