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Alcohol Recovery
Common
questions among alcoholics are: What is
sobriety? What is recovery? What is the
difference between sobriety and recovery? What
can I expect from either of them? These are
normal questions that nearly every recovering
alcoholic has asked at one time or another.
Let’s start with the first question.
What is sobriety? – Technically speaking, you
are sober if you don’t have any chemicals in
your system like alcohol or drugs. But for the
alcoholic, just being sober is not enough. The
reason is, and you may have experienced this
yourself, being sober is not a solution to the
problem. Most of us alcoholics have been able to
stay sober for brief periods of time. We were,
at times, able to fend off the urge to drink for
days, months, and in some very rare cases,
years.
But for the true alcoholic, the time will come
when they drink again. So just being “sober” is
not enough to give us the happy and free life
that we used to feel before the drinking got too
bad. The term “white-knuckling” or “dry” comes
into play here. It’s like holding on for dear
life, our knuckles white from the hard grip and
our bodies feeling empty, hollow and dry. It is
truly no way to live.
People who are just “sober” are sometimes worse
to be around than when they were drinking;
irritable, angry, hateful, and full of rage.
They are absolutely miserable. They know they
can’t drink because it’s caused too much damage
in the past or maybe their spouse has given them
an ultimatum: “Quit drinking or I’m leaving
you.” Maybe the law is on top of them to stop.
So they quit and boy do they make everyone pay
for it! Maybe the miserable one will throw in
the martyr card for good measure: “I gave up
drinking and this is how you repay me?” Just
being soberly dry is not enough to keep an
alcoholic away from the booze. There has to be
something better to keep him/her sober…and
happy.
What is Recovery? – Recovery is where the sober
alcoholic will find happiness, contentment and
freedom. It involves a support group and being
with other people who are staying sober and
living happy, purpose-filled lives. Recovery is
a “one day a time” process. It seems a bit
cliché but there is good reason behind it. An
alcoholic who drinks almost everyday will find
it impossible to imagine quitting for the “rest
of their lives”. It’s an overwhelming,
self-defeating thought. “I can’t stay sober
forever. No way. I might as well get drunk.” In
comes the “24 hours a day” thought. We know you
can’t stay sober forever, but can you stay sober
just for the next 24 hours? The alcoholic, still
alone and not accepting help will know they
can’t do it. But the ones who do accept help
will find they can do it, one day at a time, for
the rest of their lives. It is a proven method
that works and has worked for millions of
alcoholics for over seventy years now.
Most sober alcoholics accept the
fact that booze was just a symptom of their
problem. The problem is ourselves and the malady
inside of us. So, we need something to fill in
that huge hole inside that alcohol once filled.
The solution to that has to have meaning and
can’t be superficial or shallow. That solution
is recovery. But recovery can’t be done alone.
It is done with people who were once just like
us, hopelessly alcoholic and miserable, but have
found a solution to their problem. They no
longer drink and are happy. To an alcoholic who
is still drinking, this seems impossible but
it’s true. If you are an alcoholic looking for a
solution to your problem, what do you have to
lose?
By: Patrick McLemore
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