Posted by deirdrehbrt on February 8, 2006, at 16:45:10
In reply to Input, posted by woodywho on February 8, 2006, at 8:44:34
Hi.
50 days is really great! I hope tomorrow is 51. I have some questions for you.
Does your doctor (pshcyiatrist) know that you have a problem with drinking?
Do you have a counselor?
AA is great to stop drinking. It's not the place to deal with depression though, and the meds alone aren't always enough.
Depression and alcoholism can truly feed off of each other. Especially if your depression is cyclic, or if you are bipolar.
For me, I'm one day shy of 5 months. I'll probably pick up that chip on Friday. 5 months ago today, I was in the intensive care unit with a cathater and an NG tube and IV's, etc. That, plus the previous eight hospitalizations in psych wards over 4 years was my bottom.
I know that if I drink again, I could, and likely would die. Maybe not the first day, but soon.
Where is it that you don't want to go? What do you think will happen if you start drinking again? What have you already lost that you would like to have back? What do the other people at the meetings who haven't been drinking have that you want?
For me, it's tremendously important to remember where I've been, and what I don't want to happen to me. If I hold a beer in my hand, I recognize that it's the first step toward death, to my kids living their life without me. That beer becomes a poison with an even more deadly characteristic: If I drink one, I won't stop. I can't stop. It has that much power over me. But I have the first option of power. I can choose not to drink.
So, what would I offer? Talk to a professional about your depression. Stay in touch with your sponsor, and get numbers, and call them. Go to meetings. Go to meetings. Start working the steps.
I don't know if you're male or female, but if you're female, there is another real good book to read while doing the steps. It doesn't take the place of the big book, but it's good. It's called "A Woman's Way Through the Twelve Steps".
In any case, I wish you luck, and I'm cheering for each and every day that you get. If you are going to pick up your 60 day chip, (it's a funky gold color) listen, and I'll be clapping somewhere for you.
Congratulations on your 50 days, Keep coming back.
--Dee
poster:deirdrehbrt
thread:607447
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/subs/20060205/msgs/607609.html