Years ago my step-mother gave my father an ultimatum, "stop drinking or I am gone."

They went to AA and Al-Anon for many years - my father was sober 23 years until he passed away. The AA program offered him friendships, support and a new way of life after drinking each day.

My family is still grateful.

Like Paul said thanks for the shares.

When I was in my iop class we had to write about what got us there and in it I had mentioned when my mom died of alcoholic liver sirosis, I was so upset that her dr prescribed valium for me. That was my introduction to using a drug to numb my feelings.

When I was in the beginners AA meetings, alot of the old timers would speak about that and how we have to feel the full brunt of the emotional pain, it is the only way we can grow emotionally. At the time, I didn't want to hear that because I didn't understand the "support" connection. I think I relapsed at that point but with the help of an awesome sponser, I came back again and have been there ever since.

Ambler, I hope you talk to your doctor and get some help asap.
City, keep coming back.
Billy, I take ibprofen for head pain :)
Angel, I can relate.
Paul, thankyou for reading these.
Coreen, many times ultimatums work but sometimes it takes more.

God Bless!

I forgot to mention that when I got sober, I asked my wife if she forgave me and she said she did.

Fast forward 4 years. She cheated on me and divorced me and yesterday she told me she never got over my drunkeness and that is why she divorced me. I mentioned she had forgave me but she didn't want to hear it.

That is ok. I have no control over the past, just what I do in the future and today I choose not to drink.

God Bless

I took my first drink when I was 12, and at that point I became an alcoholic. I was named after Jack Daniel's "Jack Danielle" yes that is my real name. I have been drinking for 10 years now. It began with hospitalizations, mostly stitches. When I was 19 I was kidnapped taken out of the state and forced into prostitution. It took a month to escape. After that I went through a phase where I was trying to drink myself to death. I did not care what i did when I was drunk and I would have been happier if I never woke up. Not long after i became homeless living out of a car and my days consisted of stealing bottles of wine from kroger. I drank about 6 bottles a day. Hospitalizations continued but then came arrests. I have been arrested 3 times for underage drinking and 4 for public intoxication. Then I went to rehab the first time when I was 20. I got kicked out of rehab for stealing my own candy and got pissed off and started drinking again, back to homelessness, ended up accidentally doing meth because I was drunk, decided to go back to rehab while still on the meth I didn't mean to do. That lasted about 6 month's, ran away from rehab just to find out my friends had all become part of the rave scene. My first day out I did acid and ecstasy for the first time. I did not like it and began to drink again. Met my husband in the rave scene got married at 21 and I am going through a divorce already. I put him through absolute hell, from cheating and leaving for days at a time, to coming home drunk and smashing a fire extinguisher over his head. Then I went to rehab again, and then I started drinking again, and then I left him because I was ashamed of all I had put him through. And now I am still dealing with the same sort of consequences. I can hardly remember what its like to not be an alcoholic, and I want to do something with my life besides drink, that is why I am here. I hope that was not too much detail.

I wouldnt have missed the Elton John concert either!!!

pouring so much beer in me during one hour while the wizard of oz was showing on tv, alcohol made me yell out untruths. that should have been my last drinnking of beer. yet not clear of depression,, i continued on. after 28 years of sobriety patched together through the years doing the aa way of life, older now i chose to drink not getting to meetings and having life stages issues. pouring so much beer in me this summer, i became very angry. its not normal after all those years of continuous sobriety. did i pour so much beer in me because i have called myself an alcoholic at AA meetings all those years, making it be true?

5 years of life on the street was my motivation. After a 30 day stay in the hospital with tubes coming out of everywhere I finally had that moment of clarity. The recovery home that I was sent to had the patience and undrstanding that allowed me to stay long enough to draw a sober breath. They didnt have to do that but realized I needed more help than most. The obsession to dring was finally lifted after about six months/ I owe my life to that recovery home and the grace of a loving God. I just celebrated 28 years of sobriety. What a miracle!!!
Greg

LOL - well of course you couldn't miss the Elton John concert - that is too funny......

How did I get to step 1?

The guy that I bought grass and hash from - and who I used to get drunk with - got sober. I remember the morning that I was so sick I could not stand up - and he was kneeling down telling me about the wonderful people in AA. He told me he had never met a nicer group of people and that he wanted me to go and see what he was talking about. His name was Dallas.

That was about 8 years before I quit drinking.

One day, after a particularly rough night of drinking, I woke up with a black eye and the right side of my face so swollen - it was twice the size of the left side of my face - apparently I had been hit by someone. I had also been rolling in the dirt somewhere - because I had dirt and weeds all over my clothes.

The next morning I was talking to someone I worked with (how I still had a job, I have no idea). We were laughing about my condition and how I got that way.

Suddenly it occurred to me that this was not funny stuff. Believe it or not - a sort of white hazy light entered the room where I was (which I choose to believe was God's presence). That night I went to a meeting - and the night I was rolling in the dirt - was the last night and/or day of my drinking. I never did believe in God until that day.

I will never forget Dallas for what he did for me by telling me about the nice people at AA. I wish I could find him to thank him.

I forgot to mention that I had been a daily drinker, to the point of both blacking out and passing out every night for 15 years.