Hi everyone, after being here since the beginning of December I decided to finally post my story.
I Started drinking in my very early teenage years, from about 15 it started getting more hectic, went to hospital after alcohol poisening during a school event, than slowed down a bit, moved from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere, did alright, started working in restaurants waitering and as the money came in and being a teenager having no real needs to spend it, would go drinking on a nightly basis and be still have drunk going to school in the morning. Added to it I started experimenting with drugs and stuck with cocaine for quite a while. Almost failed the year, but half way through decided I needed change in my life. Stopped drugs and never went back. went on a 6 month AF stint.
After 6 month, started drinking again and within a month was fully back to old habits.
Would drink almost daily, alone in my room while watching TV. After school went to study for a year and managed my drinking, after one year of studies, joined a wine distribution company/ agency and drinking became part of my daily private as well as professional life.
After 3 years switched industries but continued drinking daily (1-2 bottles of wine a night, binges on weekends).
Got married two years ago, had a baby, family in laws house was burnt down by the community because the sons were drug addicts and steeling in the community, family (of 5) moved into our house temporarily which turned into 9 months of horror, sons doing drugs in my house, fighting, neverending energy spent on trying to get them off it, one of the brother of my wife wanted to do well but the other one kept on holding him back and bringing drugs to the house. Eventually I threw him out. 4 weeks later living back in his neighbourhood on New years morning he was stabbed to death now a little more than a year ago. We finally decided we couldn?t cope any longer with the drama and decided as work opportunity presented itself to move to Mauritius for a couple of months.
In the same period mentioned above I found out that my father who I worshipped all my life was a drug addict in addition to his alcohol addiction.
Needless to say that over those 2 years my drinking became a serious problem taking my drinking history into account. I became a Christian during those 2 years and though I felt god told me to stop drinking I was unable to. I should have mentioned as well that my father in law staying with us during the time above was an alcoholic and it gave me an even better excuse to drink everyday. I went for several attempts to quit drinking which lasted 1 to 2 days at a time. The temptation was too big with another alcoholic in the house.
The time in Mauritius my drinking continued and rum was my drug of choice. I didn?t see it as a problem but found it rather natural to drink along with the island lifestyle.
I came back to South Africa in July last year and found that things were going a lot better in terms of work and being back in South Africa but I found myself battling with depression and my drinking continued.
I started developing panic attacks and symptoms similar to panic attacks and found myself at times not feeling myself.
I finally decided to go and see a doctor. I wasn?t quite honest with the doctor and mentioned I drank but that it was under control.
I told him about my panic attacks and he diagnosed me with depression and prescribed Cylift to me an anti depressant.
I found the symptoms continuing and kept going back to the doctor until he referred me to a Neurologist to exclude physical reasons. I went through a number of tests/ cat scans, etc. and it was established I did not have a physical condition. On my final meeting with the Neurologist I finally came clean and told her I had a serious drinking problem. I also told her that those episodes of panic attacks, etc. were especially common about the second day after a heavy drinking binge and she advised that in all likelyhood I was suffering withdrawel.
That was when I finally decided I have to live up to the reality of the situation. My problem had started to become physical. Besides the affect AL had on my life in general, I woke up to the reality that my life was in misery, I was struggling depressions, either withdrawel symptoms or hangovers, my life was run by alcohol, I couldn?t look myself in the mirror anymore, my dad was seriously struggling with drug/alcohol addiction and as I was struggling myself had hardly a relationship anymore, etc.
I remembered many months earlier having watched a talk show where addicts were discussing their addiction and how they managed to break free. One alcoholic middle aged man talked about medication that he took that prevented him being able to drink as while on the medication drinking would make him sick.
Having remembered the talk show I started looking up on the internet and found that the drug was Antabuse. I researched it and liked what read about it.
On the 10th December I went to my doc and finally admitted to him that I had a drinking problem. I asked him whether he could prescribe me Antabuse. He agreed but said he was in doubt whether this was the right time as Christmas time was coming up. He just didn?t want me to be unrealistic. On the way home I thought, maybe he?s right. I got drunk that night. The next morning I woke up and started my new life. I said to myself no more excuses, that?s my past life. Took my first pill of antabuse and havn?t drunk since.
Nice thing?. I went to my dad and told him that I too had a drinking problem and was receiving treatment. The same day, same conversation he started opening up and for the first time discussed his problems with me.
Our relationship has not been the same since. It was taken to another level.
This is a seriously abbreviated story about my life wrt AL. it only highlights some of the reasons I started drinking etc. I think like most of us, I could right a book about life before, with and after Alcohol.
Anycase, thanks for reading my story.
I Started drinking in my very early teenage years, from about 15 it started getting more hectic, went to hospital after alcohol poisening during a school event, than slowed down a bit, moved from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere, did alright, started working in restaurants waitering and as the money came in and being a teenager having no real needs to spend it, would go drinking on a nightly basis and be still have drunk going to school in the morning. Added to it I started experimenting with drugs and stuck with cocaine for quite a while. Almost failed the year, but half way through decided I needed change in my life. Stopped drugs and never went back. went on a 6 month AF stint.
After 6 month, started drinking again and within a month was fully back to old habits.
Would drink almost daily, alone in my room while watching TV. After school went to study for a year and managed my drinking, after one year of studies, joined a wine distribution company/ agency and drinking became part of my daily private as well as professional life.
After 3 years switched industries but continued drinking daily (1-2 bottles of wine a night, binges on weekends).
Got married two years ago, had a baby, family in laws house was burnt down by the community because the sons were drug addicts and steeling in the community, family (of 5) moved into our house temporarily which turned into 9 months of horror, sons doing drugs in my house, fighting, neverending energy spent on trying to get them off it, one of the brother of my wife wanted to do well but the other one kept on holding him back and bringing drugs to the house. Eventually I threw him out. 4 weeks later living back in his neighbourhood on New years morning he was stabbed to death now a little more than a year ago. We finally decided we couldn?t cope any longer with the drama and decided as work opportunity presented itself to move to Mauritius for a couple of months.
In the same period mentioned above I found out that my father who I worshipped all my life was a drug addict in addition to his alcohol addiction.
Needless to say that over those 2 years my drinking became a serious problem taking my drinking history into account. I became a Christian during those 2 years and though I felt god told me to stop drinking I was unable to. I should have mentioned as well that my father in law staying with us during the time above was an alcoholic and it gave me an even better excuse to drink everyday. I went for several attempts to quit drinking which lasted 1 to 2 days at a time. The temptation was too big with another alcoholic in the house.
The time in Mauritius my drinking continued and rum was my drug of choice. I didn?t see it as a problem but found it rather natural to drink along with the island lifestyle.
I came back to South Africa in July last year and found that things were going a lot better in terms of work and being back in South Africa but I found myself battling with depression and my drinking continued.
I started developing panic attacks and symptoms similar to panic attacks and found myself at times not feeling myself.
I finally decided to go and see a doctor. I wasn?t quite honest with the doctor and mentioned I drank but that it was under control.
I told him about my panic attacks and he diagnosed me with depression and prescribed Cylift to me an anti depressant.
I found the symptoms continuing and kept going back to the doctor until he referred me to a Neurologist to exclude physical reasons. I went through a number of tests/ cat scans, etc. and it was established I did not have a physical condition. On my final meeting with the Neurologist I finally came clean and told her I had a serious drinking problem. I also told her that those episodes of panic attacks, etc. were especially common about the second day after a heavy drinking binge and she advised that in all likelyhood I was suffering withdrawel.
That was when I finally decided I have to live up to the reality of the situation. My problem had started to become physical. Besides the affect AL had on my life in general, I woke up to the reality that my life was in misery, I was struggling depressions, either withdrawel symptoms or hangovers, my life was run by alcohol, I couldn?t look myself in the mirror anymore, my dad was seriously struggling with drug/alcohol addiction and as I was struggling myself had hardly a relationship anymore, etc.
I remembered many months earlier having watched a talk show where addicts were discussing their addiction and how they managed to break free. One alcoholic middle aged man talked about medication that he took that prevented him being able to drink as while on the medication drinking would make him sick.
Having remembered the talk show I started looking up on the internet and found that the drug was Antabuse. I researched it and liked what read about it.
On the 10th December I went to my doc and finally admitted to him that I had a drinking problem. I asked him whether he could prescribe me Antabuse. He agreed but said he was in doubt whether this was the right time as Christmas time was coming up. He just didn?t want me to be unrealistic. On the way home I thought, maybe he?s right. I got drunk that night. The next morning I woke up and started my new life. I said to myself no more excuses, that?s my past life. Took my first pill of antabuse and havn?t drunk since.
Nice thing?. I went to my dad and told him that I too had a drinking problem and was receiving treatment. The same day, same conversation he started opening up and for the first time discussed his problems with me.
Our relationship has not been the same since. It was taken to another level.
This is a seriously abbreviated story about my life wrt AL. it only highlights some of the reasons I started drinking etc. I think like most of us, I could right a book about life before, with and after Alcohol.
Anycase, thanks for reading my story.
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