“I chose my kids and living over drinking alcohol.”
For many people who struggle with alcohol, becoming sober can feel almost impossible.
There is hope, though.
They bravely shared their stories, which hopefully will act as inspiration to anyone considering quitting themselves.
Here are some of them:
Note: This post includes mentions of attempted suicide.
It was a long time coming; I didn’t recognize myself or my life anymore.
Alcohol had ruined me, and I was completely lost to it."
I broke down and asked for help.
I got it from AA, and I’m eternally grateful to have my life back.
I’m 13 years sober this year.
I’m one of the lucky ones."
harrydude82
2.
“Getting caught at work.
Lost that good job.
Admitted I couldn’t quit on my own, so I went to rehab.
Nineteen years later, still sober.”
anonymous
3.
“It took a brutal dumping.
Like the ‘you dont have your life together, and this is hurting me too much’ talk.
I bought tickets for our family and talked it up as the day of the movie approached.
The night before the movie was the end-of-year party for my job.
I scared my husband and myself.”
I quit that day and have been sober for 217 days since.
I didn’t want that for my kids."
It was when I was too drunk to call my mom on her birthday.
I was tired of hurting the ones I loved, and I finally wanted to make the change.
“Something thats been important for me to remember, though everybodys bottom is different.
You dont have to wait for the ultimate bottom to start changing your ways.
Its when YOU decide.
Even more important is that every bottom has a basement.
Just because youve ‘hit bottom’ doesnt mean you cant go further someday.
danacullen
7.
“I woke up freezing in someone else’s bed, covered in piss.
Then I started crying, so I was leaking from every orifice.
Later I found out I had emptied a whole box of Moscato by myself.
I spent that entire day cleaning, showering, and trying to make the world stop spinning.
“I started drinking when I was 14, struggled for 29 years.
I was responsible for so much trauma in the lives of my four daughters.
Two were grown and gone before I finally got sober.
People would ask why my girls couldn’t come first in my life.
I would immediately declare there was nothing I loved more than my kids.
I believed that was true, until the day my eyes opened to the truth.
It was a watershed moment as I realized everything else came after the alcohol and drugs.
I cared more about it than anything else.
Once I accepted that truth, things started to change.
I’ve now been sober for 15 years.”
Lisa Herrington
9.
“I remember the exact moment, regaining consciousness after being blackout drunk.
That made me realize how dangerous drinking could be.
I never drank again after that night.”
“Cops found me asleep in my running car at a store parking lot for my third DUI.
Looking back, I hate that it took three.
But I was facing the reality of being a felon for the rest of my life.
I had to spend time in jail.
Took years of an amazing public defender’s help plus heavy probation, fines, and counseling.
He was very honest that any slip-up could risk CPS involvement.
Did probation my entire pregnancy and the first year of her life.
Legal issues aside, I cant ever imagine putting myself or others at risk like that again.”
Now Ill use it to help her make better choices and cope with life better.”
I was the only server at the senior center, and I had about 70 seniors ordering breakfast.
I couldnt keep up without being sick, and it was rock bottom for me.”
sarahbee_123
12.
“I drank heavily for 13 years, was drinking up to a fifth of rum a day.
I just woke up one day and was sick of being sick.
That was 25 years ago.”
They would be without a mom at a young age.
I also wanted to remember the times I spent with them.
I wanted to be present and a good mom.
I just couldn’t do that and be an alcoholic.
I chose my kids and living over drinking alcohol."
“One weekend my wife decided she wanted to take the family on a no-drinking camping vacation.
It didn’t work.
I was delusional, hallucinating, and just needed to get home.
The next morning I was worse.
I went to the ER and ended up in the hospital for three weeks.
I went into atrial fibrillation, got shock paddled and had respiratory tubes put in me.
You would think that would be enough, but it wasn’t.
I quit hard liquor but started buying the strongest beer I could find.
I have been sober for over two years now.”
“For those who say, why does there have to be a rock bottom?
Or describe those with addiction as weak, let me tell you, addiction is no joke.
We feel powerless to it.
Everyone who is recovering from an addiction has had a rock bottom.
Some people’s rock bottom is just different.”
tylerg4a0756a58
15.
“I am about to lose my relationship of 10 years.
My relationship has been teetering on the edge of no return for the last couple years.
She approached me and explained that I had been invalidating her feelings, and she felt disrespected.
I swore off alcohol immediately and started educating myself on how to validate her feelings.
I Immediately started helping around the house to take weight off of her shoulders.
Not when I was told that I have cirrhosis of the liver.
Not after the first time I was arrested and served time in jail.
And not after the second DUI and more jail time.
But when I was hungover and began to vomit blood, that scared the drunk right out of me.
I quit four months ago and counting.
The only way to get through a hangover seemed to be drinking again.
This led to day drinking during classes, which was then followed by drinking at night.
Took me about an hour to clean up.
Must’ve flushed the toilet over 100 times during clean up.
Rose still smells like vomit to me to this day.
Quit cold turkey the next day and have only had one relapse in nearly two decades.”
“It also showed me who my real friends were.
A lot of them stopped hanging out with me once I didn’t drink anymore.
Now I appreciate the people who stuck by me and supported me either way.”
“My husband cheated on me.
I started partying to make myself feel better.
I drove to meet a friend for a coffee, got absolutely smashed.
jessiska_skaska
20.
“I drank every weekend, up to 18 beers a night.
I tried to kill myself more than once.
I had terrible thoughts when I was intoxicated.
My whole family has drank heavily for as long as I could remember.
He bawled his eyes out.
I never knew the harm I was inducing due to my drinking.
I quit the next day, cold turkey, and haven’t drank coming up on seven years.
My biggest regret is wasting so much time, energy, and money on that addiction.”
“I hit rock bottom many times and still continued drinking.
It took more than a year of going to these groups before I got sober.
Everyone has their own journey.”
Maybe I was trying to just numb the pain; maybe I had sort of given up.
I wanted to also make it up to my dad, who died while I was still drinking.
That was four years ago this month.
I have not looked back, and I do not miss hangovers.”
born_with_no_bones
25.
“I was hospitalized after having a withdrawal seizure and experiencing hallucinations.
I’d tried to quit many times before then but always started again after a few days.
I just decided enough was enough.”
My liver function went back to normal as well once I got sober."
emmass
26.
I ended up in the hospital for three days detoxing.
And I want people to know that addiction can happen to anyone."
juliasmithb
27.
I didnt want to live anymore because of my using but couldnt imagine life without alcohol and drugs.
Dial 988 in the US to reach theNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
