21 years sober this month

Bretrick

Bretrick

Well-known Member
Location
Perth Western Australia
I was an extreme alcoholic in as much as I started drinking at age 12 to dull the events occurring at that time and previous.
By age 15, when I started working - earning an income - I was what is now classed as an alcoholic, drinking daily.
Small town Tasmania in the 70's allowed this to occur.
As the years progressed my drinking became heavier and by age 30 I was diagnosed with cirrhosis.
It took me another 8 years to completely stop drinking having made two previous attempts during those 8 years.
I think the only reason I finally stopped was that my last hangover lasted a whole week and I was totally sick of being sick.
 

Last edited:
Congratulations!! I'm at the 39 year point, hard to believe. I grew up in a family of mean hard drinking alcoholics and started drinking myself in seventh grade. My dad would actually buy beer for me to sell at school, that resulted eventually in my first alcohol bust.lol

I stopped drinking at 22 because I was again arrested and when taken into the jail the booking officer knew me by name like I was an old friend. That was it, I said f this, I'm not ending up like the rest of my family.

Stay strong and keep up your good work!!!
 

C50 said:
Congratulations!! I'm at the 39 year point, hard to believe. I grew up in a family of mean hard drinking alcoholics and started drinking myself in seventh grade. My dad would actually buy beer for me to sell at school, that resulted eventually in my first alcohol bust.lol

I stopped drinking at 22 because I was again arrested and when taken into the jail the booking officer knew me by name like I was an old friend. That was it, I said f this, I'm not ending up like the rest of my family.

Stay strong and keep up your good work!!!
Click to expand...
Thank you.
When we look at our influences and how they ended up, it can be a sobering thing to do.
My father died an alcoholic at 64? My eldest brother died an alcoholic at age 32.
I really did not want to die an alcoholic before reaching a senior age.
 
That is great. I remember going to Gamblers Anonymous, which used the same 12 steps..but adapted to gambling. The two I had a problem with were admitting I had a problem, and them making amends, especially to my husband, especially as he was not the most supportive person. I am glad I could discuss that at my meetings, and realized I was not alone
 
Marie5656 said:
That is great. I remember going to Gamblers Anonymous, which used the same 12 steps..but adapted to gambling. The two I had a problem with were admitting I had a problem, and them making amends, especially to my husband, especially as he was not the most supportive person. I am glad I could discuss that at my meetings, and realized I was not alone
Click to expand...
I think it is great when we can stop doing those things that are destructive.
The most difficult thing is realising we have a problem, then owning up to the facts
 
Bretrick said:
I was an extreme alcoholic in as much as I started drinking at age 12 to dull the events occurring at that time and previous.
By age 15, when I started working - earning an income - I was what is now classed as an alcoholic, drinking daily.
Small town Tasmania in the 70's allowed this to occur.
As the years progressed my drinking became heavier and by age 30 I was diagnosed with cirrhosis.
It took me another 8 years to completely stop drinking having made two previous attempt during those 8 years.
I think the only reason I finally stopped was that my last hangover lasted a whole week and I was totally sick of being sick.
Click to expand...
Congratulations on your sobriety, twenty one years is a good long time, I admire you. I'm sure that wasn't easy to accomplish....kudos. Sounds like if you hadn't taken action back then, you might not have been here with us and posting on this board today. Stay positive, take pride in what you've accomplished.....and hugs. 💙
 
SeaBreeze said:
Congratulations on your sobriety, twenty one years is a good long time, I admire you. I'm sure that wasn't easy to accomplish....kudos. Sounds like if you hadn't taken action back then, you might not have been here with us and posting on this board today. Stay positive, take pride in what you've accomplished.....and hugs. 💙
Click to expand...
Thank you.
I would definitely died many years ago if I had continued drinking.
 
Bretrick said:
I was an extreme alcoholic in as much as I started drinking at age 12 to dull the events occurring at that time and previous.
By age 15, when I started working - earning an income - I was what is now classed as an alcoholic, drinking daily.
Small town Tasmania in the 70's allowed this to occur.
As the years progressed my drinking became heavier and by age 30 I was diagnosed with cirrhosis.
It took me another 8 years to completely stop drinking having made two previous attempts during those 8 years.
I think the only reason I finally stopped was that my last hangover lasted a whole week and I was totally sick of being sick.
Click to expand...
Congratulations, Bretrick! I'm 76 so my drinking days are behind me. Actually, I enjoy a glass of rum and coke but living alone as I am I go for weeks without tasting any booze. When I was young (and rather stupid) I enjoyed some wild parties. No more and no longer. I used to make vine and after my wife died I am stuck with about 25 bottles. They are gathering dust.

The trouble with booze is that it is a socially accepted drug. Just watch those old black and white movies or movies from England. If they drank as much in real life as they do in the movies, all the actors would be dead from cirrhosis of the liver in their 50s.
 

Attachments

  • drunk puking.jpg
    drunk puking.jpg
    23.4 KB · Views: 2
Packerjohn said:
Congratulations, Bretrick! I'm 76 so my drinking days are behind me. Actually, I enjoy a glass of rum and coke but living alone as I am I go for weeks without tasting any booze. When I was young (and rather stupid) I enjoyed some wild parties. No more and no longer. I used to make vine and after my wife died I am stuck with about 25 bottles. They are gathering dust.

The trouble with booze is that it is a socially accepted drug. Just watch those old black and white movies or movies from England. If they drank as much in real life as they do in the movies, all the actors would be dead from cirrhosis of the liver in their 50s.
Click to expand...
Thank you.
The hardest thing for me when I did eventually stop was that I had to change my whole lifestyle.
Because everything I did, everywhere I went there was always booze.
To stop everything and go in a new, unknown direction was rather difficult.
I think that is when I started venturing out into the countryside. No booze out there. Only nature and the critters.
The Aussie bush is my place to go when stress starts to creep in.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top