Topic : 08/18 "Sober Up or Else!"

Your story touches my heart and gives me additional hope...thank you so much for caring enough to share to others your road back to reality...

 

We really sometimes feel that the only power that is available to us, is the power that the bottle brings to us that helps us numb up to the reality of what it is that we are a handling at the time.  I know that you know what I am a talking about.

 

Forgive yourself totally for those moments that you knew not what was real...gather strength in knowing that God forgives you for all things...that you had no idea was real...that which you did and still proceed ahead with...He still will forgive you those transgressions...Our God is a loving God and He wants us all happy...without Him in our life, there is no happiness as I am sure that you have already discovered...

 

For He is the only power source that we have that is real...I know this from the depths of my heart and when I reach out and forgive all others locked into this same perceptional picture of addiction...I find that I benefit more than the forgiveness that I extend to them..."that which you do for others, you do for yourself."

 

Your story is wonderful and I am grateful that you are moving forward...your story is an inspiration to those still lost and a wondering if what I wrote is real or not...

 

Life is good.

Seek it life encompassing moments that do pass ever so quickly...

 

Again, thank you for your caring to share these personal moments that we would have missed had you not reach out of your silent world and spoke to us...

 

May You Be Blessed Always

Love, Light and Peace

Tonie

Oh my goodness, were we to have a register for pathological liars who are addicted to the behavior...it would be so long...

 

Thanks for your input...without God in their life...the path of lying seems their only way of expressing that which is real to them...

 

They lie so much that lies become their reality...are you talking about the show on liars?

 

 

Those are my thoughts...

 

"The weave we weave, when we practice to deceive"...this too is a disease state isn't it doc?

 

 

Truth and reality becomes a million miles apart...yet the lie weaver has forgotten that...sad, so very sad...lies created becomes their reality...lost souls...God is the only answer...there is.

May You Be Blessed

Love, Light and Peace

Tonie

 

 

 

 

 

I have struggled recently w/ addiction of pain killers and xanax. We were blessed to beat it after 3 months of "pain". We just got a family Weimeraner puppy. It has made me forget the past and live for now. I made the puppy video for your awesome fans! We love your show!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOxjSDL3i7w

I just watched the show about alcoholic mothers. I wanted to grab Heather and just hold her and tell her it would all be ok. That would be a lie of course because it won't be, not yet. It was so surreal watching that show today because I was Heather. My mother had lost my father to cancer and she fell into a bottle and never came out. I have two younger sisters that were 12 at the time and still needed someone to take care of them. I did the best I could. I raised them and paid my mother's bills. I wish to God that we would have done an intervention. But we were all so scared of her. I really don't understand why. She had stopped eating and was doing more drinking and was only 90 pounds soaking wet. But we were always just so scared of her. If we would have done the intervention and had gotten her to quit drinking then maybe we would have recognized the fact that she had a brain tumor. No sober person  would've acted that way. We just explained all the weird behavior away on her being drunk. My family is completely destroyed. Since the death of both my parents all of us six children have all gone our separate ways. Only a select few of us still talk and that is so sad. I fell down crying watching this show today, not just for Heather, but for what my family has endured, and still is. I mourn the death of what my family could have been. It is for this  reason that I have chosen to stay away from alcohol. I will never do this to my son.

I watched the show, listened to everyone's comments and complaints, and while I do not condone alcoholism, I do understand the struggles it takes to quit. One problem I have with the show was that it was revealed that the lady started drinking around age 7 or 9. To me, that takes the blame out of her hands. At that age, she was not a willing participant but a victim. Not one time did I hear any mention as to who gave her the alcohol and what was their punishment. While you may not think this is a relevant question, it may be detrimental to her recovery. Unfortunately, alcohol is all she has known since a child and she may very well be dealing with some deep rooted "abuse" issues. When alcohol is given to a minor, usually it's to cover up something else, such as child molestation. Did her daughters ever even stop to question the why behind their mother's drinking? One of the daughter's said she wanted her mother back. It's hard to get back something you never really had. Instead of backing away and adding to her mental anguish, maybe a little compassion would help. My prayer is that she will recover and fnally be able to put her past behind her. And that while she is in treatment, her daughters will seek therapy for themselves. This is truly a family who needs it.

Dr Phil did a great job of having her admit she needed help. I think that was very helpful. I used to drink in excess at least three times a week. My drinking problem disappeared when I received help for my Persistant Anxiety. I was 55 years old before I found out why I drank so often. I spent all those years trying to find help, and not knowing why I had to drink. All I knew was I needed alcohol to calm the butterflys and the anxiety. After I started treating my anxiety, It took two years to eventually quit drinking all together, but I was just operating out of habit. I didn't need to drink once I brought my anxiety level down to "almost" normal. I don't think my anxiety level will ever be normal. Being a child in abusive relationship, sexual and physical, kept my brain in high gear all the time. The medication helped with that. Even after the help, it took me ten years to find a medication that agreed with me, I take 5 mg. of generic Celexsa(spelling) once daily. I have tried all the others, they put me to sleep or gave me all kinds of bad side effects. 

My wish is that Dr. Phil would explain that anxiety and depression can cause alcoholism and drug abuse, not always DNA. But then I am not sure if Dr. Phil would agree with me, I sure would hope so because he is in a position to help so many who might never get help.

I have known people who spend the rest of their lives going to AA, every night, in some cases. To me they are just substituting one addiction for another. They are not getting to the cause. People who have never had persistant anxiety can never understand how debilitating it can be. Imagine you are in a speeding car, that is 10 ft. from crashing into a brick wall, the way you would feel is how a person with persistant anxiety feels ALL THE TIME!  God Bless you all, and help pass this on to those it might help. M

 

Hmm...let's see here..

 

Both parents are alcoholics, older brother-alcoholic-younger brother-drug addict- younger sister-drug addict and me, the second oldest, a recovering compulsive gambler-recovering alcoholic...

 

Whew just writing that out makes me want to find the nearest bridge and be done with it. I watched my parents for 2 decades drink, fight. and forget they even had kids. I grew up doing just what I learned and it has taken so long to learn new ways of living. Sometimes I honestly believe it is impossible. Add abuse by two alcoholic grandfathers to the mix of crap I have had to deal with and staying in recovery gets harder.

 

It is a day to day constant battle with demons I never invited into my life to begin with. Taking responsibility for my actions is about the only thing I have going in my favor. LOL Of course I still like to lean against "It's all their fault I turned out the way I did."

 

Yeah well life goes on and I will stay sober and not roll the dice again or I won't. Either way life continues to be a struggle.

Like this woman who has a drinking problem I had a addiction myself to credit cards and like alcochol it can tear famiiles apart my relationship and I'm being put to the test myself with my brother and sisters

right now and it's in terribble danger of being destroyed beacause of my addiction and she better open her eyes and her heart I know from experience her and my health phyacal,emotionaly, and men mentally is in terribble danger she has got to understand she can hurt not only her famliy, but someone else for me i was thousands of dollars of in debt because of credit cards and thanks to my brothers warnings and my doctors  I'm scared very scared to death and I can tell STOP IT STOP DRINKING RIGHT NOW before it is to late or like me lose everything you have your home,money,health,and most of all your family I wish I could meet you and tell you what it is like being addictive to someting from experience about being it grave danger of losing your family.

I clicked on the "alcoholism quiz" link. And, noticed that there weren't any questions, just "yeses" and "noes" to check off. Dr Phil's staff needs to look into this.
Anyway, is there really that much difference between "social" drinking and alcoholism? How many alcoholics started out as "social" drinkers?  In their teens, even? To fit in?
And, at any age, "social" drinking can be problem drinking. Even if it's just weekend binge drinking, it's bad for the brain. And, liver.

  I don't think you understand that no one wants to be an alcholic.....In reading your perspective it seems you think that a person just wakes up one morning and says to themselves,"Well, hell you know I think I will go get drunk today, and everyday until I have lost everyone and everything in my life that I love.  Alcholisim is an addiction.  It is a disease and has been proven over and over that it is also genetic.  I agree that the addict must want to help themselves and must do it only for their own health.  Search your heart for some sort of empathy.........not sympathy.........have some compassion for mankind.  .  By the way, what your brother did took strength and detirmination no matter how or what it took to open his eyes.  I am proud that your brother is still sober today.  So what if he has a pot belly or drinks a coke.  SURE BEATS A BEER!!!