Welcome to warbzone!
I would like to take this opportunity to speak about alcohol and drug addiction and maybe even offer hope to someone still suffering. I will speak mostly about alcohol but expect the reader to understand that alcoholism is no different than drug addiction. When I speak of alcoholism I am simply speaking about addiction. Addiction is broad and whether it is alcohol, drugs, pills, sex or gambling...it really makes no difference to me. They are all treated the same.
Addiction is a deadly disease that can wipe out any hopes and dreams that you might have otherwise had. The hope lies in understanding what is wrong with you. You must get to the root of the problem. Alcohol and drugs are not the problem...they are a but a mere symptom.
Before I say too much I would like you to know that I can't give anyone a professional opinion or advice. My views and opinions are based mostly on my own life. My own personal struggle with drugs and alcohol. I too have suffered from alcoholism and drug addiction without much hope of ever getting better. It will make a liar, a cheat and a thief out of the most honest of men. But...there is hope.
Most addicted people started out early in life feeling like they were "different". They usually had trouble "fitting in". Always feeling like something was missing in their life. They just couldn't put their finger on it. Then...one day the opportunity presents itself. You are at the right place, at the right time and are offered a drug or a drink. At first you may have questioned it (should I?). Eventually you decide to partake...euphoria sets in quickly and you have discovered that part of your life that you have been searching for. The sense of belonging that up until now was non existent! "I finally found my purpose!" you exclaim. You now have found what has been missing. You are now more comfortable in crowds and feel like you "fit in"...that is, as long as you are under the influence. So, now you long for that next drunk or high.
Years go by and life isn't the same as it was when getting high or drunk was fun. You are now hindered by it, maybe your not as successful as you think you should be. Maybe you have had a few run ins with the law. Maybe you are now depressed most of the time, trying to recapture "the good ole days" when this was "new". Yet your consumption is at an all time high. You live to use and use to live. It has now become not only what you do, but also who you are.
When you are all alone at night caught up in your pondering you wonder if your life might be better off without mood or mind altering chemicals in your body, but that is nothing more than a fleeting thought. If you quit, your identity would certainly change and you are not sure who you would become. You fear the thought of it. "Maybe I'll start fresh tomorrow" you say. So...another day dawns and it starts all over again. The thoughts you had the night before are gone and another day under the influence is at hand. Will it ever end?
Will it ever end?
This is a matter of choice. How far are you willing to go? A DWI or two not enough for you? What about possession with intent? What about losing your job or family? Skid row? The gutter? The grave?
Most addicted people must come to a point in their life where they are forced to make a choice. That point is different for everyone. Some people don't have to go as far as others. How far are you willing to let yourself go.
What does an alcoholic look like?
Is it Mr. Wall Street on the left? How could that be, surely not! Obviously, it must be the man on the bench, right?
It would be an easy choice if you could judge only by looks. The truth is that alcohol is no respecter of persons. Some people hide it well. Some alcoholics/addicts hold high positions with a fat bank account and all the power and prestige you could imagine.
How far do you have to go?
You don't have to go to the gutter before you can get better. I do believe that you must hit your own personal bottom or some would say that you must come to the end of yourself. This is the level that your life has sunk to before you start looking for help. Pocketing your pride and admitting that you have a problem. This level varies for most people.
Coming to the end of yourself can be postponed by friends or family. Some of us have had family members that "helped" us out of tough situations that by doing so did us no favors. Good intentioned family members can destroy your chance of ever getting better. Every time they post bail or continue helping you stand up when they should (out of love) let you fall they confirm the fact that you will never have to be responsible for your own actions. Allowing you to avoid consequences will eventually end in disaster.
How do I quit?
With man's prideful nature it's never easy admitting something has defeated us. We want to believe that we can beat anything, that we have power over our own body. But...admitting this defeat is the first thing you MUST do. In Romans 7:18 the apostle Paul writes "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find."
In the book of Romans Paul was writing to Christians. They were already believers in Christ. So...what if you aren't there yet? Maybe your atheist or agnostic...there is still hope. AA's big book has a chapter about this subject that you may find interesting. You have to start somewhere.
The bible states that unless you are "born again" you won't be able to understand the things of God.
I Corinthians 2:14 says "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." The "natural man" refers to the unconverted. The only way you can understand God's word and what He has in store for you is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
While it is still today, accept this truth in your life. When I was trying to sober up in the early 90's the last thing I wanted to hear about was how some "god" was going to "fix me". But...I was at a point in my life where all else had already failed. I prayed that God would just take my life. I thought that was all that was left. Several times I contemplated suicide, thinking that would solve my problem. I walked through a graveyard looking at headstones telling myself that I was going to end up here if I didn't stop.
I did not understand the battle that was going on inside of me. As hard as I tried to quit abusing alcohol and drugs, I couldn't beat it. I had to believe it was greater than me. Hence the first step on your road to recovery.
In a nutshell...
You may quit drugs and alcohol without God but the solution to the emptiness in your life is Jesus Christ. Eternal salvation rests only in Him.
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10)
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12)
For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:9-13)
Do you believe?
If you believe what I have written on this page about Jesus Christ and you feel God speaking to your heart, I invite you to pray the following prayer.
Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and I repent of my sins. I believe that Jesus is the Christ, God the Son, who laid down His life for my sins. I humbly ask you, God the Father, to forgive me and allow the Holy Spirit to come into my heart, so I can be born again right now, and live with you forever. I pray this prayer in the name of your Son, Christ Jesus. Amen
What now?
If you prayed for the Lord to come into your heart and meant it, the bible says you are a "new creation". If you made a decision for Christ today please send me an e-mail and let me pray for you and encourage you on your new journey.
I would like to tell you that as soon as you accept Jesus Christ in your life miracles will abound but that wouldn't be the truth. It doesn't happen that way for everyone. All one has to do is read the book of Job and follow his journey to see that life is not always fair. It rains on the just as well as the unjust.
What salvation does provide is an inner peace that nothing in this world can offer, God's promise of life hereafter and a love for your fellow man.