there's been chat on here about hitting 'rock bottom' as a prerequisite to sobriety. if that works for you, i wish you all the best.
I found the phrase a confusing and unhelpful misnomer for the point at which a decision is made to sort one's shït out. Waiting for 'rock bottom' before making the decision is dangerous advice to give a boozer.
Rock bottom, for me as a boozer, was not drinking whiteboard cleaner/injecting meth with ladyboys/smashing my face/breaking bones by falling over (or any number of things that otherwise happened I can't remember).
It was simply understanding that I would die and not be able to provide for my children if I continued.
To all boozers out there - you don't necessarily have to hit rock bottom and can sort your shït before then. Or after then. Just good luck when you make the decision.
fancy a pint?
0
3
Didn’t you have plenty of life cover braaap? Its a sad fact that most working age professionals are generally worth more dead than alive
0
1
that was true before I got coined tho
3
2
Congrats. No-one's saying you have to reach rock bottom or any particular rock bottom, they're saying it usually takes something extraordinary to give one the willpower to be able take the extraordinarily hard steps needed to get well. As you point out, everyone's is different, mine was urges to self-harm that had been confined to cutting non-visible areas developing into cutting my face, and having to tell colleagues that I had walked into a lamppost while drunk. It was clear something needed to be done.
3
2
I mentioned Rock Bottom, I also mentioned it is different for everyone and for someone on a drink fueled binge, it is hard to tell where their's is.
Some may find it's the day they're appearing in court for an act of violence, others it can be something simple.
There are plenty of people living on the streets with serious alcohol problems that haven't reached their bottom yet, lost all their friends, lost their homes, family won't have anything to do with them, they are in and out of courts / gaol, frequently admitted to A&E but the motivation to clean up their act still hasn't arrived. For some, it never does.
3
2
Anyone who is an alcoholic will have had numerous negative impacts on their life and friendships as a result of drinking at the time they decide to "sort their sh1t" as you describe it. That is their rock bottom.
Some rock bottoms are objectively worse than others. One man I was in AA meetings with, for example, murdered his wife and daughter and was left doubly incontenent after the subsequent suicide attempt, so his long prison sentence can't have been much fun. Others are able to get help earlier.
3
1
For me it was my wife contacting my two best friends in desperation and them realising how bad it was.
You're entirely right in your summary, Eddie.
1
2
Rock bottom might be death so may be best not to wait for that.
1
1
Did you ever drink in the mornings Pinko or did only start after the working day was done?
2
2
Mine was waking up from a very large night (mid-week, post work drinks) with no memory of getting home (in itself not that unusual for me) with the left side of my face numb. It stayed numb for three days.
For context, my younger sister has had multiple mini-strokes, non-alcohol related.
Scared me sh1tless. Bar one night when I fell off the wagon a few years ago, I’ve been stone cold sober ever since.
I still feel the urge to drink sometimes - and that voice inside my head says “don’t worry, you can just have one now; it’s safe” but thankfully the louder voice tells me that is complete bullsh1t and as soon as I have one I will not be able to stop - the self-rationalisations and excuses will start and so on and so on…. So, I must never have the first drink ever again. There is no period after which I will be “safe” to drink normally. I have accepted that - no matter what the enabler voice tells me!
2
0
And just to say - I never had an alcohol dependency issue and it didn’t impact work or family life. I could go for days or weeks without drinking. The problem was that when I started I could not stop until I was incapable. I cannot drink in moderation.
So, rock bottom is a relative concept - but it is a moment of realisation and acceptance that everything is out of control and making a conscious decision that you choose life over alcohol (or drugs or whatever).
2
0
And of course, when I say it didn’t affect work or family life - I mean I was maintaining. It clearly did affect them in some way - being hungover, etc.
0
2
This is a great thread to read with a pounding hangover as a result of just popping along to someone's leaving drinks for a couple/drinking until closing time.
1
1
you're right old sun. should have left it at that as the response for the dikpost I now realise my OP deserved.
0
1
posting on ROF features on my rock bottom list
Join the discussion