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You Are Here Home » Sober doesn't Suck! » Alcoholism » Abuse & Alcohol-A Woman Shares Her Journey

May 5, 2012 By SoberJulie 7 Comments

Abuse & Alcohol-A Woman Shares Her Journey

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Sober Sober doesn’t Suck! is a place for people to share their stories of drinking, addiction and recovery openly and honestly. There is no requirement of sobriety for posting, if you’re concerned about your using I want to hear from you too.

If you’d like to tell your story, your feelings about your own addiction or that of someone else in your life please head over to the Sober doesn’t Suck! page. Addiction affects the people around us, I’m interested in sharing all sides.

Thank you so much to Shelly for writing down her journey, it’s not easy but I’m certain it will give someone out here hope that living a sober life is possible and not bleak!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am just recovering from major surgery to correct some internal damage that happened when I was a little girl (I was 3). It was a time when my parents were always partying with their friends at our house, not a safe environment for any child.

I had to have what is called a “Burch Procedure and Paravaginal Repair”. Basically they had to re-position my bladder and re-align my vaginal canal because of the damage. I am now almost 3 weeks post-op and feeling really good.

All my life I thought your bladder was supposed to sit down and to the right, way below where your appendix is, who knew it’s supposed to sit in the middle with the rest of your reproductive organs? I sure didn’t. Anyway, this all contributed to my drinking, I mean who wants to remember that kind of thing?

And when you are faced with a physical reminder every day, well not being “present” sure helps avoid the issue, that is until the physical pain gets so bad you really have to have something done. And then you have to face the facts and deal with it, and drinking doesn’t help with that.

alcoholism

I had to admit that I had problems and issues that could not be helped along with alcohol, or drugs (not that I used many drugs, I preferred getting drunk, felt like I had some semblance of control you see…) so I thought the best way out would be to kill myself. I drank to numb the pain, and when the pain didn’t go away, the only other way out was death.

Alcohol couldn’t take away the pain.

The last time I drank was February 25, 2010. I drank a 40 oz bottle of Vodka and swallowed some pills, drove my vehicle to a remote place and planned to end my life. A friend called me out of the blue and talked to me, eventually took me to a hospital where I realized I wasn’t just killing myself, I was killing those who loved me.

I was so lucky to have a friend who really loved me, who saw through the pain to the person I really was, and made me face the fact that I needed to ask for help, not be made to accept help.

That is the difference. I needed to accept that I needed help, and I needed to ask for help.

When I broke down and asked for help, I was surprised at how much help was out there, and how understanding everyone was. It was not easy. My friend took me to the hospital but did not speak for me, I had  to speak for myself. Once I did that, it was easier to accept the help, and actually get on board with therapy.

Once I accepted help, I decided I didn’t want to go back to the way I was living, and drinking was part of that. But it was a decision I made within myself, I decided to change my life, and I did. Sheer willpower and a lot of hard work. I found out that I have borderline personality disorder, not a surprise given what I had been through. I started therapy, started a medication program to help with the mood disorders, and stuck to it. I am still sticking with it 2 years later, and this surgery I had was a big part of my healing, inside and out.

I haven’t taken a drink since…and I feel good about that

Cheers,

Shelly

Filed Under: Alcoholism, Alcoholism Stories, Sober doesn't Suck!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lynda M O says

    May 5, 2012 at 3:50 pm

    Thanks for sharing your journey here with us. Each of us has a story to tell and from that others will gain strength and wisdom.

    Reply
  2. mamawee (ashley picco) says

    May 5, 2012 at 9:05 pm

    thank you for sharing this – I wish you a speedy recovery from the surgery and wish you well on this journey

    Reply
  3. Kathleen says

    May 5, 2012 at 9:14 pm

    Thank you for being brave enough to share your story. I’m just glad you saw where it was taking your life and did something about it. I wish my friend would see that he drinks too much and it’s hurting his life and relationships.

    Reply
  4. Deborah / Mom2Michael says

    May 6, 2012 at 9:53 am

    Congratulations! Good for you for taking control back and I wish you all the best on your journey.
    You are so right – you have to be ready to ask for the help yourself. Until you see the need within you, no externally forced help will work.

    Reply
  5. Bonnie Way says

    May 8, 2012 at 5:21 pm

    That is so awesome that your friend was there for you when you needed her. And good for you for working so hard to turn your life around. You are right – killing yourself doesn’t just kill yourself, it hurts those around you. Thanks so much for sharing your story! And blessings as you continue this journey to healing. :)

    Reply
  6. Claire says

    May 17, 2012 at 8:07 am

    And good for you for working so hard to turn your life around. You are right – killing yourself doesn’t just kill yourself, it hurts those around you. Thanks that you’ve shared.

    Reply
  7. Jason from RecoveryWorks says

    May 20, 2013 at 2:12 pm

    Thanks for sharing your story. Some people don’t have that kind of courage. Doing this may be part of healing too.

    Reply

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