Hello I'm Karl
My name is Karl Newton and this is my new blog. I will be regularly writing to anyone who cares to read about addiction something I will be studying as I go especially the psychology behind addiction as well as my own experience with addiction and on going recovery from alcohol addiction.
Where to start……OK so without sounding too AA about it I’m Karl 31 from Rugby and I’m a recovering alcoholic who’s problems with drink have gone hand in hand with mental health problems for all of my adult life. It has now been 23 weeks since I last had a drink, my previous best attempt at sobriety only lasted a mere 8 weeks in comparison. There have been many attempts over the years for my health, mental health and sanity to quit drinking to no avail and will of different services. This attempt so far seems to be succeeding where others have not, thanks mainly to Antabuse medication. Antabuse acts in a way that discourages drinking by causing an unpleasant reaction to alcohol ranging from being violently sick to a worse case scenario of death. The use of this has aided me enough not to want a drink. So as they say so far so good although the key at this stage of recovery I guess is to take 1 day at a time and guard against complacency. I feel like I’m OK in terms of day to day life etc what I am currently working on is being able to handle what would of been a trigger point for my drinking like social situations due to my social anxiety and other occasions associated with drinking for example birthdays and days out at the football just to name a few.
Prior to me quitting drink 23 weeks ago I was drinking daily and had been for several years. Originally it was only ¾ cans or pints of lager a day except for nights out or triggers which may of led to me drinking up to 10 drinks. Over time this gradually increased especially during the break up of a long relationship and in the aftermath it. This increased even further over 2014 and by the time I stopped I was drinking 8/10 pints of lager a day Monday to Friday and then of Friday, Saturday and Sunday it was anywhere between 12 and 18 pints a day often with Jack Daniels or Jagerbomb chasers. Most of the time I would have no memory of hours on end whilst in session and often once I was aware of my own being again I would discover that i had injured myself somehow.
In my coming posts I will further tell of my experience and daily battle as well as studying addiction further.
Bye for now, take care.
No comments:
Post a Comment