When Is Enough Enough When It Comes To Alcohol Addiction?

How Much Can Your Body Take ?

When someone has an addiction to alcohol, and they have been abusing alcohol for so many years, when is enough enough when it comes to an alcohol addiction?

When is it time to make a change in ones life, and get clean and sober before it is too late?

Alcohol addiction is a horrible thing. I know I was there for many years and to tell you the truth I thought I had NO problem whatsoever, even though so many people thought so different.

If your are addicted to alcohol and abuse alcohol to the point that you need it everyday of the week, you must have looked in the mirror and have seen the difference in yourself.

Did you, or do you see someone different staring back at you in that mirror? Are you afraid of what you see or you just don't care at all? Are you in denial and thinking you have no problem with the alcohol you drink each and everyday?

Are you the type of person that knows you have a addiction to alcohol but are to a shamed to ask for the help you need to get and stay sober?

Deep down inside you, you must know there is a huge problem with the life you lead. I knew that problem, but I was too embarrassed to ask or admit I needed help.

When do you think enough is enough when it comes to stopping drinking? Would it be when your body starts to shut down because of the abuse you put it through all the years of drinking alcohol?

Would it be time to say goodbye to your addiction to alcohol when a Doctor tells you your liver is shot and there is no repairing it now.

Would those words be enough to say, "I am going to get sober and stop drinking alcohol." I would certainly hope so.

I realize that trying to break the horrible habit of drinking and abusing alcohol is a huge task. I know I was there back in October of 2009 when I said enough was enough and I needed to stop drinking alcohol forever.

When Is the Time to Stop Drinking Forever?

If you are an alcoholic, and know you have a problem, then what measures should you take in order to change your life around for the better and start living the clean life?

• First off, you must get out of the denial you are living in and realize you need to stop drinking and get sober.
• You need to look into that mirror and see who is looking back at you. Are you happy with who is looking at you, or are you a shamed of what you have become because of an avoidable alcohol addiction.
• Are you proud to say you are an alcoholic or are you embarrassed to even mention it to anyone?
• Do you like the way your body has changed over the years of drinking, such as weight gain or weight loss?
• Do you hide from those that do not drink alcohol and drink alone?
• Are you happy with your family life, such as your spouse, children, parents and friends?
• Are those people fed up with you and your addiction to alcohol?
• Are your family and friends beginning to stay distant from you because of you addiction?

I can go on and on, but you get what I am saying, I hope. You need to sit down and take a good hard look at your life and the lives of those that love and care for you.

You have to want sobriety for yourself and not be forced into living a clean and sober life, because I have found that if you don't want sobriety in your life, no person or place will make that happen without the will and pure determination of the alcoholic.

You need to help yourself before any place or person can help you. You have to have it in your heart and soul that you want a better life for yourself and your family, and until you want it for yourself, things will be a bit rough getting and staying sober.

I am not a Doctor or a Therapist, but through my experience of drinking alcohol I know if you don't want to change your life, then recovery is in the distant future until you are 110 % ready to change and get sober on your terms and not someone that is forcing you to get sober.

I did it and so can you my friends. With the willingness, determination and huge desire to make your life right, you can and will get and stay sober.

Once you take that first step towards sobriety, never let anyone or anything get in your way or try to stop your road to recovery. There will be lots of things that may happen in your life as they happened in my life once I got sober, BUT never let it get to you to the point of picking up that drink to drown your problems and sorrows.

If so, it will be the worst mistake of your life and believe me, you will be so disappointed in yourself by letting the demons take control of your body again.

Be STRONG and stand up to the addiction to alcohol that could of, or did ruin your life once before. Believe and you will achieve sobriety my friends!!

Get Yourself Sober Than Help Others Do The Same

Back in 2009 I said to myself, " Mark lets get yourself sober and help others do the same" and that is exactly what I have done since October of 2009.

I write just about every night either here on this blog, or my Clean Life blog, and then HubPages in which I have over 440 hubs written on alcohol abuse, sobriety, ways to get sober, positive attitudes and much more.

I love writing on alcohol addiction and ways that I found that helped me get and stay sober for almost 5 years now.  Writing is really a great help keeping me sober.  Everything I write, I have in my mind as I write them, and that is, "this one article I am writing just might help a person somewhere in the world to get and stay sober."

I can't stress enough in my writing just how sobriety has changed my life, and the lives around me, such as my wife, children and Grandchildren.  I literally put them through pure hell with my alcohol abuse and never wanting to do anything with them unless I had a drink in my hand.

When I look back in time I feel so ashamed and weak. I was too weak to fight my inner demons that ran my life and other lives for so many years.  It truly makes me sick in my stomach now knowing that I put my family and friends behind my addiction to alcohol.

Well, as I write today I am sober and the past is the past and I only now look for much better things to come in my life and the lives that surround me.

If you have recently got sober then I commend you to the highest level in life.  Now your job, as is my job, is to remain sober forever, and start to help those that are suffering from an addiction as we were in the past.  It is so rewarding to know you have helped someone to make up their minds to stop drinking.

It truly wasn't that hard to quit drinking once I made up my mind and got out of the denial I lived in for so many years.  Once I admitted I truly had an alcohol problem, and was willing to surrender once and for all, the rest fell right in place.

Mine you, when you stop drinking, you have to give sobriety 110%.  There can not be any thing such as what I used to say, and that is this:

• I will only drink on weekends.
• I will only drink on Holidays and special occasions.
• I will only drink on the days I have off from work.

If you are ready to get sober, and you have abused alcohol, then the above will NOT work!  It didn't work for me at all and I had tried those methods many times and failed each and every time I tried.

You are only fooling yourself when you try to do as the above states.  Sobriety (LONG TERM SOBRIETY) is all or nothing my friends. 

Finding The Willpower To Quit Drinking Alcohol

Finding the willpower to quit drinking takes some real doings.  I should know, it was the hardest thing I'd ever done.

My question to myself was, "what will my life be like if I stop drinking alcohol?" Will I get sick, or will I be bored to death with the new life I will have with alcohol not in my life?

The way I finally quit drinking alcohol back in October of 2009 was, I finally admitted I truly had a alcohol problem and I got out of the denial I was living in for so long.  That was number one, and the first step towards my sobriety and my new life.

It truly takes willpower to say NO I don't want and alcohol ever again. For someone like myself and for all those that do have an addiction to alcohol it is really hard to say goodbye to something you love and for something that has been a huge part of your life for so many years.

You need that positive attitude telling yourself that you can and will beat this addiction to alcohol.  Being negative and thinking you may not be able to get sober will make this harder than you think.

You need to be in the right frame of mind.  You have to want to get sober on your own and not be forced into something you are just not ready to do yet.  Once you have had enough of your life and want a new life for yourself, and those that love and care for you, you will be on the right track to sobriety.

The willpower to say, No I don't drink anymore is something I thought I'd never say in my life, but it happened and I am proud to say, "I don't drink anymore!"

Anyone can stop drinking like I did, but you must want it first and foremost!  If sobriety is not in your heart and soul, it will never work.

Ask for Professional Help to get you on the right track and get yourself clean and sober.  It is never too late to change your life and those lives around you, because remember, your family is suffering right along with you and your addiction.

Give yourself the gift of life, and get and stay sober.  You will never be sorry you did.

Read more of my articles about alcohol addiction, positive attitudes and happiness on Hubpages.

What Is Stopping You From Achieving Sobriety ?

Too many people that are addicted to alcohol want a better life, but really have no idea where to start, or may be afraid of becoming clean and sober.  What is stopping you from achieving sobriety?  Do you have any idea what the problem may be, or are you living in denial and just don't want to admit you have a drinking problem?

If you are one of those people that are living in denial, you had better take a good hard look at your life and the lives surrounding you that love and care for you.

You are not only hurting your self by living in denial, but you are destroying other lives on the way to your self-destruction.  As you look into the eyes of your spouse, your children or even your parents, think to yourself what you love more.  A bottle of liquid that will sooner or later kill you, or the people looking in your eyes that love and care so much for you and want the best for you.  They want you to live a long and healthy life, in which you will not if you don't get out of the denial you are living in and get sobriety back into your life again.

So the huge question to you is, "what is stopping you from changing your life and achieving long term sobriety?"

• Is it that you are simply afraid of change?
• Is that you are afraid of what your drinking buddies will think of you if you stopped drinking alcohol?
• Are you afraid of how your body will react with the abstinence of alcohol?
• Are you in so much denial that you think you have no drinking problem whatsoever?
• Do you think you will be bored without drinking alcohol everyday?
• Do you think you would not be able to get along in life without your crutch?

So do any of the above ring a bell to you at all?  I bet they do as they did for me when I wanted to finally surrender to my addiction to alcohol back in October 2009.

I never thought in a million years I would be able to stop drinking alcohol, but I sure fooled myself, and the reason I was able to beat my addiction to alcohol was that I had a positive attitude and keep telling myself that I would conquer this addiction I had once and for all, and make sobriety a part of my life once again.

***You can do the same thing if you have it in your heart and soul, and have the willingness, desire and the determination to change you life and get clean and sober.***

Believe me, sure it was a hard road in the beginning, but as time passed by, each day got easier and easier to be able live without alcohol in my life and it will be the same for you.  Try sobriety, you might just love it as I have the last three years and going strong.

• Believe in yourself.
• Love yourself enough to make a change in your life, and in the lives of those that love and care about you.
• Be proud of your accomplishment.
• Don't be embarrassed of your addiction.
• Ask for the help you need in order to get clean and sober and have long term sobriety in your life.
• If you feel as if you can not get sober by yourself then get the Professional help you need to make sobriety happen.
• Keep a Positive Attitude at all times.
• Never stop believing in yourself.
• Don't let anyone or anything stop you from achieving your sobriety.
• If you wind up losing your drinking buddies, then so be it.
• Stay clear of all the places and people that may influence you about drinking alcohol.

Best of luck to all those that want to change their lives and get clean and sober.

Here are a few links of other sites I write on regarding my experiences with alcohol and way I have found that helped me get and stay sober.

• The Clean Life on HubPages
• The Clean Life Blog
• Living Life Sober
• Ezine Articles
• My Ebook
• 
  

Never Give Up Hope

Never give up hope refers to anything in life, especially if you are having a tough time in your life right now.  This also goes for trying to stop drinking alcohol as well.

I know how hard it is to stop drinking, because I went through this in October 2009 when I finally decided I had enough and I needed to get help, or simply stop drinking on my own.  I was fortunate that I could stop drinking on my own, but many people that are addicted to alcohol may just need some professional help so that they can detox in a safe and healthy manner.

I took a huge chance when I went cold turkey, and believe me I was afraid that something horrible would happen to me, but I never gave up on myself and never gave up hope, "meaning, can I get through these days, weeks and months with out relapsing?"

Each day that passed by and I woke up in the morning, I said to myself, "I made it one more day sober."  I was so proud of myself and all those that spoke of my addiction to alcohol felt just as proud of what I was doing to change my life and live that life clean and sober.

With that said, others that may not have an addiction to alcohol or any type of addiction at all, such as drugs, but may have other problems in their lives, such as financial problems, losing a job or having no job at all. Marriage problems sometimes can be associated with the last few things I mentioned above.

Whatever problem you have in your life, never give up hope and always think with a positive attitude, because thinking with a negative attitude will not help, and will not solve a thing.

For the people with that addiction to alcohol, having a positive attitude will indeed help you get and stay sober.  It did for me, but the first time I tried to get sober it didn't work for the fact that I simply wasn't ready to give up alcohol and change my life.

Getting out of denial was the hardest thing for me, because I thought I had NO problem at all with my drinking, although many people in my life thought different, and in the long run, they were the ones that were right, and I was dead wrong.

I guess the ticket here is, to have sobriety back into your life is just to admit that you are an alcoholic and need help.  Once you have admitted that, and got out of denial you have been living in for so long, you will have taken that first step towards having a new life, and living that life clean and sober.

Without having hope in life, I don't know what would make things better in your life and mine as well.  So please don't give up on anything in life including getting and staying sober.

I you have an addiction to alcohol, or know someone that does, here are a couple of great sites that may help you if you want to give up alcohol. and start living the life that you were put on this earth to live and that is a sober life.

Here is an Ebook I published regarding my addiction to alcohol.

Will Sobriety Make Me A Happier Person ?

When someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol, sobriety is the last thing on their mind because the addiction they have and live with over runs their body and minds.  They even often ask themselves, "will sobriety make me a happier person?" Since I got clean and sober over three years ago I couldn't be happier.

Believe it or not, finding sobriety will be the first day of the rest of your sober life, and anyone that wants a better life for them selves and their family should really consider getting clean and sober and try sobriety out.  You will never regret this huge life change, I am proof of it.

You will be surprised of how many good things come out of being sober.  Life is a beautiful thing and so many people abuse alcohol and drugs and miss out on some of the best years of their lives all because of an avoidable addiction.

Finding sobriety in ones life is really right in front of them.  The only problem is that many people with an addiction don't really care to be sober.  They are so used to being drunk or high and forget about what life is really about.

If you want to know ways to stop drinking alcohol there are so many websites that you can go to that will help you get on that road to recovery.  That is exactly what I did over three years ago.  You can read comments on those sites from people just like you that are struggling to get sober just as you are.

As far as being a happier person if you were sober that answer is yes, at least it is for myself.  You will feel so great about yourself and proud that you have beat the demons that have been running your life for so long.

Your family will also be so proud of the decision that you made to get clean and sober.  You will wake up each morning feeling great with no hangovers and ready to take on the day with a clear head, instead of feeling like crap the entire day until you get that first drink of the day. and that cycle will go on and on day after day if you continue to drink alcohol.

Don't let alcohol control your life and those that love and care for you anymore.  Take that first step towards sobriety and stop drinking alcohol and live the life you should be living, being happy and healthy.

Do You Think You Are An Alcoholic ?

So what do you think?  Do you think you are an alcoholic, or do you think you don't have any problem whatsoever regarding your alcohol intake?

What questions should you ask yourself regarding being an alcoholic or just a social drinker?

• Do you need to have alcohol in your system each and everyday of the week?
• Are you a miserable person if you don't have alcohol for just one day?
• Do you stay away from places you are invited to if they are not providing alcohol and make any excuse not to go?
• Do you feel like crap each and everyday you wake up?
• Do you live with a negative attitude?
• Have you lost your self esteem?
• Do you drink alone?
• Do you get nasty and say things you wouldn't normally say when you are drunk?
• Do you make excuses of why you are feeling bad, when you know for a fact you are hungover?
• Is alcohol the first on your mind when you wake up in the morning?
• Have you ever said to yourself that you wanted to stop drinking alcohol, but thought you wouldn't be able to?
• Are you afraid to stop drinking for the fear of getting sick?
• Are you afraid to stop drinking because of what your drinking buddies would think of you?
• Is alcohol getting in the way of your marriage and family?
• Can you see the difference in your family's reactions when you walk into a room?
• Do you notice people may stay distant from you when you are drinking?

Well, how do you think you did? Did you answer YES to any questions, and if so, you just may have a problem alcohol.  So own up to it as I did, and I might add, those questions when from my own experience with alcohol addiction.  I have been sober for over three (3) years and darn proud of it.

Yes, I lost lots of friends when I stopped drinking alcohol, but my family and my life were far more important than any drinking buddy.  I did it and so can you if you have the right frame of mind, a positive attitude and the strong will and desire to stop drinking alcohol forever.

Don't get me wrong.  I have nothing against drinking alcohol if it is done in a responsible way and not abuse it each and everyday of the year.

If you believe in yourself, and tell yourself you can and will get and stay sober, it will happen!

BELIEVE AND YOU WILL ACHIEVE !!

Tips On How I Stopped Drinking Alcohol

Here are some tips on how I stopped drinking alcohol and have been clean and sober for over 3 years now. 

First and foremost you need to want to get clean and sober and have to honest with yourself.  You can not cheat and say, "I will only drink on Holidays and weekends, like I did in the beginning of my partial sobriety.

If you know you have an addiction to alcohol and want to get sober, then it has to be all the way or nothing.  I thought that I could drink on weekends and Holidays, but it didn't work for too long.  The weekend drinking then went into one more day of the week and then no drinking for the rest of the week.  I was only kidding myself, but thought I was bringing peace to the household by not drinking alcohol for half of the week.

If you are like me and always needed alcohol in your life each and everyday of the week, then there is no happy medium for us.  There has to be a commitment to yourself that if you were to stop drinking alcohol, it has to be totally and not drink a couple days a week.  It didn't work for me and more than likely it will not work for you if you have an addiction to alcohol like I did.

So, the first thing you need to do is to want sobriety back into your life.  You need to change your outlook in life and stop feeling sorry for yourself and saying, "poor me, why is nothing going right in my life."  You need to change your attitude and make it a positive attitude and stop being so negative in your life.  Trust me, if you have a positive attitude and have a very strong desire to get sober and stay sober, than you have made a great decision and you will get sober with that attitude.

You can not think to yourself, Oh it will be too hard to get sober so why ever try to stop drinking alcohol.  That is one shitty attitude, and with that kind of attitude, you will continue to drink alcohol until the day you day from it.

Nothing great in life is easy, and that goes for getting and staying sober forever.  Everyday you will face alcohol somewhere in your day, but you must stay strong and not let the demons come back into your life and start taking full control over the one and only life you have.

This is the cover of my Ebook titled "My Life With Alcohol Addiction."

It simply explains when and why I started to drink.  It was to hide from my problems and as I continued to drink I became more addicted and that lasted for 33 years of my life.

My Ebook

****You can find many other articles I have written in my other blog called The Clean Life.****