Point blank, alcohol is a drug. You know this, right
If you have been to rehab or any type of 12 step meeting then you have heard that slogan over and over again. And again and again
The thing is that most people still don’t listen. Millions of people in early recovery. Or any stage of recovery for that matter convince themselves that it’s ok to drink a little. I mean, it’s legal. Or it’s ok to smoke weed. It’s nothing more than a plant
You can tell yourself all the lies that you want to but alcohol is a drug and it’s no joke
Alcohol Withdrawal is Hell
In my early 20s, I was like any other want to be adult, fresh out of treatment. I would make it a few weeks and then end up getting trashed. I would keep drinking until I got the same high that I got from heroin.
Guess what? It didn’t happen. All I got were blackouts, no idea what happened when I woke up the next morning. And let me tell you, it was NEVER good.
So I’d switch and go back to dope. At least I knew what the hell was going on then. Well, sometimes.
The Alcoholic
One time, I was in a halfway house and 4 of us moved out and rented rooms off this old guy. Who was an
The oldest, (R.I.P – story for another time) lady was the drunk and I can remember seeing her going through alcohol withdrawal and it was just as bad as being dopesick, if not worse.
Hell, I would be sick. Yet, I would take the bus to go to her bank for her and bring her back vodka. Watching her suffer was horrible. Watching someone you love have to endur that is almost unbearable.
Not to mention, the physical effects it had on her. She was a beautiful woman. In her mid 40’s but, she looked defeated. She looked as if life had given her the shitty end of the stick for way too long.
It had but, it was all due to her drinking. The physical effects were from alcohol.
The Truth About Alcohol
I’m sure you have heard a glass of wine every day is good for you or a beer every so often will make your heart strong
The truth of the matter is that no amount of alcohol is good for you.
While some medical doctor somewhere might have found how a glass a day can help you in one area. The damage it causes to every other area outweighs any benefits you tell yourself it may have.
Plus, you damn well know that as recovering addicts, we don’t do anything in moderation. Definitely not drinking.
So before you decide that your sobriety won’t be ruined since alcohol is legal. Let me sway your thinking and show you the real damage it can cause.
Read on to find out more. But first, take a moment to pin the image below. Together we will turn the mess into a powerful message. Thanks
Fuzziness
Now don’t laugh about feeling fuzzy. There’s no better way to
It’s not that unusual to wake up after a night out and feel a little fuzzy around the edges. You might have difficulty recalling the exact events of the night before or have forgotten the name of someone you met.
Now, this on its own doesn’t seem like a good reason to not drink. A night of partying and drugging will make
But, it will get worse. As every drug addiction does.
The fuzziness will begin to bleed into the next day. And things start to get harder to remember, even when you haven’t been drinking. It becomes a feeling you can’t shake and that is not a good way to feel.
You will end up wishing that you had made the decision sooner.
Dementia
Long term alcohol use, especially regular heavy consumption, has been linked with early onset dementia.
It’s much worse than that fuzzy feeling we just talked about. Drinking leads to blackouts. Imagine if you blackout daily from alcohol consumption. That can not be a good thing.
And if you happen to be susceptible to memory problems anyway, it can make them a whole lot worse.
But it’s not just your future brain that you need to be concerned about.
Mental Health
Alcohol is a depressant. So it truly makes no sense that people often turn to alcohol in hard times. Myself included.
You know there’s nothing better than going through a tough time and drinking until you forgot about it. After all, getting trashed will make your problems disappear, right? (Yes, major sarcasm on that one if you can’t tell.)
Say you have to deal with a health problem like the ovarian cancer symptoms Inspire talks about. Or maybe you just lost a job. Even worse, a loved one
Even though people often say they feel happy when they drink. Yet, that honestly isn’t the case.
If you are prone to depression, it is likely to make the symptoms worse. Alcohol and most medications prescribed for our mental health really do not mix at all.
If that’s not enough to make you look into not drinking, then consider the effect that alcohol has on your decision making skills. Just think how much your body and brain will thank you if they improve.
Hep C
You hear all the time how heroin addicts contract Hepatitis C. Truthfully, the majority of heroin addicts have it. Guess what? So, do alcoholics.
If a person has Hep C and drinks, the disease will progress much faster. Ultimately, leading up to cirrhosis of the liver which is a scary damn thing. You can find out more about cirrhosis of the liver here.
The thing is Hepatitis C effects your liver. Your liver is a regenerative organ. If you stop drugging and drinking, your liver can improve and it will. Both Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee have witnessed this happen to them. It has happened to me as well.
Not to mention there is a cure for Hep C now. Thank goodness.
No Drinking. Period.
It’s crucial to your recovery to understand that alcohol is a drug. It’s not something you can do, even in moderation.
RELATED POST: SUPER SIMPLE WAYS TO REPLACE YOUR ADDICTION WITH A HEALTHY HABIT
One thing you need to keep in mind is that addiction recovery isn’t based on willpower. No matter how determined you are, there is no simple reset button in the human mind.
Success comes from being prepared and taking things one goal at a time.
BONUS: SLAY YOUR GOALS PLANNER
Say goodbye to mind-altering chemicals and remove them all from your life permanently. In order to do this, you need to know how to stop drinking.
STOP DRINKING ASAP
A good place to start is by drawing up a list of all the reasons you want to stop and another list stating the benefits of being sober. Or you can print out my list of 101 Benefits of Being Sober and simply, highlight the ones that pertain to you. This will keep you going if you hit a rough patch. These lists will be your sober motivation.
Then pick a start date. If you aren’t sober yet then I suggest a treatment center for detox. If you already went through treatment and replaced your doc with alohol then pick a date to say goodbye to the booze.
Just remember, there will never be a perfect time for going 100% sober. So make the date sooner rather than later. The longer you leave it, the more excuses you will find for not starting.
RELATED POST: HOW TO STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR YOUR PAST MISTAKES
Mini Challenge
You made your list. You know
Now you need to set small goals and work your way up. Make it a challenge. Set small achievable goals to help you get to the big one at the end. Keep track of your progress and focus on this more than on the difficulties.
Alcohol Is A Drug and Drugs are Bad
There is no way around it. Alcohol is a drug and if you are real about your sobriety then you won’t drink.
Illegal drugs cause enough damage and you beat that. Alcohol is legal but it doesn’t make it any less harmful. It causes just as much hurt, pain, tragedy, and death as the next drug.
Steer clear and create your kick-ass sober life. I am here to help you every step of the way.
If you are ready to start now then sign up below to become part of Unjunkiefied’s online family. As a gift for wanting to do this “sober living” thing right, you get exclusive access to the Sober Living Toolkit.
If you liked this post, you can share it using the sharing buttons or pin the badass image below. Spread the word, ALCOHOL IS A DRUG and DRUGS ARE BAD!
Thank you for sharing this post and the message of recovery!
In the hope that it might help someone out there, here’s my lateral experience… My habitual heavy drinking led TO drugs. Long after the time I had progressed to hiding my drinking and trying to stop (and relapsing daily) I began to chase the high elsewhere into prescription drug abuse, NOX, huffing starting fluid… I was well on my way down a bad path and getting deeper. One day I felt my shame, guilt, remorse, and maybe a touch of hope, strongly enough to decide to change. I reached out to the internet and in a Pinterest post, heard a message that resonated with me:
“The first step to getting sober is to stop drinking. The second step to sobriety is to keep doing it.”
“Stop drinking. Not because you admit you have a problem. Stop drinking. Just stop. Stop because something is wrong and you don’t know what it is but you know it ties in with alcohol.”
I realized that to begin, all I needed to know was that something wasn’t right.
I’ve been repeating that second step for 2 years, 8 months, and 9 days now. I seek inspiration and support every day from articles just like this one and it helps me continue to recover. Thank you for doing what you do!?
Chuck,
First – thank you for sharing your #sobermotivation with Unjunkiefied. Second – That is damn good advice. 🙂 3 – Congrats on having almost 3 years in recovery! Keep up the #soberbadassery and Thanks again! Loved this. It definitely was something that made me smile today and I sure as hell needed it. (yes, you still have bad days when you’re sober, life will never be 100% perfect but it’s damn sure worth it!)