Idk I don't really do groups. It's hard to function.
Hi I'm Bob and I'm a recovering alcoholic. When I was young I was taught all normal adults drink (alcohol) and there's something wrong with those that don't. Of course I wanted to be normal but I thought it could wait till I was old enough to join the military and get married so I waited till I was 18. On my 18th birthday I got drunk the first time on the way home from high school. I thought it was the first step to growing up. I voted that year, got married that November and went to the USAF boot camp the following February. I was certain those things made me a man... I was still 18 years old All my friends did and my new pier group welcomed me whole heartedly and beer was $3 per case on base I got buzzed nearly every day.
By age 26 I was divorced with 2 daughters and a seriously bad drinking habit. I had came to believe but my drinking was already nearly out of control. When my parents found out I was trying to quit they criticized me and questioned why I was trying to become a weirdo. Although my mom was allergic she was ashamed and urged me to come back to normal.
Through decades of trials and errors I came to believe it's ok not to drink. I had gone from occasional to recreational to habitual and arrived in recovery a full blown Alcoholic/addict. The way back is a lot more difficult than the way there. I had gotten beyond the point of drinking alone and calling it a party. I was very sick. Please believe me drinking alone on regular basis is a very bad idea. Think about it. Are you medicating yourself? Do you go to work hung over? Do you make excuses for drinking or to drink? Do you occasionally forget going to bed after you wake up? Think about it. Don't do what I did. It's OK not to drink!
Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of recovery, we try to carry the message to those who still suffer, and practice the principals of recovery in all our affairs. P.M. me any time. I am not alone here. God bless.