Photo by Luke Barky
My Alcoholic, My Love is a solemn portrayal of what it is like to live with an alcoholic husband. Alcoholism affects everyone, and necessary steps should be taken to be sober.
Alcoholism, like all addictions, is a difficult thing to extricate one’s self from. If it were so easy, then there would be no alcoholics! Regardless, deciding to fight against your addiction is the first step to making peace with yourself and the people around you.
Keep to your well-being and improve yourself by learning how to be sober again.
The road to recovery might be a long and winding one, but the destination is all worth it in the end.
The Road to Recovery
The decision to stop drinking does not come easily; it does not come suddenly. It is the culmination of many conversations with friends, with loved ones, and with one’s own mind. For non-alcoholics, giving up drinking is simple; it is just saying no–but far from just taking a stroll that they seem to think it is, giving up alcohol for an alcoholic is tantamount to cutting off a pound of flesh. It is extremely difficult.
It’s not rare to hear people talking about a friend or a relative who’s an addict. It is quite a popular topic of conversation, in fact. This is because there is a massive stigma to being an addict or an alcoholic, despite it being a frequent phenomenon. The complexities of addiction are not well-known nor understood by the general populace. Hence, a lot of people like to look down on addicts and alcoholics without ever trying to comprehend why addiction might be a difficult struggle.
When someone is addicted to something, simply saying no will not help. Addiction changes the brain of the afflicted individual, making them more susceptible to addiction and eventually reaching a point where resistance is almost impossible.
As such, even the act of accepting that one is an alcoholic is extremely difficult. This is why when a person becomes aware of their addiction, it is something worth praising because it is a very high hurdle to overcome.
Of course, don’t just pat yourself on the back and be done with things. Seeing the light and wanting to take care of yourself is important, but it will only work if you actually go through with it all the way. This means reaching out and asking for professional help, but if that step feels too unnerving to take just yet or it’s not within your current means, then here are some simple methods to begin your road to recovery:
Recognize what provokes you into drinking. All alcoholics have different reasons for drinking, and they are motivated by different things also. Some people drink when they are angered, while some drink when they have a sense of achievement. There are also physical triggers like being in a place of attachment or seeing someone or something specific. Rarer still are those that drink because of a sensual trigger like smelling something or eating food.
Knowing what prompts you to start drinking is important to know when to stop yourself.
Discover an outlet to express yourself. Oftentimes, people go drinking because they have no avenue with which to express themselves or because they are too consumed by a feeling that they need alcohol to dampen their surging emotions. Looking for another way of doing these, like a hobby or something similarly productive, helps take your mind away from drinking.
By having an outlet to divert your attention and emotions, drinking becomes a secondary option.
My Alcoholic, My Love by Margaret Moschak is a heart-wrenching memoir about life as an addict’s wife and what it is like to live with an alcoholic husband.
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