when i had had enough of the suffering caused by MY actions of excessive drinking it was the ongoing mood swings that took me to the 4th stage of alcoholism and after that their was no turning back, if i could even think for one moment that i could save myself. so after 8 months of heavy depression, as alcohol turns on you in the fourth stage and theres never any relief from the suffering i had to swallow my pride and seek help. i take my hat off to people who can self detox and stay stopped but that can be highly dangerous during the first 120 hours which is why detox units are on the map. detox units are like mini hospitals over here in australia where a registered nurse is present, members of NAandAAare present most days and they can be your saviour in approaching you and recommending that one of the 12step programmes would suit you. most units also have meetings in them too. over here in australia if you come to one in a serious condition like i was, you are handed leaflets to go and spend a few months to a year in a rehab its up to us of course to make that decision no one is forced.
rehabs have meetings of AAandNA in them and if not they take you in there bus as a group to a meeting. so why are these AA or NA meetings encroached upon us in the first place, alcholics are a drain on society, on hospitals, medical centers ,doctors surgeries etc,etc. doctors and medical teams have full confidence in the 12step system that takes a lot of pressure off them as us alkies are an indignant lot who prefer not to take any advice from anyone, even though we think we have got it all together while looking like someone who has been ravaged by allsorts of stress from our own actions, the medical proffession, our loved ones and any body else we are in contact with,know we are not. so if you are visited in a detox unit, or a hospital, or a nursing home, or in the lock up, and or in jail. take there advice, as they were probably in your shoes once themselves, and as you will notice ,they usually have a face that shows a peace that you wish you had your self. this peace doesnt come from the abstinence of drinking booze or taking drugs or both, it comes from doing the 12 steps that are flogged about on this site and many others around the world. when we start at number one we are giving up on the illusion that we can handle all this mess on our own and thats the beginng of our recovery any other way is frought with failure, you dont have to suffer alone there are people out there who can help you, if you have to detox at home ring up alcoholics anonymous in your state and someone can come and visit you and guide your next few steps. this a australian service in AA. if its not a service in the other countries of the world then make sure your doctor knows your going sober. cheers peter from australia.
cheers phil . after getting a few replies from posts that i wrote in the last few days on this site i was under the impression that AA was slightly different in the states of america so ive been emphasizing that my info is australian based.
Where I am in the U.K. we have to wait months to get into a detox unit and by the time I got sober 3 weeks before christmas last year, I was on my last legs. I wouldnt have lasted another few weeks I dont think if I had carried on drinking never mind months on a waiting list. It took me 4 days in bed initially to get to a place where I could even move enough to get down the stairs and I never want to go there again so God willing and one day at a time I have nearly 9 months of wonderful sobriety.
The detox/rehab center i was in 6 weeks ago in Indianapolis, was similar to what you describe. I had a roomate, had meds, nurses station and we had to attend 4-5 NA/AA meetings per day. I don't know if the AA in the US is diff than Aus.
thanks kaz for your reply, well im glad you made it through your detox,as i said my info is australian based however their are similarities except for your case in other places, look after your self and cheers peter.
