This is the first time I have ever sought help for alcohol. Can anyone give me advice as far as to navigate this site, what is helpful on this site and what have you done that has helped you. Ive always drank but 4 years ago my daughter passed away and I have spiraled down every since.
Hi Sydney, welcome. I would suggest reading the stories of others on the message board. I have not been to an online meeting here. e-aa.org has a more active chat room, but the message board here is more active. I'm pretty new here as well, but there is a lot of support. Let me know how I can help.
Aloha Sydney and welcome to the board and MIP family. My navigation is sit and read and read and read. I look for the suggestions which when followed will help get and keep me sober. I gotta follow thru or I'm just playing games with my mind, body, spirit and emotions.
If you relate to a share...and want to reply...hit the reply button and when done hit the "send" button.
If you want to go personal with a member...click on their name and enter the PM page and White Board page.
If you want to go to a meeting that is scheduled or in progress; from the face page click on the meeting function.
You already know how to send statement and when you do we listen.
I gotta get out of here some one else will bring the suggestions to you. (((hugs)))
Navigating the board here is pretty easy ... To review comments here on a certain topic, go to the upper tool bar and click on 'Search' ... type in a 'topic' or a 'person'(if you get more out of one person's particular shares) ... To share a private message, go to 'User Details' and click there, then click on 'Private message'(PM) and enter the person's 'board name' you wish to speak with ...
To share a message to a particular individual that you don't mind others seeing, click on that person's 'board name' and type message on the 'White board' ... you'll get used to it in no time at all ... and you'll quickly realize we are family here ...
Sorry to here about your daughter ... but you'll find there's no problem in your life that a drug or a drink won't make worse ... most all of us have done the very same thing for the very same reason, or excuses rather ...
Get to an AA meeting ASAP and keep going for a while ... try to listen mostly for now ... get an AA BB(Big Book) and read the 1st 164 pages ... find the similarities in the book to your life and become aware you are looking at the solution in life that you seek now ... you are now among the miracles in life this way of living can provide ...
Love you and God Bless, Pappy
__________________
'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
This is the first time I have ever sought help for alcohol. Can anyone give me advice as far as to navigate this site, what is helpful on this site and what have you done that has helped you. Ive always drank but 4 years ago my daughter passed away and I have spiraled down every since.
Welcome to the forum, Sydney. You've taken an important step by reaching out. There are many folks here who have stories just like yours. We have all used so many reasons for drinking to excess. We are all familiar with the idea of living life in a downward spiral.
But we have somehow managed to pulle the nose up by getting into recovery. I have used AA to make my recovery from alcohol. It worked for me. But there are other methods and programs.
The main thing is to want to get out of that deadly spiral. To do that, one has to realize and accept that you are not strong enough to fight alcohol. With the help of others, though, you can achieve sobriety and live a good life. The way I learned about it was to go to AA meetings and to read the various literature of AA.
You can look up some face to face meetings wherever you live and work.
Also, there are many online meetings available. Here is one good site which has 4 or 5 meetings a day:
You can get the help you need from others who got the same help when they started. Just go to a meeting (face to face or online doesn't matter) and tell 'em, "I'm new!"
Welcome, Sydney. There's a lot of great information on this site so dive right in, okay. We'll help you every step of the way. We promise. Welcome, again.
This is the first time I have ever sought help for alcohol. Can anyone give me advice as far as to navigate this site, what is helpful on this site and what have you done that has helped you. Ive always drank but 4 years ago my daughter passed away and I have spiraled down every since.
Thank you
Hi there Sydney,
My heart goes out to you. It really does. Loss is a horrible thing - I know - but to lose what you have lost... I think it is a credit to you that you are here enough to be able to ask for help. I don't think I'd have that strength. Someone is looking after you to get you this far.
Back in 2000 I lost my "Jenny". For anyone that has seem Forrest Gump well that was her. I met her when she was about 8 and I fell in love with her from the first day. She was the most amazing and wonderful girl I'd ever met and could ever hope to have met. One day I finally had the courage to tell her how I felt and to my eternal surprise she told me she felt the same.
And nine months later she was dead.
Now I'm not telling you this as a me, me, me thing, but to tell you that I understand. That spiral makes a hell of a lot of sense. I loved that spiral... sometimes. But I also knew what it was doing to me, and I knew that ***** didn't want her death to be the destruction of me either.
It took me a while to get that. She still loves me. She might have changed but she is part of the universe still, and I, as a child of the universe can touch her when I choose, but to choose means to let go and let love take over. That might not mean much to you right now. In fact I'm sure it doesn't. But that is what this program is. It will love you until you learn to love universe - and by extension, yourself. When that happens there is no drink or drug that will get close to that feeling - that love. In fact drinks and drugs will just take you away leaving you lonely and sad, as I guess you probably feel now.
I don't make these promises to you. The program does. I don't understand the program, but that's OK because it understands itself, and it works. Also this program wont ask anything of you other than you get rid of a whole bunch of rubbishy thoughts and actions that you really don't want anyway. And in return for that it will not only save your life, but give you a new way of being that you couldn't understand even if I showed you. And it's not some weirdo cult. We just stop you drowning in booze and show you how to smile again.
But I'm babbling. I have *****'s picture in front of me, and my 5 year old girl here for the school hols, and your post hit me hard. Let us help you as you help us, and let that sad event be a something that makes you rather than breaks you. Make it count.
But whatever you choose, and wherever you go, I'll send all the karma I can spare to you and yours and I hope you can find a way out of that spiral.
