“Hi, my name is George. I’m an alcoholic,” his head hung low as he spoke. The group was silent as he began his story. “I have been for about 20 years now. I tried to stop drinking several times. Once, I lasted three months without drinking. I got so stressed out, though, I had to drink. My son saw me,” his voice was becoming shaky. Nerves? No, something deeper than that. “He called me an alcoholic. I hit him in the back of the head,” he wiped tears from his cheeks and continued. “I felt so guilty, I told him to hit me. He did but I didn’t think it was hard enough.” He was choking up at this point, struggling to hold back more tears. The woman beside me sobbed. She had been there. She knew the pain. “I told him to hit me again. He did. It hurt. But I knew the pain I caused him was so much worse. I was so mad that I got in the car and drove away. I was pulled over shortly after I left. I was issued a DUI. But…” he swallowed hard as he raised his head. He wiped his cheeks again. “But every time I think about that night, I think ‘what if I had killed someone’, you know? What if I had killed myself or my child or another child? I had to come here.” His story was similar to his peers who sat in the circle with him. It was the same as those who had been through the facility and those who would one day enter to begin their own journey to sobriety. He knew he had a problem; more importantly, he knew it was time to change it.
*Note: throughout this site, the term 'drug' refers to any substance that may be abused – alcohol, methamphetamines, opioids, cocaine, etc. If discussing a particular substance, the drug will be named.*
*Note: throughout this site, the term 'drug' refers to any substance that may be abused – alcohol, methamphetamines, opioids, cocaine, etc. If discussing a particular substance, the drug will be named.*