My world of recovery, motherhood, life in the South, and other people's business
You are currently browsing articles tagged rehab.
I think I may have food poisoning. Or else my stomach is on strike and refuses to digest anything. I don’t know what that’s all about. So today’s post will be a video, courtesy of Craig Ferguson. I know, I know, it’s 12 minutes long. It’s also from 2007, but you’ll be glad you watched it. If you’re not an alcoholic yourself, you most certainly know one. Besides, he’s funny and has a delish accent.
Craig Ferguson on Alcoholism
Be back tomorrow!
Tags: alcoholism, inspiration, recovery, rehab
Why do I write this blog every day? Sometimes I ask myself the same question, but ultimately I know my story can help other men and women suffering from depression and alcoholism. In addition, there seems to be a stigma about women alcoholics that doesn’t exist for men, so I think women hesitate to seek help because of that. The common belief is that soccer moms don’t drink. The reality is: YES WE DO – we just do it in our closets and would rather die than have people find out we aren’t the Perfect People we want them to believe we are. Case in point, when I left rehab I tried to find organizations with women like me who have substance abuse problems. Since I met a sorority sister in rehab, one of the first places I looked was to the Panhellenic (Greek women’s group) Council. I was surprised that they do indeed have programs to support women with substance abuse problems, and you could write a check to help THOSE WOMEN (inner-city, real live drunks). But there was no resource for sorority members (since, you know, we’re all perfect ladies and would never have a substance abuse problem). I am rolling my eyes as I type.
So that’s why I do this. If you read that even a messed-up person such as myself can live through rehab and recovery, maybe it will give you the courage to do it yourself. The first step is putting down the wine, ladies!
Oh yeah, I also write to take jabs at old boyfriends and others who have offended me over the years, but that’s just a perk of blogging.
Tags: book, rehab, resentment, wine
If you haven’t had the pleasure of going to rehab, I can tell you that leaving is almost as scary as checking in. Since I was there for, like, EVER, some of the people there began calling me “the intern”. One of the counselors gave me this poem when I left, and it reminds me of who I want to be.
Wise Advice
from Mother Teresa
( because it was never between you and them )
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis
it is between you and God;
it was never between you and them anyway.
(This poem is engraved on the wall of
Mother Teresa’s home for children in Calcutta.)
Happy Sunday!
Tags: gratitude, inspiration, rehab
Days like today are the ones I hate being an alcoholic (for more info click here). In case you don’t know (I didn’t), once you’re an alcoholic, you can never go back to drinking like a normal person again. The chemistry is all there, and although you might be able to do it for a couple of weeks, you’ll be brushing your teeth with vodka again in no time at all. That’s why they say, “once a pickle, always a pickle” – meaning you can never go back to being a nice clean cucumber. Kind of like virginity in that once it’s gone, it’s gone baby.
Tonight I’m having dinner with a bunch of sorority sisters I haven’t seen in over a decade. We’re going to a great restaurant and I’m sure the wine will be flowing for all but yours truly. I’m sure no one will question me when I order a Sprite. Non-alcoholic people don’t make it a point to notice what and how much everyone is drinking the way we drinker types do. They also don’t obsess over the half glass of wine that someone leaves on the table (is she going to drink it? why isn’t she drinking it? it’s just sitting there looking all beautiful and begging to be consumed. DRINK IT, BITCH!!!!!)
I have that same old anxiety creeping up on me like a blanket of suffocation. After years of not seeing these girls, I picture them being beautiful and perfect and definitely rehab-free. The old me would need a drink just to show up. The new me will do my best to look acceptable and then just have to deal with whatever happens. I don’t see myself spilling the beans about my life. I’ve got enough judgment from people who know and I don’t feel like adding to my list of potential judgers. Will I be able to carry on pleasant conversation? That remains to be seen. I may just stare as if in a trance at their wine glasses all night. But this is a step that must be taken. This is living life on life’s terms. I can’t expect the world to quit drinking because I’m a pickle, and I can’t continue to isolate in the safety of my own home. Am I scared? You’re damn right I am. Do I hate myself? Of course. DUH. But I’m getting better. (I think. maybe.)(Apparently the second-guessing and constant need for validation stops when you’ve been sane and/or sober for a while. Do you think I’m there yet? Do you???)
Tags: friends, judgmental people, rehab, self-disgust, wine
Are y’all on FaceBook? I am, although I am a little ashamed to admit it. It can be fun, but also exhausting. Some people wear me out with posting their every move: “Going to work”, “Driving home”, etc. As one of my girlfriends pointed out, it’s enough to make one wonder if they are being bombarded with requests: “OMG – You haven’t posted in 2 hours! We need to know what you’re doing RIGHT NOW!” But, as I said, it can also be fun. Some people send quizzes around, purportedly to “get to know you better” but I think really to find out personal details that you wouldn’t otherwise share. I recently got one with the question “Favorite kind of clothes to wear?” I thought this was an odd question and wasn’t sure how to answer. I am not a Spice Girl and don’t fall into a particular category like “Sporty” or “Posh” (although I confess to often looking kinda “Scary”). However, I suppose I do take great care in wardrobe selection, with the first criterion being that everything I wear be able to move with ease from day to night. Translation: my clothes need to be comfortable enough to run errands AND sleep in. Seriously. I don’t know what Einstein decided that pajamas need to be a separate category of clothing. That just makes for more laundry and, frankly, I think we all need to be a little more earth-conscious these days what with global warming and all. So, yes, that’s it – it is actually SELFISH of people to wear real clothes and change multiple times a day. In this scenario, I am not lazy; I am sacrificing. What can I say? I’m a giver.
Tags: inspiration, rehab
