If you’ve ever been what is known as a “hard drinker,” then you know that kicking alcohol is no joke.
The most severe forms of alcohol withdrawal which include DT’s (delirium tremens) and hallucinations, can even kill us.
I know this because I have been there—twice.
While I never had to go through this level of withdrawal, I was right on that edge where the process of detoxing was physically uncomfortable, and getting seriously ill was the next stop for me on the way down.
This is what I know about myself—I don’t have an inner governor that would alert me to the fact that I needed to stop after one or two drinks. I was also a blackout drunk, and no matter how much I wanted to be able to control it, I could not and will never be able to do so responsibly. The added bonus of being a woman means that we can typically wreck ourselves even faster than our male counterparts.
Achieving sobriety has nothing to do with being strong or having will power, and It can be an out-and-out mother f*cking battle for your life.
For me, to even toy with the idea of having a drink is suicide. (I am not blowing that out proportion either.)
This is why the video below resonated with me so much, when I first heard it a couple of days ago. Not only are the song and the band both phenomenal, but the desperation and pain of the opening lyrics shoved its fist right through my solar plexus—jolting me awake, and taking me right back to what it was like, back in the day.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is art that is worth sharing.
Author’s note: It doesn’t matter where we are on the spectrum. If we question our ability to handle our drinking, then chances are, there is a problem. Getting help now could be the most advisable course of action. There are a few helpful links below if anyone feels the need to investigate further.
Relephant:
Picking up the Broken Pieces of Addiction
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Author: Jenny Wise
Editor: Yoli Ramazzina
Photo: Flickr/Tim RT
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