This Is My Story, And I'm Sticking to It

I am an unusual drunk. I never drank as a kid. As a young and middle-aged adult, I drank socially; yeah, sometimes too much, but I wasn't thinking about my next drink afterward.
I had a wonderful childhood raised by teetotalling parents who loved each other and taught me to love. I was a straight-A student. I decided in high school to become a journalist and took advantage of writing opportunities in and outside of school. I landed a part-time sports writing job at our county newspaper. This led to a full-paid scholarship based on writing ability. I graduated a year early, got a job as news bureau manager in my mother's hometown where I still had lots of relatives, and jumped into work even before my commencement exercises.
I married my childhood sweetheart at the same time I started a public relations job, where my salary doubled overnight. A feature story I wrote led me into marathon running, and I ran dozens of races through the next decades. While in college, I volunteered one summer on an Indian reservation in Idaho and fell in love with the Northwest. One day I wrote to a PR director in Boise, got a job interview the same week, and was offered a job on the spot.
That job was awful, so after six months I wrote to another corporation in Boise that happened to be looking for a writer. I got the job and more money. I later had two splendid daughters (who are still splendid as adults) and an active family life, often camping and hiking in the mountains.
I could go on, but I think that's enough to show I had a Midas touch. If something didn't work out for me, something better came along. That's the way life's supposed to be, I thought. We wanted to move closer to home in Pennsylvania in 1989, and sure enough, I landed my best job ever, in Louisville, which was. driving distance from "home." I worked at that company for 16 years.

My marriage felt strained and intimacy became a fond memory. My older daughter falsely accused me of getting too friendly in the volunteer work I had been doing with kids and she quit speaking to me. I killed the youth program I had created. I had arthroscopic knee surgery, which pretty much ended my running career. I started gaining weight. My beard turned white. I denied my depression for a long time before I got help from my doctor. But the mood-altering pills didn't work well enough. Alcohol worked better.

I got two DUIs. I was fined heavily, lost my license, and placed on in-home incarceration. I was hospitalized twice with alcohol poisoning. I ignored the hospital social worker's talk about A.A. At my wife's urging (i.e., nagging), I finally entered a local rehab outpatient program.
I have done that and lots more to end my addiction, which I will write about in future posts. All worked, but only for a little while. I started into A.A. Sometimes I went to therapy and A.A. meetings a little bit drunk. I got kicked out of two group programs.
I am three whole months sober as I repost this today, August 2. But I have found God and made spirituality part of my life and my path to wellness. So there is still hope for me. I feel strongly God led me to start this blog. It is intended to help other suffering relapsers like me, and ultimately lead me to a sober life.
Please post comments, questions, and advice from your own experiences. May God give you strength to get well and do His will.
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