It seemingly happens in a very sly and, for a time, unnoticed way. There are some signs that appear, but we often tend to rationalize them and explain them to ourselves in a manner we can accept and live with at least for the moment. Yes, alcohol abuse is a cunning and devious situation to be dealing with, that is for sure. The mind continues to play with it and depending where we are on the spectrum, we go back and forth trying to convince ourselves that yes it is a problem, and no it isn't, it is just a phase we are going through. The truth is that if has gotten to this point, it truly is a problem and it must be faced.
When we reach the point in time that in is on our mind that we are indeed abusing alcohol, we must face and deal with that truth. For starters, we must get past the initial thoughts of comparing ourselves with others to judge whether or not we have advanced too far in a downward spiral. Comparisons can always be made that find someone else even more dependent than we are, but that is not the point. When we have reached that time that we are planning our daily activities around when and where we can have that drink to help us keep going, we are far gone! It is at this juncture we must be totally honest with ourselves and get the help that we need, whether this be getting to the rooms of AA and trying to deal with the issue with the help of the angels in those rooms, or getting ourselves to a rehabilitation facility where we can receive the instruction and care of those professionals trained in how to best get our recovery going. Whatever road we choose to travel, being totally honest with ourselves that we can't get this done by ourselves is a critical first step.
The good news is that there is help out there for those of us struggling and dealing with this problem, and we can get it and go on to a rewarding and fruitful existence. It all starts with being completely honest with ourselves.
