Skip to main content

The Alcoholic's Silver Lining

Briefly (as I am about to go to the gym with Jane) here is an example of how a bad alcoholic experience can generate some good.

Some time ago Jane found herself in hospital after a binge and had an unnecessary appendix operation (she had stomach pains) that went wrong causing real health problems with breathing and cognitive abilities.

This has kick started a training regime to regain her health. How good is that?

As I go to a gym attached to a really good hospital every Friday, she is joining me this morning. OK, once a week is not much but it is better than nothing and if done consistently over a long period real benefits can be accrued.

For Jane it is very important. Not just going to a gym but the whole process of being positive and improving health. It is great for her self-esteem. Low self-esteem is a factor in alcoholism.

Hard exercise has a fantastic effect on the state of the mind as well as the body. You feel better, more up for the challenges of the day.

This is exactly what Jane needs to combat the pull to drink again. And I need it too so that I feel better, healthier and more able to cope with life challenges and am not talking about Jane and her drinking but just the day to day grind and boredom of living. I find life quite boring sometimes and have done for years.

Why the photo? Nice pic, optimistic and bright...Photo By .craig
Labels:

Comments

  1. Anonymous29 June 2010 at 00:08

    Thank you for this blog. I too, am with an alcoholic and it takes courage to write. Thank you for being a shoulder, an ear, and the gift of honesty.
    Your blog found in the middle of the night, gave me the courage to keep reading and keep hoping.
    Your blog is read dear one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous29 June 2010 at 00:21

    Response to last comment - thanks for it! It is nice to know someone somewhere reads it sometimes!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I'd like to hear the experiences of both alcoholics and the victims of alcoholics, please.

Popular posts from this blog

Alcoholism and Death

photo copyright crowolf published under a creative commons license kindly granted. These 2 ignominiously go together - Alcoholism and Death . Just after Jane's mini-binge (believe me it was a very minor binge by her standards) of about 20 hours she felt, as usual, suicidal. Jane always feels huge remorse and regret after a binge. She feels bad about letting herself down and bad about messing me around (although it wasn't that bad to be honest - it did though mess up what could have been some time together, which we are lacking at the moment due to work). Jane really does genuinely feel suicidal after a binge. But I must say I don't think she'll ever do it. She hasn't got the courage - I know that sounds horrendously cruel etc etc but this blog is about the plain truth unvarnished. It takes courage to kill yourself and a lots of despair. Jane has the one but not the other. Anyway to get more positive. We had a little talk and I in my usual style, mentioned...
67 comments
Read more

Alcoholism is a Disease

1904 Advertisement I have always wondered if alcoholism is a disease . Is this just some sort of idea someone dreamed up years ago as a method to make a buck. You know it could have been that way. People think diseases are either curable or that the symptoms can be controlled to an extent where the person can live pretty normally. The signal sent to alcoholics by the idea that alcoholism is a disease is, "I can be cured by a pill" or "there is hope". And they go off and search for a cure to this mysterious disease...... It may be a disease, though. What is the definition of "disease"? It is an abnormal condition that impairs bodily functions with accompanying symptoms (after Wikipedia). Or here is another definition: An alteration of the state of the body or parts of it interrupting normal function (mine after ThinkExist.com). These are broad definitions. We usually think of diseases as say a virus that infects us and causes illness; the common cold is t...
28 comments
Read more

Living With An Alcoholic

Here is what it is like Living With An Alcoholic . Whatever a normal relationship might mean, it doesn't exist. It is snuffed out by the dreaded Mr V (vodka). One of the first things that comes to mind is that alcoholics are known to be unreliable and just plain liars. And I am not being critical of alcoholics. I am just describing the facts. Alcoholism drives the alcoholic to lie and deceive. It becomes a way of life. And broken promises abound. Promises to change and stop. These are all well intentioned but can never be kept until the alcoholic is what AA calls a recovering alcoholic. Recovering alcoholics are alcoholics who are able, for the time being, to control their alcoholism. It is as good as it can get for them and their partner. So living with an alcoholic is a very fragile existence, the relationship always undermined by a breach of trust or a potential breach of trust. Then there are the rows. These occur during the binge drinking or continuous drinking (if the alcohol...
38 comments
Read more