No More...17 Years C&S

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DAKSY

Full Time RVer
Staff member
Dec 2, 2008
9,966
Wherever we're parked
On 10 Jun 1996, I decided I'd had enough. No more hangovers. No more embarrassing stories about what I did at such & such a place. No more scraping together nickels & dimes to buy one more quart of cheap beer or pint of bar liquor. No more sifting thru bags of seeds to get enough weed to fill one more bowl. No more scraping the last of the residue of the mirror to get one more line. No More. I wanted to see my daughters grow up. I wanted money in my pocket. I wanted to live. That was the last day of my drunken & drugged existence, after 28 years of non-stop partying & the first day I said NO! No more. Coincidentally, & purely so, since I had done no research into the disease of alcoholism, it was also that date, June 10, 1935 that an American physician, Bob Smith (same name, no relation), had HIS last alcoholic drink, marking the traditional founding date of AA. I didn't find out that fact until I actually made it to "the rooms." I spent 28 days of group therapy & acutpuncture & then meetings. Many, many meetings. Here I am, 17 years later, a much better person than I would have become, had I continued on the party path, with two wonderful girls who their father involved in their lives...Thanks for letting me share...
 
Good on ya' Daksy.
Keep it up.
I quit with all that just after my first daughter was born. Never was a huge drinker, but looking through seeds and stems was just, well,.......stupid.
 
Congrats, Bob. I know it can be a very tough road to travel for many. I am sure your family is grateful for the decisions you made.

Outside of social drinking - drugs have never been an interest of mine.
 
Congrats . . .
 
I tried to get an ex to quit.
I finally walked away couldn't take it any more.
Felt like a chump for a long time.

Congrats plus.
 
I am sure your family is eternally grateful that you were able to change your life. Not only have they had the pleasure of time spent with you, they have had relief from the terrible anxiety that such a life by a loved one causes the family.
Congratulations on 17 years of a good life.
 
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Good for you. I quit drinking last year for many of the same reasons. It's only been 9 months for me but I feel much better about myself and have no desire to pick up the bottle again.
 
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Your success speaks volumes about your character. Thanks for sharing your experience.
 
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Good for you. I'm sure there are many people that are very proud of you. Those that aren't are jealous or dead.
 
Daksy, you're a class act. And I believe in you even more after reading this post. It takes a mountain of courage and a big set of balls to admit to your peers you had those problems, and to change your own life, well that's just flat out priceless. You've not only changed your life, but I am more than certain your family's life as well. I know you've helped your fair share of people on these forums too. More than you can imagine. I'm proud to know you here, I sincerely mean that.

God Bless you my man......I'm truly glad to know you.
 
Congrats....

Look at the other bright side. You got all that partying in and survived to tell the tale!
;)

Thanx, chief! Just wish I remembered more of it... One other, even BRIGHTER side: After I sobered up I realized I was too good for the biotch I'd married & I divorced her. Ended up with custody of my daughters as well!
 
That's funny cause I was just in NJ and we hung out with our former cleaning lady at a wedding. Her hubby left her and was otherwise mean to her, so she got into shape and became a rock n roll Jersey gurrlll and was partying to beat the band and dancing with everyone. Her hubby wanted to remarry her but she refused cause she is the one who works her ass off and takes care of the kids, etc. etc.....

I guess it works both ways....
 
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Nice to hear that you turned your life around.... A great feeling having control! I didn't touch the stuff for 15 months,,, still had a good time, out with friends,, club soda and lime and I was still enjoying myself. Now you can get on the ole' scooter and not worry about getting tagged for drinking.. Makes life a lot easier... Thanks for sharing! Your daughters have to be very proud of you! That has to make you feel like a million bucks! And you know what? When you don't drink,,, you get a lot more done;)!
 
From the title of the thread I thought you were gonna quit cutting and splitting wood after 17 years of doing so!

Good for you, I have known several people who didn't survive......
 
I met an old friend and cousin at the wedding last weekend - he's somewhat of a genius, and when the subject of pot and other drugs came up, he said " I like my brain the way it is".

While I agree, in general, there are lots of people who can get high or buzzed and it's all fine and dandy, but there are many others who either don't enjoy the experience or enjoy it a bit too much.

Chemistry...is the real be-itch.
 
Congrats, Bob !!! On many, many levels !
 
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Congratulations Daksy and wishing you many, many more years. I hope your girls appreciate your determination and success ... I grew up with an alcoholic Dad who physically and verbally abused my Mom. As a teen and young adult, he never hit me ... I was Mom's human shield until the night he grabbed me around the neck. I left and took my Mom with me...
 
Congratulations Daksy and wishing you many, many more years. I hope your girls appreciate your determination and success ... I grew up with an alcoholic Dad who physically and verbally abused my Mom. As a teen and young adult, he never hit me ... I was Mom's human shield until the night he grabbed me around the neck. I left and took my Mom with me...

As far as I know, & I will be honest & say that there are blackouts - TOO many of them - I was pretty much a non-violent drunk. That definitely doesn't make the lifestyle any more acceptable, & I know that I said things tactlessly, but the one person I hurt most was me. My dad was a heavy drinker at parties, but not at home, so I can't say my life paralleled his. I brought it on myself & I watched many of my friends go down the same path. Lots of them are no longer here as a result. I decided I wanted to be here as long as I could & if I kept on doing it the way I was, that time frame wasn't gonna be for long.
Good on you, Lake Girl, for bailing when you could.
 
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Thanks - couldn't have done it without friends :) 30 years ago they didn't have women's shelters or decent laws for domestic violence:( That first apartment (third floor in a 100 year old house) was cold in the winter and roasting in the summer and furnished with only the basics but in a decent neighborhood.

It was inspiring to see her regain her self confidence and full enjoyment in life. She deserved the best...
 
I was thinking about following your example Daksy. Then today I had to go up on the roof and show the "professional" crew the correct way to put drip edge on a roof. <>

I may start drinking early today.
 
I grew up with an alcoholic Dad who physically and verbally abused my Mom.
Your story so parallels my wife's, but she escaped by marrying at 15. She felt powerless to help her mom, who died two years later, at the time of her first child. She was exceptionally lucky, though, because although that marriage failed, her husband was not abusive and she is naturally strong.

I was exceptionally lucky too, because I found her later...;)

This is still Daksy's thread, but it's bound to strike a chord with many.
 
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I lucked out - my guy then is still my guy - married 29 years:)
Mom's been gone for about 10 years but my kids have good memories of her. Did the Disney trip with us the year before she died.​
 
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