My Struggle With Alcohol: Why I Said Goodbye

Photo credit: George Doyle When I quit drinking, outer appearances said I still had it all together. My life, family and career were intact and fully functional. Like so many problem drinkers--especially mothers--I didn't fit the alcoholic stereotypes. And yet, I came to the painful decision that if I wanted to live a healthy life and continue to be a good mother to my children, I would have to say goodbye to alcohol. Who would've though that I would actually come to love living a sober life? I loved drinking so much that this is still incredible and kind of amusing to me. It's just another way that life is full of surprises. Denial being one of the hallmarks of addiction, I was very good at finding logical reasons why I couldn't possibly be an alcoholic. My drinking had not created any crises in my life and I had plenty of alcohol free days (although if I were honest, most of them were due either to my work schedule or to appease my increasingly worried husband). I didn't quite fit the progressive disease mold. My wild party girl days were long gone. I had settled down in my thirties, got married, had two kids, got a master's degree, and drank moderately without much thought. I was a real grown-up now, taking care of all my responsibilities. I was just having some wine in the evenings with (and before, and after) dinner. That's normal, right? Except that now, in my early 40's, it was pulling at me and beckoning to me more and more by the day. On the nights I didn't drin...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news