Is drug and alcohol addiction just a bad habit? Or is it a disease?

@gailmalloy try calling 877.479.6262
Let me know if this works?
Joseph

I will add to what Joey posted.

First, he's spot on, you'll find a sponsor at a meeting. I don't know any other way.

To take Joey's point one-step further, attend meetings and listen to what potential sponsors are saying. Take your time, but stay oriented on finding someone. That is a priority. Try to find someone who is living a life you'd like to live.

A sponsor doesn't have to become a close friend, although this usually happens. But at crunch time, a good sponsor will tell you stuff you won't want to hear.

Finally, if you pick someone and it just isn't helping you, just kindly tell the person you're going to find a new sponsor. I've had this happen to me. It's not personal. It IS about what is best for you, and what gives you the greatest chance to get and stay sober.

Best of luck!

Joe

Until I was able to understand its only a bad habit, I couldn't quit. For decades I drank, smoked and used drugs. I tried 12 steps, Smart Recovery and religion to no avail. The identification stigma of believing I couldn't quit because I was an addict and alcoholic kept me believing that I was lost. By finding my locus of control I was able to strengthen my personal agency. And by realizing the strongest locus of control was internal, I was able to stop. Since December 5th 2021 I haven't had a drink. I was drinking a fifth of cheap, warm, gasoline tasting vodka a day for over a decade. Yuck! I have no idea how I'm even alive. But I did it. I believed in myself. Its not a disease or an allergy or even a spiritual failure. I dont smoke. I dont do weed or thc. And as mentioned, I no longer use alcohol. I was in a wheelchair in 2020 because of lumbar failure. I now walk 12000-20000 steps a day unassisted. My best day was last October with 17 miles. Motion is medicine. What you tell yourself the most, you will come to believe. Start telling yourself that you can do it! Because you can! Tell yourself the things YOU want to believe. Not the things others say to or about you. Believe in yourself. Tomorrow morning and every morning afterwards, tell yourself you are the master of your own destiny. One day you will come to believe it.

@trooperdogg1960 So glad to hear you dropped the booze, etc. I agree that believing in oneself is crucial. Everyone has their own experience. I have witnessed a lot of death and I should be as well. I started at age 12. I had to be medically detoxed several times due to withdrawals that could have killed me, so while I do not agree with your summary about it not being a disease or allergy, due to the physically addicted component that some have, I do agree that whatever it takes for anyone to give it up is awesome. Thank you for sharing. I have 8+ years now at the age of 55, so I have battled it for a long time. Anyone that stops, I love to hear it.

@trooperdogg1960 So glad to hear you dropped the booze, etc. I agree that believing in oneself is crucial. Everyone has their own experience. I have witnessed a lot of death and I should be as well. I started at age 12. I had to be medically detoxed several times due to withdrawals that could have killed me, so while I do not agree with your summary about it not being a disease or allergy, due to the physically addicted component that some have, I do agree that whatever it takes for anyone to give it up is awesome. Thank you for sharing. I have 8+ years now at the age of 55, so I have battled it for a long time. Anyone that stops, I love to hear it.

@diverdown1 I believe there is no bad way to quit. There are some better than others, but, every day sober is a great day. So any way a person remains sober is a great way! Cognitive reframing, or formatting, happens when we change our story from, "Im not addicted" to "I can stop this obsession simply because I choose to". The identity shift happens when we stop identifying as a drinker/alcoholic/addict. When we identify as a person who used to drink, we enforce in our own mind, AND in the minds of others. We are treated differently and we begin to act appropriately. Agency reinforcement or strengthening comes as we continue to follow through on what we convince ourselves of. If, you are convinced you are an alcoholic for life, then truly this is what you will be. If you are convinced that only through your higher power or your program you remain sober, then this what will keep you sober. Its all what you convince yourself of. I decided I wasnt going to remain in my wheelchair. Nobody but myself told me I would be there forever. In order to get free of it I knew I had to quit drinking. I now walk 12000 to 20000 steps daily. Its 12 noon now and I have 14900 today. Not only do I live by the phrase Motion is Medicine but I also live by Believe in yourself. This approach worked with meth, cigarettes, weed and alcohol. Im still working on smartmouthatitus. I applaud you on your time sober!!

@trooperdogg1960 That is great that you put all that down! I understand what you are saying and I believe that there is truth in it. Everything is subjective, so it is difficult to know what another person deals with. I do identify with a person that used to drink and use drugs. I have been in rehab 4 times since the age of 14 years old. I tried many times to put down the substances. Each time I relapsed, it got worse and worse until I finally surrendered to what I believe to be the power of the Universe. I did go to AA because it was the only thing I knew to do at the time and I received what I needed from the people as well as the program which is to get me to take myself out of myself and realize that I am neither god, nor the center of the Universe. I still live by the principles of what I learned in the 12 step program. As a person who started using at such a young age, I had no idea how to function sober. Everything was ALWAYS about me. I learned to try and help other people, not to receive anything back (at least I try) but to just be of service, whether that is opening a door for someone, letting someone out in traffic, or picking up a friend on meth at a hotel and calling 911. I am so glad you are moving. I can relate to that as well. I got sick with Covid, twice in 2022. It passed and then several months later, I was struck down with something awful. I was so sick and no one, even the doctors knew what was wrong. They knew it was something with my immune system. After 4 years of this and a lot of research, I know it is long COVID. Talk about people looking at you different. There are people that do not believe it is real. It is VERY REAL. I used to run every morning with my dogs, lifted weights and was the strongest and healthiest I have ever been due to being sober and exercise. Now, it is all different. I have fatigue, malaise (even doing small things), tinnitus, joint pain, brain fog, muscle aches, heart races, headaches and these symptoms are different each day, except for the fatigue. I have my own theories about autoimmune issues and trauma that I won't go into here. I appreciate your honesty and sharing here. Beautiful pic. I am sharing one I took off a boat in the Caribbean.

@diverdown1 Beautiful picture! Ain't it fun gettin' old?! All I got is lumbar radiculopathy, lumbar and cervical degenerative disc disease, esophageal lukoplakia, vitreous degeneration in left eye, vitreous opacities right eye, age related nuclear cataract left eye, spondylitis without myelopathy, restless legs, peripheral polyneuropathy, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, idiopathic peripheral neuropathy, osteoarthritis, severe spinal stenosis, and trigger finger. Thats just the current stuff. Now with all those, I seem to forget things alot. I get angry and frustrated easily. My feet burn when I sit and get extremely painful when I lay down. The epidurals I get only help a little. Other than that Im fit as a fiddle. I dont let these stop me from participating as an organ donor, previously through CORE KidneyUCLA, Mayo Organ Center in Scottsdale and now active at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla CA. I fight mental fog and depression using neuroplasticity exercises. This involves using my non-dominate hand, taking new routes, experiencing new things to create new neural pathways and build new neurons through neurogenesis. This fights depression as it strengthens my agency. Physical activity is daily regardless of pain and motivation. You gotta keep moving in order to keep moving. And I cant stress enough, Motion is Medicine. I fight depression by fighting depression. Its a mindset. Removing negativity by removing negative words from my vocabulary. I dont create new hobbies but I expand the hobbies I enjoy. Walking every day around our lake in nature has been the most therapeutic both emotionally and physically. When I hurt, I walk. When Im angry I walk, Mindfulness while walking is an amazing tool. I wish someday to see the Caribbean from a boat as you did. Perhaps, I will. Someday.