Types of addiction and getting support

Recovering from alcohol addiction: Joshua’s story

Joshua:

When I first started drinking, I thought alcohol made me better than I was, and thought it gave me stuff I couldn't have. But, in the end I realized it stripped me of absolutely everything.

I’d say I was probably 17 or 18 when I started drinking on a regular basis, going to local bars and pubs. I enjoyed the impact that alcohol had on me. I found something I was missing.

My drinking went from being something that was controllable and something that was enjoyable to being something that was out of control and destructive.

How alcohol affected me

The way I constantly felt was a numb, dull pain in my head from excessive alcohol. The only relationship that probably grew throughout addiction was my relationship with my brother, because he was in the same boat as me. We both went to our first meeting together, we’ve both gone through recovery together. Now we both have a much better relationship as a result.

My journey to recovery

I was visiting family in New York and I had a nice day out seeing the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and all those types of things.

I actually managed to buy a copy of a book by Russell Brand called Freedom from Our Addictions, and there was a few hours between where I finished my tour of the statue of Liberty and stuff, and the book signing was about to start and he was going to do a Q&A.

I went to a bar and just drank and then throughout the Q&A with Russell Brand, people were sharing their experiences or asking him questions specifically focused around recovery, addiction, and how you can be free from this stuff.

I saw there was a solution at that point. So literally within about three or four hours, I'd gone from this desperate situation drinking on my own to then seeing actually there is a solution, there is hope out there. There is a way to live a life without needing to do this.

How I feel now

I mean, I don't remember what a hangover feels like, which is quite a strange feeling. I feel fresh and I go to the gym most days. It's motivated me to care less about external things.

I constantly thought I was defined by the car I drove, the shoes I wore, or how many likes I got on Facebook. But, by going through recovery, you take a step back and say, just enjoy life for what it is. Actually accept you’re just fine how you are.

I couldn't explain how much happier I am now than when I was in active addiction. I do more on a Sunday morning than I used to do in a whole week in terms of productivity and being of benefit to other people. My life is completely transformed within a year.

My advice to others

My advice would be to explore your relationship with alcohol. If you go out, do you know when you're going to come home? how much you might drink? where the night will end up? who you'll end up with? how much you might end up spending? If you cannot control or choose those things, then at that point you become powerless. And that to me suggests that you've probably got an addiction, or at least a heavy drinking problem.

If you have either of those things, I'd suggest going to a meeting and discussing with some likeminded people how you’re feeling and where you're at in life. And I think you'll soon have a fairly good indication of if you have a problem or not.

Everyone should do what's right for them. I think everybody at least owes it to themselves to understand what triggers their drinking and if they can control it.