by Cypress Riel

Created on: May 03, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

I am a recovering alcoholic. The road has been long and hard and so worth it, I could never turn back to being an active drinker. I hope.

Alcoholism is a disease and there is no known cure. However, with support and counseling we can put this life threatening illness into remission.

I had my first drink when I was 5 years old, as the champagne made it's way down my throat I cried because it tasted horrible, and then a feeling of euphoria took over my senses and I loved it. I now know that that was an ominous sign of my future.

My father is a alcoholic, his brother was an alcoholic and my mother became an alcoholic. Mom took on the attitude of " if you can't beat em''..join em'." and drank hard right along with dad. We had all suffered for many years with my dad's drinking. When dad got drunk you could be sure violence was going to be a part of it.

By the time I was 12 years old I could drink at home with my mom. Both mom and dad saw nothing wrong with this and in fact encouraged me to drink. We were not alcoholics, we were just the family who liked to party.

I was in grade 8 and kept booze in my locker and would have a drink or two in between classes,I was cool, NOT alcoholic.

I also attempted suicide for the first time at 13, while drunk. It would be one of many attempts at ending my life as my alcoholism progressed and tore up my life.

I became very depressed and would end up in the psych ward on numerous occasions, it was there at the age of 26 that I became aware that I was an alcoholic. I went through what is known as DT's ( delirium tremors) I hallucinated and thought spiders were crawling all over me, my heart rate went to 222 beats per minute and I almost had a heart attack. Still...I drank for almost another 10 years.

I drank at work, I drank alone and I drank every day, even getting up in the middle of the night to have a drink because I would already be getting sick.
At the age of 33 I went onto a treatment center to stop drinking. My life was in complete shambles and I was very afraid I would die if I didn't stop.
The very best decision I ever made.

I joined Alcoholics Anonymous and I am so grateful to this organization. They saved my life.
Having the support of other recovering alcoholics began to change me and heal the wounds alcoholism had caused to my mind, body and soul.

I learned that alcoholism runs in families and it is a disease. I saw a drug and alcohol counselor at least once a week and went to A.A. meeting 3 times a day in the beginning

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