One is too many

[caressa]

Recovery does seem to have made a difference to my son. They say the seed is planted, and when it is, it spoils the using.

He stopped by here on the way from work last night. He informed me he had one beer. The boss bought a case and shared it with the workers. He commented that he fel high on the one beer. He also said it helped his back. Of course a beer is now better for back pain then linement, extra-strength tyenol, etc.

It has been a long time since he had one. Mainly because he was using cocaine before he went into treatment.

I was glad I didn't react. There would have been a time I would have gone into the nag, nag, nag. I didn't preach, swear, or chastise him for having it. I haven't said anything about him not going to meetings. He has been clean during the week, but using on the weekend. Now it is slipping into his week, it is a progressive disease. One is too many, a thousand is never enough.

[Lin]

I've hrd it said..it's hard to have a belly full of beer and a head ful of AA. I dont think that matters with my alkie. He goes to A every week and then drinks in between.

His choice.

I often see peopel thwho think jut because they switched from booze to POT they can consider themselves SOBER. Not so. Not in MY humble opinion. If you swap oone addiction for another, yu still are using. Mine swapped booze for prescription pills. Then he brought back the booze and added it to the pills. Not a pretty sight.

I hope your son hears what he needs to hear and gets his act together.

LIN

[caressa]

Thanks Lin. I was like your husband, mixing pills and alcohol. My son was using pot and beer for years but got into the cocaine a year and a half ago. It doesn't matter what the substance is, it all leads to the same soul sickness. The same sickness happens when we use any substance, be it gambling, computers, work, shopping, relationships, etc. It has been my experience that we used for the same reason. It isn't until we say enough is enough that we can get help. No one can do it for us. I know my computer addiction had me acting out in old pattersn and behaviors. Isolation, hating to be interrupted, complete withdrawal when my computer crashed, total obsession with no thought of anyting or anyone else but myself.

[majestyjo]

So many times we think because we don't use our drug of choice, or because we don't drink alcohol or use street drugs, we are not addicts.

A friend of mind is not in a very good place right now. He hasn't drank for a very long time and he considers himself fine and I consider him, F.I.N.E., because he has substituted his addiction for a very heavy gambling addiction. I had asked him to go to a meeting with me tonight and he was all excited about it until he made the choice to call for Bingo, which is just one of the many facets of his addiction.

I feel I qualify for Nar-Anon because of him, just as much as I qualify as a mother of a son who is a self admitted alcoholic/addict. The substance is but a symptom of the disease. Just the same as my eating disorder is just as much as my addiction as my pill addiction was for me.

Sobriety, means soundness of mind.

[majestyjo]

So grateful that my son is a week away from 10 months clean and sober.