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used for reference purposes only. Stewart-Marchman always honors
anonymity. |
I never drank growing
up because my father was an alcoholic and I saw what it did to him.
He had high blood pressure, liver disease, and alcohol-related brain
damage.
Then one day I came home from work to find out my husband of 20 years
was dead from a heart attack. The loss I felt was unbearable. To deal
with the grief I began to drink. At first it was just one glass of
Rum and Coke, then one became two, then three. Before long, I was
consuming a fifth of rum a day. At 5'6" and 110 pounds I spent the
day in a drunken stupor, not eating and isolating myself from the
world.
Friends noticed my "problem" and helped me to get treatment at an
outpatient clinic near my home. Counseling at Stewart-Marchman Center
taught me to recognize and avoid triggers that led to my drinking.
It taught me to abstain from all drugs, to participate in healthy
activities, go to A.A., deal with my grief, get back to work and understand
the importance of a relapse prevention plan. I've been sober three
years now and I once again am able to enjoy life.
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