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| Dear Marlena, I was raised Christian and in the church since birth practically. Now I am stuggling not only with my faith, but with Alcoholism. The problem is, my drinking is seriously affecting my life, health and my relationships. I am 25 years old. All I do is work, go home and drink. I don't go out or cultivate any friendships because of my drinking. My beer is my best friend and I have tricked myself into thinking that is all I need. Being hurt over and over can do that to a girl, I guess. But the truth is, that I am hurting myself more than anyone else ever could. I suffer from anxiety, panic disorder and agrophobia. (That is where I can't go anywhere without being extremely uncomfortable and scared) The only thing that can save me is Christ and Christ alone. But I just can't give up my drinking. I can't do it and I DON'T want to go back to AA. I keep waiting for God to make something bad happen to knock me out of this madness. How did your husband finally stop drinking? Lord knows, I need all the advice I can get. -Alicia |
| Dear Alicia, Don't you ever think for a moment that God has forgotten about you. You say you are waiting for him, but, he is waiting for YOU! There is no doubt about it, substance abuse is a VERY difficult thing to conquer. But it IS possible, so don't lose hope. You cannot handle this alone, though. Do you have any family or friends that could offer their support when you are feeling the need for a drink? AA never worked for Andrew either. He is not a social butterfly. But there are other programs. Maybe some one-on-one counseling could help you. It seems like you have a lot of issues that need to be resolved before the alcoholism can be addressed. You need to figure out WHY you want to drink. There is definately some feelings or hidden issues you are avoiding with the alcohol. You are self-medicating. Maybe there is some prescribed medication that could help. You said it yourself though-ALL things are possible througb Christ!. But you have to put your faith in HIM, not the alcohol. Trust HIM to take away your pain, instead of the alcohol. So my advice would be three things that you need to incorporate into your life in order to recover: 1. God 2. Counseling or other support group 3. possibly some prescribed medication To answer your question, Andrew quit drinking by dealing with the underlying issues that he was turning to the drink to fix. If I can be of any assistance, PLEASE don't hesitate to keep in touch. I wish you the best. God Bless! -Marlena |