It's been 28 years since my Lost Weekend. A nightmare hopefully never to be repeated.
Alcohol.
I had my first drink at 15. Cheap wine drunk from a bottle (no idea how we got it) in my best friend's basement. My last drink, age 45, at Christmastime. (A hell of a way to spend the holiday.)
It took a year or two after rehab to get things mentally in working order again. (My art and my PG columns occasionally make me wonder if that's still the case!)
As addictions go, alcohol over time can be as ruthless and grab-ass demanding as short-order addictives crystal meth, crack, heroin, cocaine, viacadin – or whatever the enslavement merchants can next concoct to get you high and hooked for their profit, your elimination as a self-respecting human being.
I was fortunate to have found out, through caring advice and reading, about several steps that can hasten recovery from addiction. The following I've thankfully learned from first-hand application. They work.
*If you're at all concerned about slipping into addiction, get professional help right away. Going cold turkey is risky. Experience blackouts? Missing work? Spending big bucks on drugs? Arrested for DUI? Sexually going non-stop? It will get worse. I guarantee it. Act now.
*Addictions destroy the body's immune system. They time-warp the mind. For steady recovery, eat properly. Take megavitamin supplements – particularly the B-Complex, good for stabilizing the nerves. Highly recommended: Twin Lab's two-a-day total spectrum. One in the morning. One at night. A daily Omega oil capsule's a plus.
*Avoid caffeine and sugar products. Both can cause anxiety, nerves, high-blood pressure, unnecessary body/mind tension. Be wary of diet colas. They can deplete important nutrients, leach body calcium. If you smoke, concentrate on recovery from your main addiction first. Tackle smoking only when ready. (War on two fronts is not recommended.)
*Avoid hanging out with users. Stay away from places where drugs are prevalent, available. If you must frequent these venues, take along a friend who doesn't use. Best advice of all: join an AA group, NA group, Secular Sobriety, or, if you come from a church tradition, try Metropolitan Community Church or a faith-based addiction support group. If you don't believe in anything, believe in your higher-power self.
Keep in mind: a hug of friendship and support is a prayer for your full recovery. Hugs heal. (Even agnostic and atheist addicts – God knows there are a few! – need expressions of care, concern, and commitment.)
*Be kind to yourself. Berating yourself for being addicted does no lasting good. If you're dumb enough to do drugs in the first place, but smart enough to realize how they're taking over your life limb by limb, nerve cell by nerve cell, friendship by friendship, make the choice to get help ASAP.
I know the damage. Nightmare Alley ain't pretty. Been there, done that, done with it. Alive to tell the story.
(P.S. I'm not alone.)
