I have suffered from anxiety and depression since childhood. I started taking
Valium in college to take the edge off my anxiety. Later in life while working I found that alcohol in the evening picked up where the daytime Valium consumption left off. It gave me a sense of calm and wellbeing and even energy to get things done around the house. Weekends were spent drinking to excess. While all this was going on I developed Fibromyalgia that went undiagnosed for twenty years. It surfaced as upper back, shoulder and neck pain as well as daily headaches. My occupation (accounting) didn’t help the problem by any means. I also developed high blood pressure.
Finally, when pain management came to town I went to them for help. I was put on Fentenyl patches and
percocet after having gone through a regimen of epidural pain block injections. I was cautioned not to drink while on the patches and perks but that didn’t stop me from enjoying my alcoholic fog to blot out the daily stress, aggravation and tedium. I had tried AA in my earlier years but was unsuccessful. I felt like I was at an Amway convention when they passed out rewards for X number of days sober. I left AA and began drinking to excess again. AA works for some people, just not for me.
After I quit my high stress job of 25 years I decided to do contract accounting and landed a gig at a small manufacturing facility. I was able to work at it part time and that suited me just fine. The owner used to drink on the job and invited me to join him one day. That sealed the deal. I began drinking in the morning, at work, in the evening and throughout the night even when I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep. I was an alcoholic and didn’t even realize it. I was in denial like most of us who engage in this self defeating behavior. I finally realized I was in trouble but didn’t know what to do about it. While on our annual family reunion vacation in 2008 I began searching the Internet for ways to stop this behavior. I
My wife was instrumental in supporting me and getting me cleaned up off the alcohol along with the opiates. She researched the Internet and found the same website I found while on vacation. The process in the hospital was not difficult at all. The staff was so caring and kind they catered to me like a guest in a five star hotel. I went in on Monday, September 22, 2008 and was discharged on Friday, September 26th. I don’t want to mislead you though, the recovery at home was difficult due to the medications required to continue and maintain the Detox process. But when all is said and done, I am now free of the demons and succeeding in building a new life for myself. If any of you out there have a similar story or are in trouble with other drug addictions, I highly recommend this form of Detox.
Footnote: My Fibromyalgia is now controlled by
Lyrica which has worked wonders for my pain.
Alcohol & Opiate Addiction 
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