Paul talks about how he drank normally for most of his life and didn’t really start serious drinking until he was in his forties, when he began using alcohol to stem a sudden bout of severe anxiety. It felt so good that it became a necessity to start the day with a drink and end the day with quite a few drinks.
Drinking alone, Paul was able to hide his drinking from family, friends and co-workers but eventually felt very despondent that he couldn’t stop himself from drinking. Paul sought help, but only to control his drinking, not to stop altogether. In rehab he was exposed to Alcoholics Anonymous and found hope and after about 6 months he lost the craving for alcohol. After about 10 years sober Paul got serious with the AA 12 steps and found that his life finally fell into place.
If you would like to find out a bit more about alcoholism for yourself or a friend, then you can give Alcoholics Anonymous a call on 1300 222 222 or check out their website www.aa.org.au.
If someone else's drinking is causing you a problem, then you can phone the Al-Anon Family Groups helpline on 1300 252 666 or go online at al-anon.org.au for more information.
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Music played in this episode was provided by the artists, via Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (https://amrap.org.au/):
The Living Free Crew
