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Alcoholics and Drug Addicts

The Gary SheenThe Gary Sheen Posts: 227
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in General Discussion #1
What is your experience with these in your life through yourself or someone you know?
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    Miss XYZMiss XYZ Posts: 14,023
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    #2
    Any particular reason you're asking?
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    The Gary SheenThe Gary Sheen Posts: 227
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    #3
    Miss XYZ wrote: »
    Any particular reason you're asking?

    Just curious. A tv show I like is running an addiction story. It has caught my interest.
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    LykkieLiLykkieLi Posts: 6,644
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    #4
    That they struggle to live in this world. It's sad.
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    Guts and GloryGuts and Glory Posts: 1,739
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    #5
    About five years ago I was addicted to cocaine, but was what you would call a "functional addict", as in managed to hold down my job and hide it for many months. That made it worse in a way as it enabled me to carry on feeding the addiction. It wasn't until the wheels completely came off and I hit rock bottom that friends and family stepped in and helped me get the support needed to sort myself out.
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    The Gary SheenThe Gary Sheen Posts: 227
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    #6
    Guts and Glory wrote: »
    About five years ago I was addicted to cocaine, but was what you would call a "functional addict", as in managed to hold down my job and hide it for many months. That made it worse in a way as it enabled me to carry on feeding the addiction. It wasn't until the wheels completely came off and I hit rock bottom that friends and family stepped in and helped me get the support needed to sort myself out.

    Bad Girls was a good example. The character of Colin funtioned on the job for ages before being discovered.
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    BrotherDanielBrotherDaniel Posts: 1,439
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    #7
    They need help of course, nothing like a smack head in need
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    annette kurtenannette kurten Posts: 39,543
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    #8
    i`ve got clean from crack, speed and alcohol myself, i know a fair few addicts of various substances and they come in all shapes, sizes and backgrounds.
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    EbonyHamsterEbonyHamster Posts: 8,175
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    #9
    My mum was a alcoholic

    Bad times
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    Vix77Vix77 Posts: 529
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    #10
    My dad has always been dependant on alcohol for as long as I can remember, he drank cans of lager but was a functioning alcoholic with his own business. We had a very close bond and he was a fantastic dad, couldn't have wished for better.

    All the changed when he left my mum for another woman 10 years ago and then his drinking got out of control and our relationship really suffered, to the point of him being very abusive over the phone. It got too much and I had to cut contact 2 years ago.

    We recently got back in touch and he has been going to AA and has been sober for 13 months and it finally feels like I have my dad back. I'm very proud of him for admitting he had a serious problem and doing something about it.
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    MagicCoppeliaMagicCoppelia Posts: 21,106
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    #11
    It is very common. More common than people like to admit.
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    U96U96 Posts: 13,937
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    #12
    Guts and Glory wrote: »
    About five years ago I was addicted to cocaine, but was what you would call a "functional addict", as in managed to hold down my job and hide it for many months. That made it worse in a way as it enabled me to carry on feeding the addiction. It wasn't until the wheels completely came off and I hit rock bottom that friends and family stepped in and helped me get the support needed to sort myself out.


    What a brave post to make.Cocaine catches up with most people in the end.Usually financially.It's heart warming to know your family were looking out for you.:cool:
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    BirdyBeeBirdyBee Posts: 1,528
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    #13
    Addiction is horrendous. And it can turn decent people into monsters.

    I have every sympathy with those battling their addiction and their loved ones trying to pick up the pieces.
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    Eddie hunterEddie hunter Posts: 4,231
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    #14
    I feel sorry for anyone who has an addiction. Its easy to be critical, especially if its a famous person who has wealth and fame. I don't think anyone would choose that path if they were in control.

    Paul Gascoigne is my go-to example. He had it all on the surface but his demons got to him. Similar with George Best. If people with that amount of wealth and fame can become addicts then the average man in the street must be even more vulnerable.

    Either way its very sad.
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    getzlsgetzls Posts: 4,007
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    #15
    It is horrible being an. Alcoholic I am one.
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    LuckyyemLuckyyem Posts: 598
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    #16
    Yes, my mum is alcohol dependant and her husband is a functioning alcoholic. This has been going on as long as they have been together 20+ years. In my twenties I found myself turning to alcohol more regularly - had something to celebrate have a drink, feeling fed up have a drink, it's a Wednesday have a drink - you get the picture. When I met my husband my drinking calmed down a lot. I now have not had a drink since December 2013 - I can't drink on the medication I take but had already stopped drinking altogether anyway can't say I miss it either.
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    Eddie hunterEddie hunter Posts: 4,231
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    #17
    Luckyyem wrote: »
    Yes, my mum is alcohol dependant and her husband is a functioning alcoholic. This has been going on as long as they have been together 20+ years. In my twenties I found myself turning to alcohol more regularly - had something to celebrate have a drink, feeling fed up have a drink, it's a Wednesday have a drink - you get the picture. When I met my husband my drinking calmed down a lot. I now have not had a drink since December 2013 - I can't drink on the medication I take but had already stopped drinking altogether anyway can't say I miss it either.

    Thats great, glad things are working out for you. Its not easy and it seems you may have dodged a bullet with your family history.
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    Under_FlawUnder_Flaw Posts: 191
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    #18
    My aunt's partner got thrown in prison. His addiction to alcohol turned him into vile scum. He would beat on his 70 year old disabled mother. Even though she housed and fed the man into his 40s.

    He would lie, cheat and steal like you'd never believe. I stayed at my aunt's once, a long time ago, and he stole from my wallet at 3am. He stole 2 weeks worth of tramadol from my bag too.

    My aunt has bipolar and he always steals her medication. Doctor refuses to write repeats and she suffers. If he doesn't like something she has cooked, he will pour it over her head.

    My reckoning is that he was a nasty piece of shit before, alcohol just made him worse.
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    LuckyyemLuckyyem Posts: 598
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    #19
    Eddie hunter wrote: »
    Thats great, glad things are working out for you. Its not easy and it seems you may have dodged a bullet with your family history.

    Thanks

    Both sides of my family are big drinkers, to me it just seems normal. I'm in my mid 30's now when I was planning to have my eldest daughter I didn't drink at all and then for two years after she was born, went out once and that was it. I then had my second daughter. I can honestly say I can count on one hand how many times I have had a drink in the last 6yrs.
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    TrebleKingTrebleKing Posts: 2,390
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    #20
    My brother was an alcoholic who drank himself to death in 2009 aged 52. Anything you want to know?
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    wear thefoxhatwear thefoxhat Posts: 3,753
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    #21
    I hate the fact drug addicts and alcoholics get free bus passes, they're usually able to take a crony with them free on the bus too, by 'free' I mean free for them it's the tax payer who picks up the bill for their tickets, they just ride around all day here there and every where, to the off licence or to go see their dealer >:(.
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    belly buttonbelly button Posts: 17,026
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    #22
    getzls wrote: »
    It is horrible being an. Alcoholic I am one.

    All the very best to you for any attempts you make to control it. There but for the grace are lots of people.
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    belly buttonbelly button Posts: 17,026
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    #23
    wear thefoxhat wrote: »
    I hate the fact drug addicts and alcoholics get free bus passes, they're usually able to take a crony with them free on the bus too, by 'free' I mean free for them it's the tax payer who picks up the bill for their tickets, they just ride around all day here there and every where, to the off licence or to go see their dealer >:(.

    People make mistakes in life. Many are victims of environment and circumstance. It doesn't seem too much to have a bit of understanding of that.
    Support for people with addiction is woefully inadequate and a free bus pass is a drop in the ocean compared to what we should be doing.
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    tellywatcher73tellywatcher73 Posts: 4,181
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    #24
    I have a family member who is a chronic alcoholic. He has been in rehab a number of times and now lives in a flat run by a charity who have been trying to help in for the past year. He still drinks, goes missing regularly (they have to get the police to look for him every time) and complains loudly because the charity uses "his" money to pay the bills on the flat. My OH used to travel to see him a couple of times a week and take him out for the day so he wouldn't get bored and start drinking but when he dropped him home, he would get alcohol and tell the charity workers and the family that my OH had bought it for him so we were getting irate phone calls from everyone! It became too much and we don't see him any more.
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    stoatiestoatie Posts: 78,106
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    #25
    I have a drink problem myself, though it's not progressed to full-blown alcoholism as I got treatment early and have really reined it in in the last few years- I used to be on 140 units a week, now that's WAY down, and I'm happier there, though going without is still beyond my grasp. Or maybe that's just what I tell myself; either way I'm functioning and have no problems holding down a job. I think I have that kind of personality; about 20 years back I used to love amphetamines but had to knock that on the head because it got SERIOUSLY out of hand (also too old for that stuff nowadays. I'd rather drink a bunch of gin and get to bed on time these days).
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    annette kurtenannette kurten Posts: 39,543
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    #26
    wear thefoxhat wrote: »
    I hate the fact drug addicts and alcoholics get free bus passes, they're usually able to take a crony with them free on the bus too, by 'free' I mean free for them it's the tax payer who picks up the bill for their tickets, they just ride around all day here there and every where, to the off licence or to go see their dealer >:(.

    where`s this scheme? i know many sick people who could benefit from it as it`s 7 quid to get to the ddu, i`m surprised they havn`t been informed by the agencies they work with.
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