One of the big problems long time drinkers have is that they can't remember life without drinking. When you want to drink, you don't see a hangover and feeling physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally raped after a drunken binge. Nope, you see a happy time with the guys watching the game, walking into Cheers and all the guys screaming, "NORM!" or cooking out, listening to music and having a good time, people laughing and having fun. It's a deception. Reality is much different than the world that is in your head. Why you drink, and drink abusively, you need to come to grips with that. Looking back, I was running from the pain and confusion of being raised a JW. That is why I had to, 30 years later, take a look at what happened to me before I could move on. To have compassion for that young guy who took a lot of wrong turns. To understand why he took them. To understand why I always had such a feeling of guilt, lack of self worth, and sense of impending doom. To REALIZE that JW's were NOT the only people with the truth. In fact, they are not of the truth, at least the WTBTS is not. The truth is that they are a cult, with very effective mind control techniques. They have destroyed a lot of lives, several of those lives in my own family. Stepping back from it after all these years, it is much easier to see who they are. I feel for those still in or just getting out. There are a lot of reasons people might abuse alcohol, but finding out why you do so is important. Some people avoid a problem by drinking, the problem is long gone, but now they're left being an alcoholic. You have to view life as being a non-drinker, and even though you may not be able to see it at first, have faith that your life will improve and get better and better with drinking out of it. God Bless.
