Former Beer Guzzler

Hello everyone. My name is Larry and I am 70 years old. I was an avid beer drinker for most of my life. It caused a lot of heartaches to my wife and my children over the years. My saving grace is that I contracted an autoimmune disease in 2017 and it caused total kidney failure. I have come a long way with my illnesses but because of them, I haven't been drinking for the past 5 years.

[Isinatra]

Yes, alcohol leaves a lot of damage in its wake. Not only for us, but loved ones as well. I hit my bottom at 53 and I had to hit that bottom hard to stop drinking. Sometimes the stars and the moon have to line up just right. Alcohol isn’t anybodys friend, but it makes you think it is. Congrats on your sobriety and thanks for letting us hear your good news here. It’s a rarity. Other than stopped drinking, how did you stay sober for five years?

[Hidden in reply to Isinatra]

Well the kidney disease pretty much told me that if I kept drinking, I probably wouldn't last long. Between the beating that my body took due to the autoimmune and the number of prescription drugs I take, I sometimes feel like I'm a zombie so it's been easy for me to stay sober. I will say that a few months after I got out of the hospital, I couldn't wait to go out to dinner and have a beer with my meal. I did have one and it wasn't all that special. As a side note, I smoked for about 43 years and one day in 2008, I said that's it. Cold turkey. It was hard for a few months cause I had to change the habits that are formed in your daily life but learned to deal with it. My wife and I are empty nesters now so we found each other and have cemented a strong relationship. Raising the kids didn't help with the drinking.

[Isinatra in reply to Hidden]

It takes strength to do what you did even with extreme health issues. With too many, nothing stops them. I had to have a support system to keep me sober. And congratulations on stopping smoking and staying stopped. Sometimes with drinking, a person has to rid their triggers too, to stay sober and you just can’t get rid of the kids. 😁