Blackout Number 999

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

I don't know how I got here.

My weekend started out with plans for a great time.  Friday night - Happy Hour with friends.   Half price drinks, free munchies and cute girls.  Saturday - a day in the park, drinking beer, hanging out with friends, and playing Frisbee with my dog.  Saturday night - a date and a concert. After the date, the night is still young - so off to a club to listen to more music.  Alcohol, cocaine, more alcohol, cocaine, lots more alcohol . . . when I awake I do not know where I am or how I got here.  

I have been having "so much fun" in my blackout - that I do not remember:

* Throwing up on myself

* Getting into a fight 

* Having my car towed

* Losing my way home

* Sleeping in the alley next to a bunch of trash

As I replay the weekend events . . . I remember thinking I was ready for a GREAT weekend.  I believed I was in total control.  I have crossed limits with my partying in the past.  This time I did not think I would go "over the limit."  

Truth is, I have never had a limit.  

I party like a rock star . . . . until I pass out.  I have been doing this for years.  And I have been thinking I can "handle it." 

I cannot "handle it."  Many times I have woken up and not remembered the night before. I have blackouts.  This time it was different.  This time I woke up in the streets and I had no recollection of how I got there.  Where was my car?  Did I drive myself or get a ride?  Who was I with? Did I hurt anyone? 

I woke up alone with people passing me by on the streets.  I felt like dirt.  

I asked myself, is this the kind of life I want?  

My head hurts. I have barf on my shirt.  

I do not remember how I got here.  

I am sick and tired of being sick and tired . . . is there any way out? 

Will this ever end?

I remember it is Sunday . . . Grandma is in church today.  

People are praying on Sunday. 

I cry out to God in my desperation . . . . 

"Jesus Help me!"

If you can relate to this story, and are ready to make a change, there is hope and there is help.  For more information on addiction or to set up a free consultation check us out at:

www.stages2change.com

Am I an Addict?

Four Questions to Ask Yourself

Over the weekend, you went to a party and again you drank more beer than you had planned.  You tell yourself "that is the last time I am smoking pot!" yet within a a week you are hanging out playing video games with friends and take a bong hit. Everywhere you go signs say "No smoking."  Having a cigarette is becoming a chore just to find a public place to light up.  You tell yourself - "I am quitting!" 

You listen to friends say, "I am a social drinker or I smoke weed for recreation only - I don't have a problem with it."  You find yourself wondering . . . do I have a problem or addiction . . . . 

. . . .there is a short "test" to find out if you are showing signs of substance abuse.  The CAGE-AID test is a standard brief test used to screen for substance abuse.  

Ask yourself these four questions?  Be as honest with yourself as possible - considering your life history. 

1. Have you ever felt you ought to cut down on your drinking or drug use?

2. Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking or drug use?

3. Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking or drug use?

4. Have you ever had a drink or taken drugs first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?

How did your answers come out?  

If you have answered one or more of the four questions with a "yes" there is a strong change you have a substance abuse problem.  You may want to obtain a more thorough evaluation or assessment from a substance abuse counselor.  

Learning to make healthy changes is possible.  

When you are ready to take the first step to change or if you just want to learn more about addiction and recovery . . . check out our website www.stages2change.com.  

On the website you will find the Cage-Aid Test and many free resources to help you educate yourself about specific addictions.  You will also find a place to request a free consultation through taking the first step of simply completing a brief screening form. 

Reference Note:  
The Cage-Aid Questionnaire is an adapted version of the CAGE Assessment for alcohol dependence. The CAGE-AID includes drug use and is designed to reveal potential substance abuse with only one yes answer.  The CAGE questionnaire was developed by Dr. John Ewing, University of North Carolina. CAGE is an internationally used assessment instrument for identifying problems with alcohol. 'CAGE' is an acronym formed from the italicized letters in the questionnaire (cut-annoyed-guilty-eye).

www.stages2change.com