Alcoholics Anonymous News - Alcohol Help & Advice about drinking?

Almost a thousand Scots babies are suffering from potentially fatal brain and organ damage because mothers are drinking too much in the early stages of pregnancy, research has revealed.

Many more babies in Scotland may also face a lifetime suffering from malformations or learning difficulties.

Researchers say the effects of excessive drinking on unborn babies are largely being ignored and the Alcohol Bill currently going through the Scottish Parliament needs to address this issue.

Avoidable

Women who binge drink in the first three months of pregnancy can cause Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or the less obvious Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Researchers say both are completely incurable and entirely avoidable.

Dr Jonathan Sher, director of research, policy and programmes at Children in Scotland, said: “Foetal alcohol syndrome is the proverbial tip of the iceberg. It is easier to diagnose because the damage can be seen.

“Thousands more children, teenagers and adults across Scotland have suffered serious harm to their brains that is invisible, but continues to have a negative impact on their learning, behaviour, wellbeing and life chances.”

Damaged

The research, submitted to the House of Commons Health Committee, states: “A conservative estimate is that there are 900 children in Scotland who have FAS – and many times more children and young people who were damaged in more subtle, but still serious, ways by foetal alcohol exposure.”

Dr Brian Keighley, chairman of the British Medical Association in Scotland, said: “We need to raise awareness of the emerging evidence on FASD among healthcare professionals so that children are diagnosed quickly and get the help they need. The lack of awareness and research in the UK on this subject, together with the complexity of the syndrome itself is leading to delays in diagnosis and referral.

“Healthcare professionals also need to get the message across to expectant mothers that consuming alcohol can cause irreversible harm to their unborn child. It’s about giving people the right information so that they can act responsibly — and save children from completely preventable life-long disabilities.”

Shocking

Dr Richard Simpson, Scottish Labour Health spokesman, said: “The conclusions of this report are shocking. Children’s charities are absolutely right to highlight the impact of alcohol abuse on unborn children and raise awareness about the dangers of alcohol consumption in pregnancy.

“I believe that expectant mothers should be given much clearer advice, but we also need to deal with problem drinking at an earlier stage.

“The truth is that too many young women, and young men, are drinking excessively.”

The report comes as children’s charities in Scotland back Scottish Government plans for minimum pricing on alcohol.

Preventable

Forrester Cockburn, Emeritus Professor of Child Health at Glasgow University, told The Herald newspaper that far more children in Scotland are suffering from the syndrome “than were ever damaged by thalidomide”.

“The commonest preventable cause of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism and congenital heart disease is Foetal Alcohol Syndrome,” he said.

“You may see these conditions as a result of other problems but this is the one thing which is entirely preventable and young women should be made aware of that.

“For the first three months I would not recommend any drinking, but one or two units a week after that might be okay. This is nine months of a woman’s life whereas the outlook for the child is for life.”

Pricing

Prof Cockburn believes imposing a minimum price on alcohol and clearly labelling its harmful effects would help.

Dr Harry Burns, Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, said recently that prenatal exposure to alcohol “is the leading cause of brain damage and developmental delay among children in industrialised countries”.

Last week a consortium of children’s charities in Scotland, including NSPCC’s ChildLine service in Scotland, urged the Government to put “children’s interests at the heart of alcohol policy”.

Christian Institute

A judge blasted a serial drunk driver Tuesday as she handed him a 28-month sentence and banned him from getting behind the wheel of a car for the rest of his life.

But it was far less time than the five years sought by the Crown, who argued Bernard Brassard is like a loaded gun that shoots bullets which are a two-tonne car.

Brassard, 40, pleaded guilty last month to impaired driving and driving while prohibited, bringing his tally to 15 driving-related and 10 drunk-driving-related convictions.

He also has a long record of petty crimes and convictions for breaching court orders not to drive.

That record and the fact that Brassard was banned from driving when he was weaving along Walkley Rd. in Feb. 2009 with a travel mug of wine are aggravating, Ontario Court Justice Celynne Dorval said.

She told Brassard that she wasn’t punishing him for his addiction but for his bad choices.

“It’s not because a person is alcoholic that that person is a criminal,” Dorval said in French. “It’s not because a person is alcoholic that he chooses to put other people’s lives in danger. Alcoholism does not justify nor explain the complete lack of respect for court orders.

“What defines Mr. Brassard as a criminal are the acts he chooses to commit and not his vulnerability to alcohol.”

She did note, however, that Brassard has been sober for 10 months after completing a rehabilitation program for the first time and that Maison Melaric “has helped him a lot and he has truly changed.”

After partial credit for time served in jail before his guilty plea – but none for months in rehab – Brassard has 20 months left to serve in provincial jail.

Dorval concluded that Brassard had to go to jail but noted that she reviewed two dozen similar cases in reaching a fit sentence.

Prosecutor Paul Attia had sought five years in the federal penitentiary – the maximum possible sentence – arguing that Dorval needed to protect the public from the inveterate drunk driver. Attia noted that Brassard hasn’t been deterred by driving bans before and predicted he’d drive drunk again.

Defence lawyer Bob Carew suggested options starting from time served, arguing that similar offenders have got less time in worse cases involving accidents and injuries. Treating Brassard’s alcoholism is the way to protect the public, he argued.

Toronto Sun

Government statistics show that excessive drinking causes W20 trillion (US$1=W938) in losses annually (US$1=W938). To combat the problem, the Ministry of Health and Welfare will launch a televised anti-drinking campaign on Monday.

The ministry said the social and economic losses due to binge drinking, including medical costs, damages from premature death and declining productivity, amounted to W20.09 trillion in 2005.

One of the sources for the statistics is a 2001 mental illness epidemiology study by the Ministry of Health and Welfare that showed 2.21 million or 6.8 percent of the total population between 18 and 64 years old was suffering from alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence.

Some 22,000 Koreans died from the effects of excessive drinking in 2001, the ministry said. That figure accounts for 8.7 percent of all deaths that year, according to a study by Prof. Kim Kwang-kee at the Dept. of Healthcare Management in Inje University.

The study found that medical expenses for treating diseases caused by binge drinking such as cancer, cerebrovascular disease, digestive trouble and mental disease amounted to W2.79 trillion in 2005.

The study said that the number of deaths caused by drunk driving is on the rise, from 379 in 1990 to 690 in 1995 to 1,217 in 2000 to 1,113 in 2004. It also found that 43.5 percent of criminals who committed murder, obscene behavior, rape and traffic accidents in 2001 acted while they were drunk.

Lee Won-hee, director of the Division of Medical Supplies for the Office of Social Welfare Policy of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "About one third of the total population of Korea was found to drink heavily, with men consuming one bottle of soju (Korean rice liquor) and women consuming more than five glasses of soju on average. That shows that Koreans need to more actively manage their drinking."

Chosun Ilbo

Three guys stumbled down the street toward Lincoln police officer Jenny Mullendore, clinging onto each other’s shoulders, doing everything they could to help the one in the middle stay on his feet.

“How we doin’?” the officer asked.

“We’re doing pretty good; we got him,” the one on the right responded, knowing without a doubt what the officer was questioning.

“Get home safe,” Officer Mullendore responded, in a mother-like tone.

Had the guy in the middle been staggering down the sidewalk by himself, the officer could have “thrown him in the drunk tank.”

Officers can take violators of drinking laws and drunken people who have no one to take care of them to the local detoxification facility, which officially is called Cornhusker Place.

As part of a Nebraska law, officers can take inebriated people to the facility to sober up and receive an education about alcohol abuse, instead of spending a night in jail.

Officers take people to the nonprofit organization after some incidents — for example, being a minor in possession of alcohol or driving under the influence. After spending time at Cornhusker Place, the person still could be arrested, depending on the severity of what they did.

The emergency detoxification center, which is about a mile from Lincoln’s downtown bar district, works with people 14 and older who have overindulged.

Clients of the 21-bed substance abuse treatment facility cannot leave until 24 hours have passed, they’re completely sober, or they’re released to a responsible person who has not been drinking.

“It’s a chance to provide an intervention with them,” said Phil Tegeler, Cornhusker Place executive director. “It’s really worked out well for our community.”

Tegeler said his staff motivates clients not to put themselves in danger with alcohol, or in a situation that would require them to return to the facility.

“We hope we don’t see you; if we see you more than once, there’s one reason for concern there,” Tegeler said.

The organization also surveys clients to identify trends in drinking habits and problems.

One bit of information the city’s internal liquor committee has found useful is the agency’s “last drink data,” which indicates the last place the client had a drink before their run-in with law enforcement.

City councilman John Spatz said the data shows which bars are contributing most to high-risk drinking problems in Lincoln.

Lawrence Journal-World

Alcohol has been around for centuries, it has been used for many purposes, but mainly for enjoyment. It has been said, that beer even preceded bread as a staple. Alcohol can be enjoyed, there are wines that are exquisite and highly priced, and spirits painstakingly made for pleasure.

But alcohol, has also ruined many people’s lives. Alcoholism has also been around, for just about as long as alcohol itself.

Alcoholism, is normally when a person can no longer control their drinking, when trouble and alcohol seem to go hand in hand.
It often puts the user in very dangerous or unpleasant circumstances. And often friends, family or loved ones, have complained about their drinking.

For these people there is Alcoholics Anonymous, founded by Bill. W in the early 1950’s, it has grown to be an international success story, that has helped millions, get control of their lives again.

The basis of the program, is to allow people with common issues to come together, and discuss their problems.

They don’t focus on the drinking or what you drink, but the actual disease of alcoholism. Many people who frequent AA have given up trying to control their drinking. And the feelings of guilt, hopelessness and loneliness have become far too much to bare.

Alcoholics Anonymous, offers a safe, secure and confidential environment, for you to talk about your own issues, if you wish, or learn from others, who have maybe had more experience with it.

The process is a slow one, and it is a one day at a time thing. Being able to work through not only your drinking, but the issues of why you drink, and what triggers you to drink, will take time.

Many people who have found Alcoholics Anonymous, have attempted to stop drinking, promising themselves a week or so, only to start drinking within a few days.
They also often wish, others around them would stop looking into their business regarding drinking, and offering advice or trying to get them to stop.

Others may have also started to need to drink just to start their day, purely to get going, or to just stop shaking.

Or maybe the problems with their drinking have become so bad that they have started to miss days of work or school, and it has even started to effect their home, family and relationships.

These are the people, who could really find solutions with AA. There are many reasons to want to stop drinking.

Such as the illnesses it can bring, like liver disease, in which 13,050 people died in one year from alcohol.
Or the massive number of alcohol induced deaths, which excluded accidents and homicides, at 22,073, this number is staggering.

With $40- $60 billion spent each year on alcohol addiction problems, it is obviously a serious issue. Every 30 minutes an alcohol related accident takes place on roads within the USA.

With these numbers, it needs to stop, people need to take charge of their lives, and Alcohol Anonymous may be able to help.

If you are having issues with alcohol, or know someone who is, then you need to contact AA right now. This first step could be the change your life is needing, and it may be the one thing that you have not attempted that can make it all change.

You have nothing to lose apart from a few hours of your time.

Drug Alcohol News

Joe Gerstein, founder of the Smart Recovery treatment programme that is spreading from the US as an alternative to AA, explains why he rejects the myth that alcoholism is a ‘disease’ to be endured rather than cured

Alcoholism is a disease that leaves victims powerless and needing to stay in permanent recovery if they are serious about stopping the demon drink from inflicting further damage, conventional wisdom holds. Given that most people can’t afford to pay for a stay in a Priory clinic, then the best way for chronic drinkers to tackle their addiction, so the theory goes, is to turn to Alcoholics Anonymous, seek the help of a higher power with their struggle, begin using the 12-step programme, and be ready to attend meetings for the rest of their lives.

Not so, says Joe Gerstein, a retired clinical professor of medicine in the US. "A myth has grown up that you can’t get over a substance addiction without AA," he says. "It’s a widely-held belief, but it’s a myth."

For years, he admits to buying into the myth and referring patients with alcohol problems to AA, with varying degrees of success. "I would see people in my office during the day who had big, swollen bellies from liver cirrhosis and tell them about how serious their problem was, and then I’d see them again at 7pm coming out of the liquor store carrying a bag that didn’t contain doughnuts," he says.

Although he describes AA as "an absolutely remarkable programme", given that millions have found it useful over the last 75 years, he also calls it "ethically wrong, medically wrong and psychologically wrong".

Gerstein is the founding president of Smart Recovery, an alternative to AA that is catching on in America – where it began in 1994 – and worldwide. He was the main speaker at a conference in London yesterday, organised by charity Alcohol Concern, and funded by the Department of Health (DH), that was designed to promote Smart Recovery – Self-Management and Recovery Training, to give it its full title – as another way to help England’s 1.1 million problem drinkers.

The DH, keen to expand the number of options for treating the scourge of alcohol, is funding a £100,000 two-year trial of Smart Recovery, which currently has a low profile and is the David to AA’s Goliath. In London, for example, some 300 different AA groups meet regularly. But there are just 20 or so Smart ones in all of England – even Gerstein is unsure exactly how many – and about the same number in Scotland.

However, it is attracting attention from experts in the field. Nicolay Sorensen, Alcohol Concern’s director of policy and communications, says: "AA is huge, and people wouldn’t go if it didn’t work. Smart Recovery at the moment is the only alternative. It’s got momentum, it’s got a good evidence base, and it’s growing in popularity."

Similarly, Addaction, the UK’s largest drug and alcohol treatment charity, is setting up an alcohol recovery service for over-50s in Glasgow, funded by the brewers Heineken and using Smart Recovery.

Smart is based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and especially an element of it called rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT). Gerstein calls Smart "a self-empowerment programme", and rejects utterly AA’s disease theory of alcohol and the labelling of people with serious drink problems as alcoholics.

Smart Recovery and AA are both international not-for-profit organisations. Smart is used in Australia, Uzbekistan and beyond. Its handbook has been translated into Russian, Farsi and Mandarin Chinese, among other languages. Both programmes are used in prisons, seek abstinence from participants, and are free – although they rely on donations from those attending their groups. But, crucially, Smart is science-based and secular, while AA has heavy religious associations. Many of the people attending the 370 Smart groups across America have tried AA and been put off by its insistence that members undergo a spiritual awakening, Gerstein says.

For him, though, the key difference is that Smart is a positive philosophy. "We believe that addiction is a very human condition that can be corrected, and that it’s the people themselves who do that through natural recovery," he says. "We don’t think people are hopelessly taken over by addiction. Other people use books, medicines, help from family or professionals, whatever works for them. But with Smart Recovery, people do it on their own. That belief that human beings have the capacity within themselves to overcome even severe addictions and go on to lead a meaningful life is vital."

Where AA has its Big Book, Smart has four key points and a "toolbox" – a set of ways in which problem drinkers can change their behaviour. For instance, if someone is feeling stressed at the end of their working day, they may choose to use the ABC tool. That is: A for the Activating Event, the walking out of work; B for the Belief, that the person needs a drink now to relax; and C for Consequences, that someone ends up drinking because of their stress.

Smart teaches participants ways to disrupt this irrational belief system by helping them understand why they act as they do – damaging their lives and relationships in the process – and to then challenge that thinking. CBT is also the basis of the "talking therapies" programme that the DH has been rolling out in recent years to help people ranging from long-term benefit claimants wanting to resume working to couples whose relationship is in peril.

A key part of the Smart trial is the creation of six Smart Recovery groups – in Birmingham, Norwich, Croydon, Gateshead, Cumbria and Sheffield – so that alcoholics in those areas needing major help can choose between that and AA.

Don Lavoie, a DH alcohol adviser, explains: "The DH has issued some high-impact changes for the alcohol sector – one of which is aimed at supporting and improving specialist alcohol treatment. Involved in that development is the promotion and growth of peer support, and ensuring that there is a range of choices for people with an alcohol problem." Who comes, why, and how they fare will be evaluated to see which approach works best.

Gerstein points out: "At Smart Recovery meetings, we don’t pray, do the Lord’s Prayer or sing Kumbaya. We don’t depend on higher powers to help and we don’t expect people to come forever. They come, recover, and get on with their life".

The Guardian

Drinking is a rite of passage for the typical college student.

Pat doesn’t know what normal is, so he drinks to try to feel that way. He struggles with sobriety every day. This is his third try and he hopes it will work this time.

His relationship with alcohol began when the drinking age was still 18 — the same age at which he had his first blackout. Driving home from a party in Wisconsin, he woke up at O’Hare Airport with no recollection of how he ended up there. Even after multiple blackouts, Pat still denied he had a problem. It took five days of being in a motel room, boozing and snorting cocaine, to realize he had a problem.

Pat is one of millions of recovering alcoholics in the United States. For them, the story rarely changes — they have thrown away college educations, big time jobs, houses with white picket fences and loving families who try, in vain, to help them into recovery.

"I had the home and the family, but I tore it all down. All the times I got sober my life changed completely, but I never changed and that was the problem," Pat said.

There are 14 million alcoholics in the nation. Experts estimate that 32 percent are of college age.

Some students see drinking as a reward for a long week of studying or a job well done.

"I work really hard all week, I go to school and I have two jobs and I deserve to have fun on the weekends," said Lindsey Areaga, a SAC student who averages seven or eight drinks on a good Friday night. "I’m not going out every night and getting drunk."

For many college students who drink to relieve stress this leads to a lifelong burden for them and their families and, for some, years of addiction.

Young adults often overestimate the drinking habits of their peers and assume their fellow students drink more than they actually do. Some of this can be attributed to aggressive advertising campaigns that often lure the college set into the hard partying lifestyle, American Medical Association researchers say.

Many alcohol ad campaigns target young adults by promoting sleek, sexy liquor bottles and beautiful people having the time of their life with drinks in hand. In the ‘80s there was the Spuds Mackenzie campaign, the hard partying Budweiser Mascot, and the ‘90s brought the infamous Budweiser frogs.

These days, gaudy pirates ask if you have any Captain in you and the ubiquitous Absolut Vodka is available in a rainbow of flavors. Slogans quickly enter the American lexicon along with sensory overload from television, Internet and radio. Children and teens view 20,000 commercials a year, and about 2,000 of those are for beer and wine, according to the Alcohol Policies Project. Alcohol has wedged itself into pop culture and, by default, our daily lives.

The alcohol industry spends about $5 billion a year in the United States on advertising and promotion. About 75 percent of those dollars go towards promotional efforts, including sponsorship of community events.

Alcohol conglomerates like Anheuser-Busch donate more than $370 million to charitable organizations, including public education and environmental causes. However, the alcohol industry costs taxpayers more than $180 million in accidents, productivity loss and hospital visits.

Alcohol takes its toll on more than just the taxpayer. Friends and family members of alcoholics often visit support groups like AlaTeen or Al-Anon to help cope with the after effects of a loved one’s drinking.

"It is incredibly difficult to deal with an alcoholic in the family," said Martha, an Al-Anon member. "They don’t want your help even though you try to help them. In the end, you blame yourself. These meetings help us better understand that no one can fix the addict besides themselves."

Some people don’t realize they need help until they have bottomed out and can no longer function.

"I just couldn’t stand myself anymore," Pat said. "I had to change that. I had gone to jail, my family had left, none of that mattered to me anymore. You just have to change yourself at some point."

Risky drinking habits first appear in the eighth grade and increase dramatically during the early college years. Underage drinkers generate $10 billion in profits for the alcohol industry. Their alcohol consumption is rarely in moderation; typically, they consume five or more drinks in a single session, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Here at SAC, there are no on-campus support groups for alcoholics seeking treatment. Although there are many Alcoholics Anonymous groups that meet in local churches and community centers.

"There’s sometimes an element of embarrassment to AA meetings. Students don’t want their peers to know that they have a problem," Health Center Coordinator Arlene Warco said.

However, students can be referred through psychological services to find a local support group or be referred to a rehab facility through private insurance.

Pat is still on a one-day-at-a-time path to sobriety. He knows that once an addict, he will always be one, and that it is all a matter of will power.

"There are hot summer days that I sometimes feel the urge, but those urges are fleeting. The longer I stay sober, the more fleeting they become," Pat said.

Pat is one of many alcoholics who have gotten sober and can function as adults. For others the battle is much more difficult. One SAC student recently relapsed after a little over 30 days of sobriety.

"I don’t know why I did it. All I know is that I’ve screwed up and I need to get back up again," the student said. "As hard as it is, I can’t let it beat me because even though it’s the simple solution, I would be throwing away all of this progress I’ve made."

el Don

For many students, spring break is a carefree time away from classroom pressures. Unfortunately, for many it is also a time of excessive drinking and dealing with its aftermath-violence, sexual aggression, and even death. As your high school or college-age sons and daughters prepare to celebrate their spring break escape, take the opportunity to talk with them about the consequences of binge drinking and alcohol poisoning.

What is it? Alcohol depresses the nerves that control breathing and the gag reflex, which prevents choking. Someone who drinks a fatal dose of alcohol will eventually stop breathing. Even someone who survives an alcohol overdose can suffer irreversible brain damage. Binge drinking, which often happens with a bet or a dare, is especially dangerous because the victim can drink a fatal dose before losing consciousness.

Blood alcohol concentration can continue to rise while someone is passed out. Even after a person stops drinking, the alcohol already in the stomach and the intestine continues to enter the bloodstream and circulates throughout the body. Someone who appears to be sleeping it off could actually be in real danger.

What should I look for? Signs of alcohol poisoning include mental confusion, stupor, coma, or the inability to be roused; vomiting; seizures; slow (fewer than eight breaths per minute) or irregular (10 seconds or more between breaths) breathing; and hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, and paleness.

What should I do? Know the danger signals. If you suspect an alcohol overdose or alcohol poisoning, don’t wait for all the critical signs to appear. Call 911 immediately. Eventually, everyone who drinks to excess will get sleepy and pass out. They could then vomit and choke to death or simply stop breathing because reflexes like gagging and breathing can become suppressed.

Research shows that parents do make a difference. Talking with your teenage sons and daughters about alcohol now could prevent serious problems later. Drinking too much can mean trips to the emergency room, arrests, sexual assaults, and putting themselves and their friends in real danger. Ask them to consider-is that any way to celebrate?

Police News

According to a novel research, the popular advertising approach relying on guilt or shame to stamp out drinking habits and bring out good behavior can backfire, goading people to consume more liquor.

Nidhi Agrawal, an expert in consumer psychology at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and co-author of the study stated, “That’s what blows my mind. The ads aren’t just ineffective … they hurt the very cause you’re trying to help.”

The researchers call this "defensive processing" of information. According to them, the feelings of remorse about a drunken night may be enough to keep one off the bottle but focusing on the consequences of the behavior can inspire them to indulge in excesses out of some illogical defiance.

“We’re all defensive – ask our mothers,” said Agrawal. “We feel shame when we do something mean or bad, but we cannot function in this world if we go around thinking we are mean, bad people.

“If you overload people with these emotions when they’re already feeling guilty, then you give them an incentive to dissent … because we need to preserve our notions of ourselves as good people.”

1200 undergraduates questioned

The researchers conducted a study to evaluate the link between feelings of guilt and shame and risky behaviors such as binge drinking.

The experiment involved 1,200 undergraduates who were exposed to two anti-alcohol ads provoking feeling of self-disgust associated with excessive drinking.

The students were then asked to complete a questionnaire about their drinking sessions in the following year compared with the previous one.

Findings of the study

The results revealed the guilt-laden students were more inclined to indulge in binging in the coming year when exposed to anti-drinking campaigns focusing on shame and guilt.

The researchers noted the students reacted adversely to the advertisement, resisting the good intentions of the message and resorting to the very behavior it was trying to discourage.

The reaction was more pronounced among those already burdened with guilt sentiments for other reasons.

Additionally, most of the students considered themselves safe from the negative consequences of binge drinking while they rated their friends as vulnerable.

Study researcher Adam Duhachek, a marketing professor at Indiana University stated, "Because people aren’t as defensive when assessing their friends, they felt their friends were at greater risk while they were not.”

According to the researchers, advertisements meant to elicit emotional state of guilt are just not limited to binge drinking but also address issues like drug and steroid use, sexually transmitted diseases, and smoking.

“The situation is worse than wasted money or effort,” said Duhachek. “These ads ultimately may do more harm than good, because they have the potential to spur more of the behavior they’re trying to prevent.”

Med Guru

Rock bottom for Gary was being caught on the Corner Brook Stream Trail with his second stolen eight-pack of the day.

The 48-year-old man who wishes to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the story, attended the Humberwood Addictions Treatment Centre in Corner Brook earlier this year. He credits the staff with saving his life. He’s telling his story in the hopes it will reach someone else and save them some grief, if not their life.

He’s battled alcoholism for more than 30 years, although he only saw that recently.

“I never realized at the time I had a problem with alcohol,” Gary said. “As the years went on the warning signs were there, not showing up for work, communication breaking down in my marriage and everything else. You still don’t recognize the signs, or you do and you don’t acknowledge them.”

He calls alcoholism his “sleeping tiger.” When he drinks, it wakes up and rampages through his life.

Now he hopes his drinking career is over and his tiger remains sleeping, and it is — for today. He’s moving through his process one day at a time, keeping up with Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and enjoying life sober for a change.

He was one of a group of people who celebrated Humberwood’s 20th anniversary this week.

Drinking became a way of life for Gary. After his marriage fell apart he always had a case of beer next to the foot of his bed. The first thing he’d do in the morning was crack one open.

In August, the Corner Brook man slipped an eight-pack of beer in a bag at a local convenience store and told them he’d be back to pay for it after trying his worthless bank card. He went to the Corner Brook Stream Trail near Glynmill Inn Pond and started drinking. Since it went so well the first time, he did it again at the same store. This time, police were at the trail waiting for him. They arrested him. He was charged with theft and the embarrassing truth was out — he’d go to any length for a drink.

“I cried a little bit,” he said. “I couldn’t understand why I did it. Like the police officer said ‘Gary you’re a better man than this. I can’t see you doing this.’

“It was the alcoholism taking over.”

That was his worst moment, the moment he became a criminal in his eyes and his family’s eyes.

He gave up drinking for a while after that, but he thought he could handle a social drink, or two.

Before he knew it, he was back in the middle of an alcohol-fueled nightmare.

“The thing about alcoholism is you don’t control it anymore, it controls you,” he said. “You’ve got no say in the matter. It pretty much dictates your life.”

After a few months of sobriety and a drink here and there, he went on an eight-day bender in January. His family didn’t know where he was, if he was alive or dead. They called the police and reported him missing. Seeing his face on the evening news next to the word missing, while in a drunken stupour at a local hotel room was quite a shock.

He gave up drinking again and asked to go to Humberwood. He got in Feb. 7 and he was discharged Feb. 26. He credits the staff at Humberwood with giving him a new life.

He wouldn’t say they gave him his life back, because the old life was a path he’d rather not tread again. He’s enjoying his new life, so far.

He knows he could and probably will relapse, but for him slipping is not important. Not letting it become an outright fall is.

“I found in Humberwood they taught me how to be good to myself and realize I can’t control other people’s thoughts and actions,” he said. “I don’t have to validate their thoughts, just my own. As long as I’m content with what I do and what I think, that’s all that really matters.”

Western Star