How I beat alcoholism.

by Onyinye Ogbuka

Conquering an addiction like alcoholism is not a walk in the pack. In this article, I will tell you my story and show you how I beat alcoholism.

Every day, in the evening, when market women trudge home after the day’s sales, my father would come back home grunting replies to all the good evenings the neighbours chorused when they saw him.

He would come in and plop his heavyweight into our rickety chair and the chair would make all manner of complaining sounds. My father would shout my mother’s name and it was not a cue to be welcomed. It was a cue to be served his dish. She would come out with his tray of food with my sister behind her.

He would dig in and wolf down the food like the food had to be sent on an urgent journey.  After eating he would belch, and cough twice and my sister would emerge from the kitchen to carry the empty plates.

He would stand up and lose the strongholds of the belt around his waist. He would call me and I  would hurriedly answer him. I would stand before him with my hands behind my back like a soldier. He would dip his hands into his pocket and bring out some rumpled note and give it to me. With his gruff voice, he would ask me to go and buy some bottles of beer for him and I would scamper away to get them for him. I would come back with the beer and he would drink far into the night before retiring to bed, whenever I cleared the bottles, I would have little sips of whatever was left.

This was my habit every time, till I got into my teens and I would save some money to buy mine. As he drank, I would hide away behind the house to take mine. The first time I tasted the alcohol was in my early teens, it was oh so bitter. I thought I was not going to recover from the scalding sensation in my throat. A boy will always be a boy because with each gulp it got easier, and soon enough, it became sweet and rich. By my mid-teens, I took alcohol every day. By the time my parents found out, it was too late to stop. 

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I was a full-blown drunk by my late twenties, it affected every sphere of my life. I only managed to graduate and get a job but it was difficult for me to save or build my life because I was always drinking.

I could not keep a woman. It was on a particular day I had drunk and slept off only to arrive late for a presentation at the company where I worked. My Boss was angry at me and threatened to sack me. It was that day it dawned on me that I was drinking my life away. I made a conscious decision to stop drinking and registered for therapy at Mildstrings.

How I beat alcoholism

It was difficult getting better, sometimes, I backslid. Sometimes, I couldn’t stand it. My therapist was patient and non-judgemental, even when I was feeling down, he would cheer me up and advise me never to give up and then gave me some actionable tips and suggestions. It was difficult but I had to do it, for my future, my kids and my life.

In a space of six months, I had successfully steered clear of alcohol with the help of my therapist at Mildstrings. It has been three years and I have not had a taste of alcohol or anything similar to it.

I feel better, this would not have been possible without the help of my therapist. I am better and I am grateful.

Can you ever recover from being an alcoholic?

Yes you can.

  • You have to make a decision to stop.
  • Follow through on that decision by taking actionable step.
  • Get rid of all alcohol in your house
  • Find someone who can help you on the journey
  • Make sure you follow through
  • You will backside, however don’t give up.
  • Get a therapist

What is the is the most successful way to stop drinking?

Get a therapist: a therapist will make you conquer your bad drinking habits.

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