Exellent post.  You shake me with your words and experience..reality.

Peace~Creek...the new ARTIN...don't ask

I posted this down below ----------  We're OK dog.  I hope you get into sustained Recovery any way you can.  I just had to tell you what's worked for me and all of the other folks I know in sustained Recovery.

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I left out all the crystal meth I snorted and smoked!

I didn't think you were hard on me.  I just assume that to you the notion of surrender not only sounds stupid, but EXACTLY the wrong thing too.  You statements about will power and determination remind me of myself when I was first figuring out that I was in trouble with Lortab.

I saw absolutely no reason why will power and determination would not beat the problem.  That is what I had used with everything that was a challenge in the past and I had never been defeated.  I didn't always win the first time, but I always came back, never gave up, no matter how hard it got.  I didn't quit and I always got what I was after -- many times only after I kept on fighting the good fight long after everyone else had thrown in the towel.  That kind of determination, refusal to say uncle, etc., served me well in the Marine Corps, in law school and in life generally.

I was SURE it would work with this addiction business too!!  I wasn't going to let a little white pill kick my ass, no sir!  I was going to show those little bastards what was what and who was it.

Only it didn't work,  I tried again, harder, and it didn't work.  I tried again, harder still, and it didn't work.  It didn't work and it didn't work and it didn't work and it didn't work and it didn't work.  I could always (well, usually) get clean, but sooner or later, usually as some sort of stress was building or I needed to really push at work, I went back.  I tried and I tried to STAY clean, but nothing worked.

Absolutely nothing worked . . . . . . until I gave up.  I quite fighting addiction.  I literally said "I give up, I can't do this." And then I started getting better.

Please go back to the post  " Alcoholism ".  See my apology to you.  I am not here to attack your decision.  Your record speaks for itself.  As a new member here I looked past those whose problems were over and above my own.  You made the right decision for you.  I hope I am doing the same for myself.  I have read a few posts from you and you do good work here..no disrespect....dogguy

All this addiction stuff aside....Let me say.....Thank you for serving our country!

You have SOME history.........LEAD ON

I'm still amused that you think surrender is for the weak.  It was the hardest thing I'v ever done.