Aftercare: A Matter of Life and Death.

[Htownnofrown]

I know in the beginning I didn't really take the people serious who said that "if we go back to using, we die". Over the last 16 months, I have come to believe that statement whole heartedly. I have had 5 of my "littermates" (were in treatment together) die since I got sober, and just this last weekend, one of my very good friends overdosed on Xanax and Seroquel and is now in the hospital in a coma. The one thing these people had in common was that they did not take a serious approach to aftercare.

I go the AA route and it works amazingly well for me, but if that's not a good fit then by all means try something else. The important thing is that we addicts must be proactive in fighting our addiction. If not, relapse is almost always inevitable, and from there, as we all know comes jails, institutions, and as I have become well acquainted with, death.

Take your sobriety and guard it with your life!

[Danny750]

Funny I was going to just say how badly I want something and read this. Tomorrow is 2 weeks and I'll keep this route. Thanks for posting this

[LMB01]

Sara- do you have the 24 hrs a day book from Hazelden? If so, read Jan 6th. If not, I posted in my journal. I read it every single morning, to remind me the my sobriety is by far the most important thing in my life.

[Htownnofrown]

I completely agree wth you. Its just a shame people don't realize it till its too late. I got word.this morning that my is comin out of it but has suffered some brain damage from the incident. I just pray that no one else has to learn the hard way.

[dominosarah]

Great post!!  I have always said this is about life and death and for me that is exactly what it boils down too.  My clean time is the most sacred thing in my life and i protect it with everything i have cuz without it i will die.  We just lost a very loved man on the alcohol forum and his loss is still felt.  I am sorry to hear about your friends who have passed on and i hope your other friend will pull out of the coma and recover~~~~~~~sara

[LMB01]

I meant "logged," of course! ;)

[LMB01]

Thank you so much for sharing. I am so grateful I looged on and read this.

[LeaAnn807]

I appreciate this post.  It hits particularly close to home for me.  I never took aftercare seriously, and every time I went to rehab, they made us go to 12 step meetings.  And each time I got out, I went back to drugs but worse than the time before with worse consequences!  I have ODd, been in ICU, had more near-fatal car wrecks than I remember or care to, been to ERs and courts, ruined a marriage and almost died several times.....  My point is....it really is life or death.  Whatever anyone chooses to do for support, it needs (Must) be done!!!

Great post!  

[IBKleen]

Beautifully worded and I thank you. I have done the jails and the institutions and it is only by the Grace of God and the rooms that I am here.

I am so sorry that you lost people around you. It is a painful lesson.

Keep coming back.