A MISERY SCALE TO MEASURE THE PROGRESS OF YOUR ALCOHOLISM/ADDICTION/DEPRESSION/ANXIETY!
When we start to feel bad we would love to see a definitive guide to how bad we actually are. You obviously are the last person to know. All around you, family, friends, colleagues and loved ones know you are in trouble. Recovery from Addiction and Alcoholism almost seems impossible. How to deal with an Alcoholic and how to deal with Depression is getting the better of them as well. You get sick of their moaning and have a few more drinks and/or pills. Recognise this scenario? No doubt you do. Anyway one boring afternoon I decided to try and put together a little device to try and help us all. It's the 1 to 10 Scale of Misery. See what you think.
1.We are all born on a 1. Probably lasts as long as it takes you to have your first moan about your life. i.e. why is my Dad making those funny noises when I want to sleep.
2. On we go in life. The years pass on by. Responsibilities mount. School,new friends and bloody homework. More opportunities to get pissed off.
3. First tears and rages. That Becky in gym class who broke your heart. Easy to get over. A new bicycle should do the trick.
4. In we go to adult life. Not much fun. Inital doubts that this life is not all it is cracked up to be. Arguements with parents and teachers are a thing of the past. Now you have a boss from hell and a low paying dead-end job. Maybe,just maybe I can have a
drink with the boys after work.........
5. Things start to go wrong. Far too much liquor. Missing days at work. Screaming at the wife and kids. Take well meaning advice but ignore it. I am sure that I can sort this out myself.
6. It has gone too far now. Is this going to be my life for the next 50 years? Better to stay zonked out. First visits to the Doctor. Losing weight. Ageing rapidly. Going downhill at a rate of knots. Everybody concerned. Cannot help myself now.
7. Hospital time. Hope for the future. Life is not so bad. I think I can make this work. But the cravings.......
8. Back to my old ways. Everybody hates me. They also talk a lot of shit. Sleep Therapy,ECT, Wards,Nurses and bad food. Time stands still. There is no meaning to anything.
9. If I continue I will die. Simple as that. Not that important if it is my genetic makeup or my lifestyle. Get help or get dead.
10. I did continue. My family grieves. What a waste. If only.............
Almost a light hearted look at the problems of Alcoholism,Depression and Addiction. We are all creatures of habit and more or less follow the same patterns. You might think that you are unique in your story but believe me you are not. I remember a wise old Psychologist once telling me that he did not really want to know what I had been up to as it was almost irrelevant. He sumed it up with "You screwed up Alan. That is all I need to know". What he needed to do was fix the problem.
I look back at my time in the trenches and now realise the mistakes that I made. One of the most important was not getting help earlier. Probably through ignorance and embarassment. Silly really as there are a lot worse stories than mine. Ideally I should have stopped at Number 6. But that is Monday morning quarterbacking. It happened and I fortunately lived to tell this story. I now write this Recovery and Addiction Blog to help others. If I can so make it out so can you. Everybody is not so lucky.
Show the 1 to 10 Scale of Misery to somebody that you love. How to deal with an Alcoholic and how to deal with Depression can be made easier for all concerned. Chip away at their inner soul.
Even the most "out of it" character will give it some thought. Add up enough "thoughts" and bingo it might be time for the big decision.
Also please have a look at these Posts relating to My Own Alcoholism/Depression and Addiction Recovery -
Drug Rehabs/Alcoholic Treatment Centers.....or Not??????
My 1 to 10 Scale of Misery for Alcoholism and Depression
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I love to see what you guys think.