I would like to tell you all a story. Sometime in 2002 I started learning how to haul cars on an auto transport. I had been a truck driver since the 80s. I was drinking pretty heavy back in 2002. One morning I woke up in Albuquerque New Mexico at a hotel and I knew right away that something wasn't right in my head. Things that were usually familiar to me we're suddenly unfamiliar; Such as pre tripping my equipment and filling out a logbook. After trying to figure everything out I finally decided to just put the key in the ignition and take off down the road.
I obviously wasn't capable of making sound decisions at that time. I got 2 Lincoln Town Cars delivered later on that day and then I headed to my second stop. I became more and more confused while I was trying to get started unloading. One minute I was trying to figure out what I was doing and then the next minute when I woke up I was being rushed to the hospital. I never knew what hit me.
I had all kinds of tests and was off work for a long time and when it was all over with they had no answers. I got sober December 11th of 2002. I never had that feeling again for a very long time. I relapsed in 2011 and a short time after I had relapsed I started going to meetings again and was trying to get off of the alcohol. That feeling of confusion returned and one day after an AA meeting I couldn't remember how to get home. It was a trip that I had made many, many times.
I hooked up my GPS and it got me home. I called up my sponsor and he told me that I shouldn't be trying to quit cold turkey because I was drinking too much alcohol to go cold turkey. I checked into a hospital and they put me on some medication for a while but I never did stay sober until 2014. Sometime after I had started getting sober those feelings of confusion started coming back from time to time and this story has been long enough so I'm not going to tell you the other story that happened.
I'll just tell you that I delivered at one stop and I was on my way to another stop but somehow I ended up at the first stop that I went to earlier that day. I became very frustrated and decided that enough was enough and so I contacted a neurologist. This was over two years ago. They had me do an EEG test where they hook up all the wires to your head. The test came back abnormal and she said that it was more than likely caused by the alcohol. It screwed up my brain chemistry.
She put me on some medicine that I took before bedtime and I took it for the last 2 years. I went and had another EEG test done about 2 weeks ago. I just found out Monday that the test came back normal. Now I am in the stage of being weaned off of the medication. When you drink everyday as heavy as I did, after a while it creates chemical changes in your brain which can lead to symptoms such as confusion. When I first heard the news I was absolutely excited and I still am.
She said that I won't have this problem anymore as long as I continue to live a life of sobriety. She also forewarned me that there can be other symptoms that can happen the next time around such as wet brain that may not be reversible. I hope the story wasn't too long and I am really glad to be sober.