He started out as my sponsor in 2019. 13 Years of sobriety, and slipped last summer. Now he can't stay sober. He just called me wanting to kill himself. He's lost everything. This is an example of why I take it so seriously. Addiction is real, and is nothing to play around with.
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Hey Matthew: I'm sorry for your friend. Yes, addiction is a progressive, incurable and fatal disease unless arrested. My 2nd sponsor died and I've known several others who never made it back after a relapse. Whether you're young or old and you've been blessed to find out about recovery it's best to embrace it. Otherwise, it's jails, institutions and death.
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One of my sponsors also relapsed. She ended up falling face down on the floor, breaking facial, bones, her neck, and injuries her brain. She was put into an induced coma for a month to let her brain heal. All of us waited. Finally out of the coma, she had to go to rehab to continue healing. She now has to use a walker. She isn't drinking but doesn't practice sobriety either. She has refused to return to AA. She complains that her life is a mess. And it is. All I can do is pray for her. And realize that it could easily been me. I still do it a day at a time and read my Big Book. Returning to AA could help her. If only she'd let it.
Cunning, baffling, powerful. Ya, a friend of mine had a sponsor who went back out and drank himself to death. It's amazing, given all the years of getting one's life back together, the wisdom shared in meetings, the people they've helped. I'm still sober though…
So many don't treat the root of their addiction and it eventually eats them up inside. I'm sorry your friend is going through that.
I lost a friend to this as well. I hope you get a different ending. God Bless.
Thanks for all the comments. And sorry for your loss, Ebbi. I just wanted to bring attention to why people shouldn't play around with addiction. I'm going to go see him in a couple of days when my van gets fixed, he was happy about that so I think he'll hang on for now if he doesn't drink himself to death. Then I'm going to drag him up to Grand Rapids and get him into in-patient residential.
Oh I’m so sorrry Matthew - prayers for your friend
Thanks, that's very kind. It'll be ok…
God bless you Matthew for your service. I was dragged to rehab by a member of this fellowship, a stranger. It saved me.
I have seen this happen to a few folk over the years. As we amass sobriety/clean time a couple things our disease has in its tool belt are complacency and arrogance. Individually they can each bring down a long recovery, when they join forces the battle is on. Wherever you are in recovery, humbleness and humility need to stay at the forefront. I am working hard on keeping my arrogance from taking over. I have recognized my behavior patterns. We have to stay vigilant in our recovery, our disease is crafty.