My real addiction started in my early teens but I didn\u2019t know I was an addict until I was with Coco. I grew up around drunks and I thought that was normal. My mom, dad, grandfather, uncles, aunts, etc all drank daily and I normalized that because in my mind that\u2019s what adults did everyday. As I got older I figured that\u2019s just what grownups do and I should start doing it too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was about 14 or 15 the first time I started experimenting with drugs and alcohol. I started thinking it was just something fun to do with my friends. When my parents found out they yelled at me and grounded me but I didn\u2019t care too much and that did not stop me from using and drinking. Looking back I think I was genetically predisposed to addiction and addict behavior was normalized for me so I am not sure my parent\u2019s could have stopped me when they found out. A question I get asked even now is how can I prevent my child from becoming an addict and I do not have a good answer for that question. I also think some of my childhood traumas pushed me in the wrong direction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I continued using and drinking through my late teens, early twenties and then towards the end of my 20\u2019s I noticed I was drinking a lot and I might have an issue. The problem was my disease was lying to me so I easily dismissed my addiction by comparing myself to others who I perceived as \u201cworse\u201d than me. I also justified my using and drinking by saying to myself that I am an adult and I deserve to relax after work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I started dating Coco there were many times I tried to stop. I would successfully do it for a few days and sometimes even a week but I always went back to it. She was the first person I had been exposed to that had never had addiction normalized for her. I actually thought she was weird because her family, friends and her weren\u2019t always drinking or using. There were quite a few times after we were married that she tried to speak to me about how I was out of control but I didn\u2019t listen. She was the only person in my life who had ever approached me about having a problem and a lot of times I would gaslight her and tell her she had the problem. I started hiding my use and drinking from her and lying to her because it was easier than admitting the truth. At times when I tried to stop I would have anxiety because I realized that meant going without my alcohol and substances which was terrifying. My addict brain had me convinced I needed these substances to function and live. I unfortunately never saw how much I was hurting her and our family until I got clean and sober with a clear head. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward to today I am thankful for her coming into my life. She held me accountable and had me hit my \u201crock bottom\u201d which was a turning point for me. I\u2019m thankful I am sober now for so many reasons. I feel better, I am still married to the woman I love, I still have my family, my life has changed for the better and I never thought it would be this good. Getting sober has increased my self-esteem and made me a better person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a fellow addict like I am and you are still suffering please know there is help out there for you. Putting in work and wanting it is all you need to do and a sober life is so much better. You\u2019re not a bad person, you have a disease which has no cure but if you put in work and don\u2019t use, there is a better life for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

• Turbo<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  My real addiction started in my early teens but I didn\u2019t know I was an addict until I was with Coco. I grew up around drunks and I thought that was normal. My mom, dad, grandfather, uncles, aunts, etc all drank daily and I normalized that because in my mind that\u2019s what adults did everyday. … <\/p>\n

  Read more “How I became and addict”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[25,6,19,21,22,18,12,17,24,16,23,13,20,15,26],"class_list":["post-337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-addict-parent","tag-addiction","tag-alcoholic","tag-becoming-an-addict","tag-becoming-an-alcoholic","tag-drug-addict","tag-drug-addiction","tag-family","tag-family-addiction","tag-functioning-addict","tag-how-i-became-an-alcoholic","tag-recovering-addict","tag-recovering-alcoholic","tag-relationships-with-addicts","tag-relationships-with-alcoholics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharingourrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharingourrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharingourrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharingourrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharingourrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharingourrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":339,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharingourrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337\/revisions\/339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharingourrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharingourrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharingourrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}