Got Sober in Thailand

[philo]

I haven't had a drink since April 13th 2012. And I haven't been out of Thailand since that drink. After 4 or 5 detoxes (I drank at the hospital during the 'detoxes' from the 2nd one and onwards), I finally got so ill that I sweated it out more or less alone.

I am now a member of AA.

I do not use ThaiVisa much anymore, but I have found that I owe the members here to inform them that I finally got sober.

Since it could help someone, I post link to the closed thread starting with my first detox in 2009. For the rest of my madness, just see posts on my user name.

Thank you very much to all.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/303049-detox-in-chiang-mai-ram-hospital/

[asdecas]

Good on ya, Philo. Attaboy.

[technologybytes]

Congratulations on your success. Lets hope you keep it up.

[Minnehaha]

pass it on...

[StasD]

better drink a little bit to get out radiation and relax nerves)

[Dogbreath]

Philo; Congratulations on taking the first steps toward a sober, happy life. The best is yet to come.

[Blindside]

Respect!

[ChangMaiSausage]

Good for you mate, and long may you continue being strong.

[NickJ]

Just hope your not setting the premise for another relapse....Stay strong. I read the whole thread again. I remember following it before........best.

[NickJ]

Just hope your not setting the premise for another relapse....Stay strong. I read the whole thread again. I remember following it before........best.

[timendres]

I have two friends who succeeded with AA. For many people, this program works.

One friend stopped breathing and ended up in the emergency room This was the wake up call that got him to start AA. Now sober 17 years.

I can easily say this is one of the most difficult things for a person to do, and it is a great accomplishment. Congratulations.

[Jungle Jim]

Good for you. Now please notify the millions of other alcoholics flooding into Thailand that being drunk here 24/7 is a bad reflection on other foreigners that live in peace here. Perhaps they might wake up to the fact that they are not well liked here and marrying a bar girl is not the brightest idea when your brain is soaked non stop with booze.

[laislica]

better drink a little bit to get out radiation and relax nerves)

Well done OP. I should do that too!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As with other addictions, there is no such thing as "a little one".

I gave up smoking many times and always started again after "Just the one"!

I finally managed to do it and have been off them for 43 years now.

Here is soma Aussi humour by Kevin Bl00dy Wilson, funny but sad and true.

KEVIN BLOODY WILSON

Born Again Piss Tank Lyrics

I'd pay a visit almost every day to our little local

hotel

And quite often 'd drink til I fell to me knees

And I'd dribble me sins to meself

But a wowser convinced me, me life would be richer

If I could just give up the booze

I gave in to temptation

T'was money and greed

And the thought of sweet <deleted>-all to lose

I went spirallin' downward from that moment on

I shunned friends I'd known all me life

I fell in with the wowsers and-please, God forgive me-

I even played Bingo one night!

Unashamed, unrepentant, me life was so empty

Each mornin' me whole body shook

Like the devil inside me was kickin' me kidneys

Aww, <deleted> I was crook!

But I'm a born again piss tank �??cause I've seen the

light

Of a big neon sign that spells Pub

Me prayers have been answered, me cup runneth over

As if someone heard from above

Now it feels like and angel's just pi$$ed on me tonsils

Or that horny young barmaid herself

Me life's been made different, I'm a born again pi$$

tank

And the wowsers can all go to hell

Tormented, demented and right off me rocker

And <deleted>' near right round the twist

A couple of sandwiches short of a picnic

A few shillin's short of a quid

I just dribbled and giggled and stared at the fridge

Rockin' backwards and forwards all day

Til finally snapped and I king-hit the missus

Two demons come took me away

But I'm a born again pi$$ tank �??cause I've seen the

light

Of a big neon sigh that spells Pub

Me prayers have been answered, me cup runneth over

As if someone heard from above

Now it feels like and angel's just pi$$ed on me tonsils

Or that horny young barmaid herself

Me life's been made different, I'm a born again pi$$

tank

And the wowsers can all go to hell

Now that's all behind me, that part of me life

It's as if I've emerged from the smog

Now I'm full of the spirit that I cast aside

I'm all right now-praise be to Grog!

Cause I'm back from the depths and I'm back with me

mates

And I'm pleased to say even back with the wife

And God when I think of how I lived through that hell

here on earth-

Worst two funkin' days of me life!

But I'm a born again pi$$ tank cause I've seen the

light

Of a big neon sigh that spells Pub

Me prayers have been answered, me cup runneth over

As if someone heard from above

Now it feels like and angel's just pi$$ed on me tonsils

Or that horny young barmaid herself

Me life's been made different, I'm a born again pi$$

tank

And the wowsers can all go to hell x2

I've been saved!

I've been saved!

Have-a-lager, I've been saved!

I feel a Fourex comin' on!

Or a Tooheys!

Thank Got for NT Draght!

Or Fosters!

Or an Emu Export!

Or a Swan Lager!

Or a Coopers!

Praise be to Grog!

For Carlton!

I've seen the light-

But you can stick the light up your ar*e!

[northernphil]

Good for you. Now please notify the millions of other alcoholics flooding into Thailand that being drunk here 24/7 is a bad reflection on other foreigners that live in peace here. Perhaps they might wake up to the fact that they are not well liked here and marrying a bar girl is not the brightest idea when your brain is soaked non stop with booze.

Well done that man ( from another phil ). I too despair when I see old bloke ferlungs walking aroung at 10 in the morning clutching a warm Chang. I wonder ..were they like this in the old country or do they just get like this here. A few winos to be seen back in the UK but nothing compared to those I saw in Hua-Hin and C/mai.

[Torrens54]

I find it just too expensive here, when you get slugged about AUD$30 for a lousy carton of Red Ned at Rimping or even Makro.

[Jungle Jim]

Have never seen so many alcoholic foreigners as i have seen in Thailand. Stopped visiting Hua Hin , Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Phuket, Pattaya , Chiang Rai, Pai, Khao San Road, Cha-Am, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Tao, or anywhere there are more than fifty foreigners. Why ? Non stop problems caused by drunken morons , young and old men and women. Disgusting watching them staggering down the street at 8 am beer in hand bar girl not far behind.. The number one complaint i hear from Thais drunk obnoxious stupid foreigners. And then they wonder why they are always having problems.

Good for you. Now please notify the millions of other alcoholics flooding into Thailand that being drunk here 24/7 is a bad reflection on other foreigners that live in peace here. Perhaps they might wake up to the fact that they are not well liked here and marrying a bar girl is not the brightest idea when your brain is soaked non stop with booze.

Well done that man ( from another phil ). I too despair when I see old bloke ferlungs walking aroung at 10 in the morning clutching a warm Chang. I wonder ..were they like this in the old country or do they just get like this here. A few winos to be seen back in the UK but nothing compared to those I saw in Hua-Hin and C/mai.

[pluto_manibo]

Well done! Congratulations on your new lease on life!

[atyclb]

Good for you. Now please notify the millions of other alcoholics flooding into Thailand that being drunk here 24/7 is a bad reflection on other foreigners that live in peace here. Perhaps they might wake up to the fact that they are not well liked here and marrying a bar girl is not the brightest idea when your brain is soaked non stop with booze.

Nice well intentioned try. considering the average alcoholic would not stop drinking if Jesus returned to earth and told him to stop one sort of doubts the alcoholic would worry too much about foreigners image perceived by thai's or hooking up with a hooker, which many a non alcoholic also do.

my ex wife love affair with alcohol and her descent into hell is all too familiar

[Jungle Jim]

Sorry that i left out women. Have also seen a number of foreign women both young and old drunk non stop. Also have seen more than a few women elders dragging behind a young Thai man that looked like a beaten puppy. I really felt sorry for him after seeing the elder foreign woman alcoholic beast.

Good for you. Now please notify the millions of other alcoholics flooding into Thailand that being drunk here 24/7 is a bad reflection on other foreigners that live in peace here. Perhaps they might wake up to the fact that they are not well liked here and marrying a bar girl is not the brightest idea when your brain is soaked non stop with booze.

Nice well intentioned try. considering the average alcoholic would not stop drinking if Jesus returned to earth and told him to stop one sort of doubts the alcoholic would worry too much about foreigners image perceived by thai's or hooking up with a hooker, which many a non alcoholic also do.

my ex wife love affair with alcohol and her descent into hell is all too familiar

[mikecat]

Well done.

[AjarnDara]

I quit drinking 6 1/2 year ago. No detox. No AA. Haven't thought about having a drink since. Now can I quit smoking? Hundreds of times .....

[ggt]

Good for you Philo...

I have a friend who ruined his life with his over use of alcohol...lost job, family, ended up a total mess...

Someone from AA befriended him...some 25 years ago...he has not taken a drink since...

He always says: "I am just one drink away from going back to the old life"

Kudos to you, him, and all who have managed to get their lives back...

[maynard420]

I find anyone who has to go to rehab or AA is a pathetic person and should just die, I had a problem I realized it and I quit, being a little bitch and going to AA and crying about your life story is sad, you are a sad little man and I know you will relapse and you deserve it you are a looser.

[Caprelo]

I find anyone who has to go to rehab or AA is a pathetic person and should just die, I had a problem I realized it and I quit, being a little bitch and going to AA and crying about your life story is sad, you are a sad little man and I know you will relapse and you deserve it you are a looser.

You seem like such a happy person, your message of love and tolerance of others is just amazing. I will pray for your happiness in meantime stay away from fire you may combust.

[ggt]

I find anyone who has to go to rehab or AA is a pathetic person and should just die, I had a problem I realized it and I quit, being a little bitch and going to AA and crying about your life story is sad, you are a sad little man and I know you will relapse and you deserve it you are a looser.

Not everyone is such a strong willed macho man like yourself...

Have you considered joining ISIS in the ME...they could use a real man of your caliber...

[Neeranam]

I find anyone who has to go to rehab or AA is a pathetic person and should just die, I had a problem I realized it and I quit, being a little bitch and going to AA and crying about your life story is sad, you are a sad little man and I know you will relapse and you deserve it you are a looser.

Shame in you.

What on earth could your motive be for posting this on a thread celebrating sobriety?

If I were a moderator, I'd ban you for such an inappropriate, ignorant post.

It takes a very strong, brave person to go to AA, work the 12 steps and recover from a killer disease.

I got sober in Thailand too, in 2000.

[philo]

Thanks for all your posts - the positive ones as well as the others. One of the few things that are absolutely necessary for staying sober is that you make not drinking an unconditional thing - "no matter what". So I try - in all matters - to take the bad with the same attitude as the good.

When I relapsed after my first 32 days sober in 2009 it was because I chose to drink to take away the emotional pain I had after a conflict with another AA member. That choice has given me serious health problems that probably will shorten my life with years and have made my days more difficult than they used to be. Hopefully I will not repeat the same mistake.

An alkie getting sober is imo not a big deal. Any day on earth is filled with starving, illness, unimaginable abuse, murder, war and death. Even children are not spared. Hence, in the view of the world: I got sober, so what?

But since I used ThaiVisa when I tried to get sober, and since there has been so many threads about stopping drinking that just ended in thin air, I was urged to post that I finally did get sober.

Finally - the primary purpose of AA is to help other alcoholics. Whether my actions result in materialized good results for anyone is not the point - the fact that I got sober using only local help and resources in Thailand shows that it is possible and that others can do it if they want it enough.

[gerryBScot]

Philo great stuff and keep doing what you do. Even in AA most attempts to get sober fail. How you do it is not the story it is that you do it regardless of where you are in the world. That's what's people need to hear - no matter how far gone and hopeless you may think you are, you can quit and possibly enjoy a better life. If they told me today that there had been a terrible mistake and that I wasn't an alcoholic and that it would be ok to drink, I would choose to stay sober because I much prefer my life as it is today. Don't miss it, don't want it, don't need it and don't need the grief. Enjoy the day and be grateful, my hearties.

[perdido]

I find anyone who has to go to rehab or AA is a pathetic person and should just die, I had a problem I realized it and I quit, being a little bitch and going to AA and crying about your life story is sad, you are a sad little man and I know you will relapse and you deserve it you are a looser.

...you've got a different problem, now-your attitude...AA is not for everybody, but it does SO much unrecognized good. Through the news I had liver cirrhosis and Hep 'C', and was in imminent danger of mortal coil shuffling off, am now into my 17th year off alcohol and other mood altering subtances, licit and illicit. This with some short, sharp kick-off assistance from a 12 step rehab program....AA not my bag, either, but not for reasons anything like yourself. Quite frankly I think you are projecting your assessment of yourself, onto your own hypothesised stereotype of a typical AA Ideal-type - quite a bit of tautology in them last few words, but we all need a laugh after enduring you sad little piece of poison.....

[Neeranam]

Thanks for all your posts - the positive ones as well as the others. One of the few things that are absolutely necessary for staying sober is that you make not drinking an unconditional thing - "no matter what". So I try - in all matters - to take the bad with the same attitude as the good.

When I relapsed after my first 32 days sober in 2009 it was because I chose to drink to take away the emotional pain I had after a conflict with another AA member. That choice has given me serious health problems that probably will shorten my life with years and have made my days more difficult than they used to be. Hopefully I will not repeat the same mistake.

An alkie getting sober is imo not a big deal. Any day on earth is filled with starving, illness, unimaginable abuse, murder, war and death. Even children are not spared. Hence, in the view of the world: I got sober, so what?

But since I used ThaiVisa when I tried to get sober, and since there has been so many threads about stopping drinking that just ended in thin air, I was urged to post that I finally did get sober.

Finally - the primary purpose of AA is to help other alcoholics. Whether my actions result in materialized good results for anyone is not the point - the fact that I got sober using only local help and resources in Thailand shows that it is possible and that others can do it if they want it enough.

In my opinion, an alkie getting sober is a HUGE deal of miraculous proportions.

As Carl Jung said, it takes a total psychic change.

Well done Philo, all the best.