Most people have suffered wide-ranging types of addiction, from the mundane to the ones that cause harm to themselves or to others.
Compulsive shopping and drinking gallons of coffee on a daily basis are common addictions, as are more extreme examples like being dependent on illegal substances or drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.
It's a slippery slope that many individuals experience and are in too deep to even notice their vices have taken control over their precious lives.
It takes a major lifeline in the form of an intervention or hitting an absolute lowest point in life to come to terms with the issues, recalibrate their choices, and, hopefully, turn things around.
Those who've miraculously turned their lives around shared their stories when Redditor CreepyAssociation173 asked:
"Ex addicts of Reddit, what was your rock bottom that made you realize you had to stop?"
Former alcoholics who survived the worst wanted to share their harrowing accounts of a former life.
Waking From A Coma
"I was a serious alcoholic for many years. 5 years ago I ended up in a coma. 2 weeks later I woke up and never looked back. I feel like a part of me died. I lost a lot of friends, family, money, etc. but I’m happy with the outcome."
"I have two brothers. Both of them have a fentanyl addiction. The youngest one (in his 20s) died 3 days ago. We both found him and tried to save him, saw things we will never forget. The other brother is now 2 days clean in detox and getting ready to start rehab after finishing. Hopefully he never looks back either."
– Quick-Potato-3638
Parents Come To The Rescue
"I didn't drink until college, but when I did I hit it like a freight train. By the time I was in my late 20s I was having withdrawal seizures. Had my first one Dec 26th 2016 and that kept up until 2020. I was hospitalized multiple times for them and had more that went 'unreported' (once at work) but I don't think anyone really noticed or cared enough to do anything substantial about it. Even myself. Every day I would vomit and feel sick, I had bruises everywhere from god knows what, but I never really cared enough to change. Between me and my husband we were going though 3 handles of cheap vodka a week. What broke me, us, it, whatever was my husband's body giving out Feb 2020 just as the world fell apart too. Our dog died Feb 15th and I think part of us did too, for husband anyways it was his liver and kidneys. They had finally had enough and called it quits. By the time he got to the ER Feb 23rd he was a Simpsons character. As he got treatment and I stayed by his side, still drinking insanely but now he was in the hospital so I was alone."
"In mid March he somehow got a transfer to Stanford and started the process for a liver and kidney transplant with about a 30% chance of survival. His family hated me at this point and I was forbidden to contact him and, I broke. There was no one, espctially now with Covid making it's debut to help or care about me. For two weeks I drank, sized, vomited, cut myself, fell downstairs... It was actually this *exact* time 3 years ago where I was all alone with no one but vodka and my cat and somehow I didn't die. Heh. Then the lockdown was offically called for California March 25th and my MIL decided to evict me the same day so my parents begrudgingly drove the 4hrs to get me, load up their car with as much of my crap (but mostly toilet paper) as possible and I lived in their basement for 3 years while I picked up the pieces of my little life. I couldn't quit cold turkey, I was still having seizures at this point, but I weened myself off slowly and now on Day 990! Comma Club here I come!"
– FroggiJoy87
Acknowledging Is The First Step
"Not an addict myself, unfortunately he only realized he really needed to stop right before it killed him. My fiance was a severe alcoholic, at his worst he drank half a gallon of vodka a day. He'd been trying to quit for a while, off and on, I kept trying to get him to stop. I'd go to doctor's appointments with him and he would always avoid saying he was an alcoholic because he didn't want it on his medical record. He hadn't been feeling well for a while, he had to quit drinking two or three days before because we were broke, and he asked me to take him to the hospital. We got into triage and the nurse was going through intake questions with him, and he said 'I am an alcoholic.' That shocked me, that's how I knew it was rock bottom, because he'd been so adamant that no medical professional know he's an alcoholic, but this time, he didn't even hesitate. His liver was failing, and a week later he died. I wish so badly that he could've gotten better and turned it around, I really think he could have if he survived, but I also think he knew it was the end."
– Swell_Inkwell
Becoming Jobless
"Getting fired. Having to tell my spouse who was unaware of my issue (I functioned very well). Then getting served divorce papers while I was entering treatment two weeks later. My home became the treatment center for 90 days and when I was finished I had nowhere to go since my spouse took possession of the house. So I was homeless, penniless, jobless. That pretty much incentivized me to continue on my path of recovery."
– Phasianidae
These habits wound up costing Redditors financial losses.
The First Addiction
"I've hit rock bottom a few times for different addictions. The first was my gambling addiction. It was so bad that I was stealing scratch tickets from my workplace, where we weren't even allowed to be playing lottery from in the first place. I got fired (understandably), and my boss could have easily pressed charges, but he didn't. He gave me a second chance for which I will forever be grateful."
– maymayiscraycray
Saving The Life Of A Pet
"Mine was only weed but I was spending around $600 a week. My rock bottom was spending my dog’s home euthanasia savings on drugs, she had a brain tumour so I had the money aside so she could go comfortably when the time was right. She was my closest family and meant the world to me, I’d have traded our places in a second if I could’ve, she was all the goodness in my life. I ended up quitting cold turkey, did some extra work and sold a bunch of my possessions to remake the money within a week, was just in time to because she needed that money a few days later."
"The realisation that I had put my addiction before the comfort of my beloved dying dog was my turning point."
– Chrysocyon_b
Not everyone who battles drug addiction manages to come out the other side alive. Fortunately, these Redditors did.
Waking Up In The Hospital
"Im making this post with no intention of deleting it like 90% of what I post in hopes it will make me more accountable."
"I OD’d recently on some presses/xanax (been addicted to fent for close to 3 years now and was using heroin before then)."
"Woke up in the hospital with no hearing and realized I have no friends, either dead or couldnt handle watching me tear myself apart from closer than an arms length. I’ve been running around the last 6 years lashing out at myself and hurting others in the process. It made me feel selfish and uncaring."
"I’ve been on a subuxone taper since and threw all the sh*t I had out the moment I got back. 14th time is the charm or some sh*t."
– burgerstm
A Friend's Response To Rambling
"I used to down amphetamine pills like crazy back in the day. The end of that train happened when I was sitting with a friend who knew me prior to these addictions, and he was looking at me like I had two heads as I rambled on and on and cried and burst out laughing and basically made a huge scene of myself in the middle of a restaurant. After that day, I called up my dad and told him I needed to come crash at his house for a couple of weeks as I detoxed. I didn’t realize just how fried my brain was because most of my life for a year was spent surrounded by other people just as off the chain as me."
– Upstairs_Cow
Addictions can take on many forms, and some might not even be able to identify them as an addiction.
But others have talked about social media addictions, phone addiction and even work addiction, where an employee took on more shifts to make more money but later realized they were missing out on life.
Anything that takes you away from living and slowly wears you down is not healthy.
As one Redditor noted, here's an encouraging note to leave on.
NightKatCares00 wrote:
"For everyone who is struggling-"
"Please, keep trying. Keep fighting. You can do it, I believe in you. It sucks and it's hard, but you CAN do it!"
"Don't give up, please. You are wonderful and deserve it. You can do this!"
People Share How They Managed To Recover From A "Rock Bottom" Low Point
If you haven't experienced a true rock bottom, consider yourself lucky. Feeling hopeless and depressed is no bueno. But once you're out of it, you become grateful for being able to live a fulfilling life. Here are some success stories of leaving rock bottom behind.
u/justsananth asked: [Serious] How have you managed to recover from your lowest point in your life?
A good list.
- I put down drugs and alcohol, after quite a struggle. They were my (short term and not a good one) solution to my inner issues I couldn't seem to face. Numbing emotions and thoughts is not dealing with them.
- used my time with a clear head to sit down, do a LOT of listening to wisdom I had previously written off, or just didn't accept because of my negative views. I began to dig deep and find out what was so wrong in my life - basically, understand what was causing me disharmony - the idea that the way the world IS, what I want in the world, and how I view the world weren't jiving together. When they all match up, you're in harmony.
- began a program of self care that I had previously given absolutely no shits about. Eating well and regularly, getting exercise, going to a doctor/dentist instead of putting it off, taking care of bills/legal shit promptly, MEDITATION, and taking time for my interests instead of working as much as possible.
- reconnecting with people in my life, whether that be old friends, people I see every day, or even strangers in public. Bonding with people is very important, and was hard at first - I was so used to isolating. But I forced myself.
- I started giving of myself wherever possible, so long as it didn't hurt me. Acts of charity, of any kind, are a great way to feel purposeful, and damn good about yourself. Helping others helps us. However, it's important this isn't done as a way to avoid focus on solving your own problems, which was a big issue of mine.
- Look for a group of some kind you can be a part of. This could be a group of people who do outside activities, like hiking biking or rock climbing. Kayaking. Or a group who plays board games. Just something where people are committed to being there, and foster a sense of community. Positivity is important.
- I stayed committed to certain principles, like trying to make the best decisions for myself that I could. Previously I was very self destructive. I'm trying to root that out.
- Lastly, trying my hardest to stay positive under all circumstances. I was terribly negative. This includes how I think about myself, as well as the words I speak to others. If it's not helpful, I try not to say it. The hardest part of this is my humor - I've been negatively sarcastic for so long, it's a very hard habit to break.
Oh yeah - I started forcing myself to ask for help. If you were trying to carry a railroad tie you couldn't move alone, you'd ask for help. Same goes for what's going on mentally and emotionally. IF YOU CANT CARRY THE LOAD ALONE, ASK FOR HELP. Sooooo hard to do, and yet, so god damn easy.
A true success story.
GiphyI did a PhD and got hired at a very large state school. I was hired to direct a very niche program, and I'd spent much of my life dreaming about having the job. Two years later, I was burned out, had the start of a drinking problem, and realized I couldn't do it. In December I went to the department chair and resigned, effective the end of that school year. During the conversation I found out that if I hadn't resigned, they were going to fire me.
It was the low point because I'd wanted the dream job, I'd worked hard to earn the dream job, and then I'd failed at the dream job and had to figure out what next.
Since I'd had a TA teaching position in grad school, I had the credentials to teach a core class, so I landed a job at a much smaller college, a podunk in the middle of nowhere, because it paid enough that I didn't have to move back in with mom. This is where I began to recover.
Recovery consisted of just showing up every day and focusing on what was in front of me. For the first year, I tried to decide what my life was really going to be -- I did a semester in an MBA program then dropped out; I considered taking the LSAT and going to law school, but realized that would be a train wreck. Eventually, I tried to put it out of my mind and just wait for something to develop.
One day, a student said to me, "You are the happiest person I know." I was dumbfounded. "What do you mean, happy? I'm not happy." She said "Oh yes you are. You're always whistling, and you're relaxed about things, and you're always excited when other people have good news, and you say goofy things to keep our attention. You're just really a happy person."
That conversation stuck with me. Sixteen years later, I can still remember her face, and the exact spot I was standing in when we had that talk. I started to think, Maybe I am happy. Maybe this is what my life is going to be. Maybe that's not so bad. I leaned into teaching, and starting actively trying to improve at it, and over the couple of years that followed, I woke up to the realization that teaching is really meaningful and satisfying, and that if I worked at it, I could grow into a halfway decent teacher.
Today I teach at a tiny liberal arts college with minimal research expectations. I love my students and I love what I do every day. Friends of mine thought I was crazy when I resigned from the R1 without another job lined up, and a few told me for years and years that if I'd worked hard enough, I could've held on to that job. If I had, today I would be bitter and miserable. I'd doubtless make a lot more money, but it would in no way have been worth it. Losing the dream job is the best thing that could have happened to me.
This is so wholesome.
You're killing it! Instead of laying in bed another day and just crying, you got on here and you asked for help.
You already overcame your lowest point! I'm so proud of you. That takes guts.
Maybe now you're still at rock bottom, but you're standing up. Tomorrow, you might have the strength to start looking up. The next day, you start thinking about a plan to get out. No action needed; just imagine all of your ways out.
Keep asking for help and you'll be amazed at the tools people will throw down here to help you out.
Everyone has been here or will be here. Remember that there is no better solid foundation on which to rebuild yourself than rock bottom.
You can be whoever you want now. You can get different friends and start over without explaining why, even from right here on Reddit. You can start helping others out of their rock bottoms.
Talk to people and let the village hoist you up, my friend!
We are brothers in our lowest point. You are not alone and your future is bright!
These Low Effort Jobs Have Surprisingly High Salaries | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Have you ever worked one of those jobs that paid you to kinda sit there? If you have, you know the joy that comes with watching the entirety of Breaking Bad ...Appreciate what's around you.
As cheesy as it can sound, fall in love with the little things. Appreciate the rain, certain sounds or smells, how the light makes things look like or such. When there's not much to grab on, those little things help to keep going.
I also decided to never make expectations on things, events nor people. Just live as it comes.
Make your surroundings prettier, clean your room, put always fresh clothes. Make small changes to like the place you live in or you spent most of your time.
Treat yourself well, be kind to yourself. Eat well, fresh and healthy food in adequate portions.
Surround yourself with people that are a plus in your life, that care about you and are real friends. I recently learned to not seek unhealthy relationships and that sometimes its okay to break contact with people that are not good for you. Choose your friends wisely.
Something good came out of it.
GiphyStarted fostering... My husband passed away and I had an empty house. When everything goes bad/wrong the best way out is to focus on someone else. Your issues begin to pale.
So much can change in five years.
Felt pretty lonely and super unhealthy. Got on my bike and started riding. Lost 30 kilos. Met a girl on Tinder, dated, moved in together, bought land, built a house, got married (currently on my honeymoon).
It's been a wild 5 years.
DO THIS.
I got laid off, took the first job I was offered. It sucked, but it was a paycheck.
I then applied for two to three jobs EVERY DAY.
I worked my day job. But my real job was finding a new job.
And got it.
I've been with my new job for 5 months and I love it.
Solid advice.
Just gotta accept it. Life is life and there ain't shit you can do about it unfortunately. I've learned to accept life they way it comes. When you die you take nothing with you. Why lay on you're death bed eaten up by the sh*t you can't control. Take a shot, drag a bowl. Maybe cry a little bit, but you gotta move on and push forward to the next adventure.
DBT is life-saving.
I had a couple low points over the last five years. Suffered from severe depression and un-diagnosed BPD during the course of getting my PhD in physics. I self-harmed for years and had more than a few suicidal episodes. Now, six months out from getting my doctorate, grad school still sucks but I'm feeling much better and motivated to finish because I'm excited about the life waiting for me after I'm done.
My best friend noticed when things started to go downhill for me and urged me to go to therapy. He's been there for me every step of the way and I'm so grateful for him. I got a great therapist but after three years of seeing her and thinking I was improving but then going downhill again, I had about had enough. I had more good moments than bad but I was so convinced that I should be recovered by now that the bad moments were even worse than before. On a good day I signed myself up for a dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) program, and immediately regretted it- I don't need this, what am I doing? But it's been such a huge help.
Some gems that I learned in this program: life is worth living even with pain in it. That's very important and I had spent a lot of time in the past thinking that this wasn't true. You ultimately have to be motivated to improve your situation for yourself, though. I had spent too long living for other people and that wasn't going to get me anywhere. Another one: your emotions are always valid. Always. That doesn't mean that you can't change your emotions, or that you need to act on them if it's going to make the situation worse.
I had a lot of help from my friends and professionals along the way, but the real turning point happened when I started to motivate myself to get better. That's not to say that you can just wake up one day and say "I don't want to be depressed anymore" and expect to be cured. You just need to want to get better in order for therapy to really work.
TL;DR I recovered with a combination of extensive therapy, support from my friends, and self-motivation. No one of those things would have worked on its own.
Never give up.
Time, effort, professional help and plenty of soul-searching. You seriously would try many things - if not everything under the sun, to make yourself feel better and recover. Plus the method and need changes based on the day - sometimes having people around helps tremendously while other days being alone (not brooding alone mind you) helps more than having company.
All I can say is never give up and that there is a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. It's not easy nor will it be a fast journey, but hopefully you get through to the other side and find contentment and relief.
There is no shame in having a problem. Alcoholism is a disease and like any other disease you have to treat it to get better. There is no way to do it alone and you must beware of denial. There will be one day when you wake up and realize.... "I'm in trouble!"
Redditor u/JakeTheMan47 wanted to hear from those in recovery and how they got there by asking.... [Serious] Former Alcoholics of Reddit, what was the moment when you realized you needed to seek help?
Life is hard, and none of use will beat it in the end. But we can make the most of precious time and learn from the falls and fashion our battle scars proudly. There is always going to be a bottom falling out but there will always be a rise. It will be long, slow, steady and more arduous than the one before but there will be a rise if we so wish.
Redditor u/puddle_socks wanted to hear from everyone about their significant life recovery stories by asking.... What's your "oh, rock bottom has a basement" story? And how did you recover?