I did 10 alcohol rehabs, including medical detox and intense therapy. A few times I went days without alcohol, then maybe 1 or 2 weeks at the most.
Even though on my 10th detox I lost my fiancé, house, and a great career (they supported me massively throughout 6 years of alcohol dependency) I still came out and drank, alas as my fiancé had gone I sank to a place, a hellish nightmare that terrified me. I had to move in back in with my parents as I was so poorly, for 3 months I stayed in bed, wetting and soiling myself, only showering when I soiled my bed, my mum had to shower her 31-year-old son. The worst part is as I was so far gone and hallucinating, I could not hold the vodka or wine bottles, my mum had to pour them in my mouth. At the time I felt no shame as I lacked the cognitive thoughts along those lines.
After just under 3 months I woke in the night, withdrawing badly, I was so weak I could barely shout out to my parents for some vodka… my dad heard me after a good while but by the time he got to me, I was having seizures.
The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital, my parents to my left, they shouted the doctor over who had my blood results, he simply said: “if you drink again Mr Hilton, you will not last 3 months” my mum started to cry and walked away and the moment that changed my life was my beloved dad looking straight at me and again simply saying “you are going to end up killing your mum” and followed her away. I had never felt so frightened and alone, however, something in my head clicked and that was the lightbulb moment… I took a picture of myself, I didn’t recognize myself, I hadn’t looked in a mirror for months, I was yellow, my eyes were yellow and I was so gaunt. The medical detox was completed in the hospital for 7 days, I then went back to my parents, and to this day I have never touched another drop of alcohol, 10 years sober in may.
So all in all 11 detoxes/rehabs it took and over 6 long, painful, and simply devastating years of dependence. In the end, it took some tough love from my dad. Addiction can be beaten 100% but usually, you have to go down the rabbit hole of hell to come out the other end.
I hope this helps
Dave Hilton: https://www.quora.com/profile/Dave-Hilton-40
