[Rick V]

Just as an idea of how bad things were in my life and what it took for me to hit the bottom to make me stop drinking.
July 10th 2004 11pm, there was 6 Albemarle county officers, my front yard, a lot of high powered weapons, most of which were mine, and my little daughter was the one who called the police. I can see her on the porch holding the phone like it is a picture. She had short hair dyed jet black, a black wife beater shirt and a short plaid mini skirt with black shoes on. I will never forget the look in her eyes as she yelled at me. My wife was in the yard close to her and my son was the object of my rage. I wasn't arrested because I had composed myself, turned the weapons over to my wife and I knew a couple of the cops, but I was removed from the house and taken to a hotel 25 miles away. I walked back home that night and I have no idea where I found the strength to do it, but somehow I did. Along that walk I had a lot of time to reflect as I was sobering up, or as close to it as I ever got during those days, and two things were certain. 1 I had to make a change, and that was no more drinking. 2 I had to make it home. I knew if I failed in that long walk I would also fail in my decision to get sober. I collapsed in the front yard. July 11 2004 was the first day of my journey and I have not had a single drop since then. I did not attend AA, I did not have any help other then support from my family, I didn't need it, I have that image of my daughter on my porch, I have the bruises from hitting the bottom and I knew what I had to do. My Dr. took my license for a week and I was in her office every day having blood drawn, she was afraid my body was going to shut down. I had already collapsed two days after I stopped drinking. Believe me when I tell you, your friend is not going to have an easy road and by falling off the wagon he is weak, and if that sounds cold too bad, I have no sympathy for someone who has gotten sober but has not learned a damn thing from the experience and refuses to stay that way. A true alcoholic can not have a single drink, not even a cold beer on a hot day after cutting the grass, none.