As an alcoholic and addict that's had around 7 years of continued sobriety, I have to begin this article by saying that there is nothing in my life today that a drink or drug would make better. It wasn't always like this though, and I once thought that escaping into a hazy crazy world of alcoholic madness was the answer to all of my problems. You see, ever since my adolescent years I have been what can only be described as an egomaniac with an inferiority complex, so it was little wonder that I found oblivion an attractive state of being.

One of the major problems that many alcoholics and addicts have is that they are self centered, self seeking, and selfish. Anyone that is trapped in a world of self absorbance can never truly be happy, and unhappy people often do things and take things that help them to change the way they feel. With so many natural and unpleasant characteristics, does this mean that alcoholics and addicts are bad people? The answer is a simple no. In fact many of these addictive personality types are warmer, and often more talented than Joe Average. The difference is that their mind tells them this just isn't so, and they therefore take a path of self destruction which often wrecks, not only their own lives, but the lives of those closest to them.

THERE IS A SOLUTION

Yes there is. There is most definitely a solution to those that reach out for help. Unfortunately, most addicts need to hit rock bottom before they throw in the towel. It isn't until they become as desperate as only the dying can be that they admit to themselves the nature of their malady. Oversensitive to the extreme, many alcoholics and addicts tend to feel more than they think, and consequently believe the world is against them, especially when their nearest and dearest attempt to talk to them about their problem. Addicts and alcoholics need to hear if from within before they can finally accept they have a real problem. It's only when they can face the fact that their life has become unmanageable because of their addiction, that they are desperate enough to seek a solution.

Statistics show that 1 in every 10 people has some form or alcohol or drug dependency and there are no signs of it getting any better. Alcoholics and addicts have a disease that centers in the mind, and a body that craves for more of the same once their drug of choice enters into their blood stream. Having no mental defense means that education on its own is useless. Therefore, it's little wonder that so many folks from all walks of life become victims to drugs and alcohol.

The most successful solution, which has literally worked for millions of people world wide, is the fellowship of Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous otherwise known as AA and NA respectively. Being a fellowship means that there is safety and support in numbers. Most recovering alcoholics and addicts will tell you that something happens in those meeting rooms which lifts away their obsession to drink or use. They have something together that they don't have by themselves. No one quite knows why it works so well, only that it does, and most don't try to analyze it further than that.

Some addicts and alcoholics have gone so far down the track that they may have to be hospitalized or placed in a treatment center before committing to any fellowship, but once dried out and cleaned up, some begin to really see the errors of they ways and embark on a new life that they never imagined possible.

So, there is a solution, and the above touches on just a couple of the most successful, but some manage to find other ways to recover. However, anyone wanting to get clean and sober will only succeed if they want it enough. Recovery works, but you have to work it.