"Receiving help for alcohol addiction"

I was drinking too much and drinking every day. I wasn't sleeping well and would be awake through the night and have a drink that I told myself would help me sleep. It didn't!

I was falling down at times and I was gaining weight. I didn't feel healthy at all and obviously spending a good deal of money on alcohol.

I am now retired, my spouse was working part-time here in Brisbane.

It came to a head on New Year's day recently while at a family get together in the afternoon. I could hardly walk when it came time to leave. I didn't think I'd had that much to drink but I'd started before we left home and it was clearly a top-up from then and the night before. My relatives helped me into the car and my spouse drove me home. They managed to help me out of the car and into our house. I was not in the right state, falling over and struggling to get back to my feet. I eventually got to bed and slept it off.

We had a discussion the following day and agreed I needed help so I booked an appointment with my doctor and told them the full story about how much I was drinking and how often. They gave me the number for Lives Lived Well and I contacted them as soon as I got home. I was contacted the following day and discussed my problem and I was recommended to join the on-line sessions each Monday evening.

They host online discussion groups weekly and these are very helpful. They have already improved their service by giving more structure to those discussion groups so it is not so much of a free-for-all and has become an excellent group that give support to attendees and the attendees give a good deal of support to each other.