Alcoholic relapse

I'm an alcoholic who relapsed this past weekend. I drank again because I'm so miserable with my financial problems and feeling so lonely. My family is very upset with me after my drunken arrest. They have taken away my car and my phone and I'm basically locked up at home right now. I have no money and no job. I've been feeling very down and have thought about hurting myself. Please pray for my restoration and healing.

I used to drink allot at several different times in my life. What I usually found to be at the foundation of the obsessive drinking ( and many other addictive attempts to quiet my anxiety) was a dissatisfaction in my life or with my life. Lack of meaning , sense of failure,or not a satisfying answer for this life and it's manifold conditions. I attended AA for a while ,but, found it almost addictive as the alcohol itself. although there were some things that seemed to help. One, searching my life honestly.Two was bring some of what I found to reality by asking forgiveness when possible or restitution when appropriate. It was kind of like John the Baptiste ministry of calling to repentance and preparing the way of the Lord by bringing the mountains down and the valleys up.At the heart of it for me was knowing real peace and satisfaction by knowing Gods love for me and that all thing work for my good if I love god and am called by him for his purposes. This seemed to really take the weight of self works and changed my burden to the yoke of Jesus ,which is easy and lite. The scripture says "be anxious for nothing ,but every thing by prayer and supplication let our request be made known unto God" The torment of fear will drive any of us to some sort of denial or self medication. But Jesus doesn't want it so."Peace I give unto you ,not as the wold gives". Trust god and let him turn your dissatisfying past to his glory! He forgives you if you are willing accept it.You can truly start with a new strength and purpose. The physical addition of alcohol is short lived, but the desire of the flesh is long lasting and strong. but, we are totally empowered with all the right means in Jesus to prevail If we trust and draw close to Jesus. also remember we don't just wrestle with flesh and blood ,but against principalities and spiritual wickedness in high places.There are spiritual forces working against you. He is the only one that can satisfy the emptiness you feel,and he is faithful.,but the desire of the flesh is to depend on anything but Jesus. I will pray for and with you but remember Jesus also is interceding for you in full faith ,hope and love and truly desires your life to be fulfilled in him.. Remember He is the only one that can satisfy the emptiness you feel,and he is faithful.May the lord keep you and increase your knowledge of his will for you by his Spirit.

The sad thing I thought about today was that what if that didn't happen to me? Would I be running back to God praying like I've been since this weekend's horrible mess? Probably not. I would still be caught up with the world! I needed this wake-up call in my life.

Thank you for that. As much as I would like to think that it was no big deal, the truth is I've been somewhat of a ticking time bomb for a while, and it was just a matter of time before I exploded. But the main missing ingredient in my life was God. For a few months now, I've been in a slow but sure decline in my walk with the Lord. A life without Him is no life at all. I found myself backsliding, going back to old behaviors, until finally that decision to drink became a weekend of horrible mess.

The sad thing I thought about today was that what if that didn't happen to me? Would I be running back to God praying like I've been since this weekend's horrible mess? Probably not. I would still be caught up with the world! I needed this wake-up call in my life.

Thank you everyone for your prayers, it means a lot!

This is not something I would share often, but felt that it was appropriate to do so now...

At the time I got saved (2nd Jan 1983), I had a drink problem, couldn't sleep at night unless I had had quite a few beers/spirits, when I got saved the Lord dealt with my alcohol, smoking and foul language there and then, that night I slept like a baby...without alcohol.

Anyway, I was good for a few months and started going out with a Christian (girl), who then very shortly started to backslide, I ofcourse thought I was strong enough in my faith to help her back on the right road, however, I was very wrong! Within a short time I was back to old habits, and one evening, it was actually Good Friday, 1983, I was out with her and we were both drinking heavily and after we came out of the bar, I got into the car and drove back to the place where we were staying, the long and the short of it was that I got stopped by the police, arrested for 'drinking and driving' and taken to court, with the result I lost my license for 1 year.

With all this happening, it dawned on me, that I needed to break off my relationship with her for she was really dragging me down spiritually and morally and I really waned to go on with the Lord, so I wrote her a letter telling her our relationship was over, at the time of writing I found it quite difficult to do, but the Lord gave me the grace to do it...as I was very fond of this girl. I had already made up my mind to fully follow the Lord, and with that the Lord removed the desire for alcohol and cigarretes from me, I smoked my last cigarette in August 1983 and my last drink of alcohol was Christmas Day 1983. I have not looked back since, and neither have I had a desire to either drink alcohol or smoke, indeed I am a real opponent of smoking.

I reckon being filled with the Holy Spirit is much better than being filled with wine! Eph 5v18.

My dear sister, the dear Lord Jesus does not condemn you, but is wholly on your side and longs to restore and bless you and by His Grace and Mercy He is surely able to do it. You are loved by God the Father, as He loves Jesus, and by Jesus as the Father loves Him. John 15v9, 17v23, Rom 8v34, Rom 3v20,21.

Yahweh Shalom...

Thank you so much, this is very encouraging to me. Actually, my drinking was the culmination of backsliding that included getting involved with a man who is a very bad influence. He's doesn't drink or smoke but his whole character is very ungodly, and I found myself being a very ungodly woman everytime I was around him. Anyway, I drank while I was hanging out with him. I found similarities in our stories, especially on how I've had to make a decision to stay away from him because he pulls me away from God, and God is more important than anything.

I found your story encouraging because I am right now still get very depressed for losing everything after getting arrested but I saw hope that if God can restore you, then the same can happen to me.

This is the lowest I've ever been in my whole life but discovering this website and talking to you people has lifted up my spirit. Thank you again everyone for your prayers and I'll see today what the Lord wants me to do to pick up the pieces. God bless!