Hello! My name is Chantel. I’m 35 and I’ve struggled with alcoholism for many years. My story with alcohol seemed to always be quite complicated because I never understood why I couldn’t just drink like “everyone else”. I would ask myself “Why do I always have to take it so far?” “Why cant I ever feel satisfied with just a few?” “Why me?” These were some questions I would ask myself. When I say this disease of alcoholism is progressive, it’s just that simple. It really is. I once thought “I can control it” I can slow down…I don’t need help but it proved me otherwise. I was no longer able to cope with the cycle of drinking and then drinking again to “relieve” the anxiety that alcohol was creating to begin with. It just got worse until a very unfortunate event happened in my life, that event ultimately is what got me into a program for addiction. It truly was a blessing in disguise because at the time I felt hopeless over the addiction and I didn’t know where to turn. It progressed fast. You don’t need to be physically addicted to alcohol for it to be a major problem. I didn’t have the shakes and I didn’t physically need it but I was psychologically addicted to alcohol. I would have obsessive thoughts around alcohol and I hated it. I would grab a drink when I was stressed, sad, overwhelmed, happy, to celebrate, or just because the thought to drink seemed to always take up so much of my thoughts.Attending a program for addiction and being open to breaking the cycle really helped me. It kept me accountable and I was able to learn more about myself and why this happens to some of us.