I Am a Teacher!

I was an alcoholic for years but kept it well hidden. I had to because I was a teacher. My routine was set in stone and I prided myself on being able to do my job and then sit back and enjoy my beer on weekends. If I did not need a drink during the week, then I convinced myself I was not an alcoholic and did not have a problem. I didn’t think being in bed as early as 6 p.m. meant anything. I was just tired, you know?

However, as time went on, my credit card bills showed the truth. I was spending over $200.00 a month on vodka and drinking beer from the time I got off work Friday afternoon to Sunday. I woke up on the weekends needing a cup of coffee in one hand and a beer in the other. I used up my sick days and vacation days within the first two months of school starting.

My friends and family tried to talk to me about it but I thought they were nuts. I was not an alcoholic, I told them, because I could go days without a drink. I was deluding myself but not them. I stopped going anywhere except to work. My wife did all the errands. When she broke down on the road and I was too drunk to go get her, it was the final straw in her book. A couple of days later my family and friends put together an intervention for me. They were pretty brutal in the truth. Still, it took my wife looking me in the eye in front of them and saying she would leave me right then and take our kids with her if I did not check into a drug addiction rehab.

That was four years ago. Because I was able to check myself in without it affecting my students and my position in a negative way, I was able to retain my certification to teach. I am grateful because I really love teaching. With the help the successful drug rehab center, I was able to put my life back together and I have even helped a couple of students who were heading down the path of alcoholism.

Thank you, to the drug rehab professionals, for giving me what I needed to get away from that lifestyle. The money I used to spend on alcohol is being used for family vacations and bringing pleasure to my children. My wife is happier than I have seen her in years and I am grateful I got a second chance with her and them.