My Rock Bottom Wasn’t My Lowest Moment

People ask me all the time what my rock bottom was.

Was it the worst thing I ever did?

Was it the most embarrassing moment of my life?

Was it when I had lost everything?

The truth is… no.

My rock bottom wasn’t my lowest moment.

There were plenty of times when I should have quit. Plenty of mornings I woke up ashamed of who I had become. Plenty of promises that I made to myself that I broke before the day was over. There were relationships I damaged, opportunities I missed, and memories I wish I could erase.

But none of those things got me sober.

For years, I convinced myself I wasn’t “that bad.” I compared myself to people who were worse off than I was. As long as I still had a job, paid my bills, or wasn’t sleeping under a bridge, I told myself I had everything under control.

That’s one of the biggest lies alcoholism tells us.

Rock bottom isn’t measured by how much you’ve lost.

It’s measured by the moment you finally become willing to change.

For me, that moment came when I admitted I couldn’t do it anymore. I had tried quitting on my own. I had made excuses. I had blamed stress, other people, and life itself. None of it worked.

The day I walked back into the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous wasn’t because everything had fallen apart.

It was because I finally accepted that I had.

That willingness changed everything.

I got a sponsor.

I worked the Steps.

I listened instead of thinking I had all the answers.

I asked for help when my pride wanted me to stay silent.

Recovery didn’t magically fix my life overnight.

It gave me something much better.

It gave me a new way to live.

Today, I still have problems. I still have hard days. But I don’t have to face them with a drink in my hand. I have people I can call, meetings I can attend, and a Higher Power I can lean on.

If you’re waiting to hit some imaginary rock bottom before asking for help, don’t.

You don’t have to lose everything.

You just have to become willing.

At Normalize Sobriety, that’s what we’re trying to do—help people understand that recovery doesn’t begin when you’ve lost it all. It begins the moment you stop pretending you’re okay and become willing to accept help.

If my story helps even one person ask for help before their lowest moment, then sharing it is worth it.

Keep it Clean. Keep it Simple.

– Kyle Alsteen

NormalizeSobriety.net