Unstoppable

It really lasted the whole game, because I was really untouchable, unstoppable that game. ~ Marcus Allen Heisman Trophy Winner

Unstoppable. Run this term through the search engines and you will come up with a long list of quotes from coaches, sports analysts, and players describing the commitment and talent of the superstars in every sport. It is used to describe special players that despite very long odds seem to pull victory out of thin air at the very last moments of a game despite all odds.

But it also is the perfect description for an alcoholic because there are very few obstacles that will prevent a determined alcoholic from drinking. Ask any experienced caretaker from concerned moms, dispirited husbands, to stymied prison guards and they will all tell you that it is almost impossible to stop an alcoholic from getting to the sauce.

I recently used the term to describe the absolute determination of an alcoholic or addict to drink and drug to a young man new to our recovery meetings. He was feeling a little down about how his father had told him to “man up” and “just stop”, that the whole recovering bit was just a cop out. It’s a common dilemma, the alcoholic or addict finally gets sober often to be ridiculed by even loved ones for being "weak" or taking so long to become “normal”.

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Most people who have no personal experience with an addiction find it very hard to relate to our struggle. It’s almost a lost cause to try to explain to normal people the intensity of the disease and mental anguish, my advice is to consider even a begrudged acceptance a victory.

We cannot worry about what others think, just remember that we have the same unstoppable power in recovery that we did when searching for that next drink or score. It may be a a strange source of self confidence, but this same determination, ability to accomplish near impossible goals, and laser-like focus that was used for ill purposes can be channeled to achieve great things in recovery.