When I first arrived at Insight I did not think I had a drinking problem. I was a successful business man. I paid my bills. I never missed work. I was married with 3 great kids. I have a big house and condo up north. How could someone like me have a drinking problem?

So I came to treatment to please my wife who thought my drinking was excessive. The second day here I discovered what withdrawal was. I was shaking so bad I thought I would die. I had not been without alcohol in many years. The medical staff made me as comfortable as possible. But as a result of that experience, I was ready to listen to what they had to say. Over the next four weeks, I learned a great deal about alcoholism and how it had taken over my life without me even being aware of it. I had never heard of the “disease concept of addiction”. The Insight staff believes that addiction is like other chronic diseases and needs to be treated as such. I was taught this is not like a cold, you take some medication wait a week and you are cured. I learned addiction is more like heart disease or diabetes. You make life changes in order to manage it, you are never “cured”. This information was vital in my acceptance of my alcoholism. The staff at Insight were very knowledgeable, patient, and appropriate in their confronting my denial.

My wife and I are happier than ever. I can’t believe how much of life I was missing. Thank you, Insight, for helping understand my disease. Someone can’t fight an enemy they don’t understand. I recommend Insight to anyone who even thinks they might have a problem with alcohol or drugs.

D.R.