- Jeff Horton started drinking at the age of 12. In his early twenties, he became dependent on alcohol.
- He wasn’t present for his son growing up because all he could think about was his next drink.
- The grandfather finally became sober at age 50 by taking a monthly drug that controls his cravings.
This as told essay is based on a conversation with Jeff Horton, 50, a development manager from Richmond, Virginia. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I wasn’t there for my son, Joel, when he was growing up. He asked me if I wanted to go to the park. “No, let’s stay home and watch TV,” I always said. I sat in the chair with a beer in my hand – and continued all afternoon, moving on to spirits like whiskey. I often blacked out.
As of 2021, I have been sober, thanks to a drug that eliminated my craving for alcohol, and I get to be present as a grandfather in a way that I never was as a father.
Alcohol has been a problem since I was a teenager
Alcohol was a problem for me from the age of 12. When I was in fifth grade, I felt like I didn’t belong. But eventually I found my group in the kids who hung around the back of the school and smoked cigarettes. .
It wasn’t long before I tasted beer for the first time. Back then it was whisky, vodka and gin – whatever we could get our hands on as young teenagers. We stood outside the liquor store and asked an adult to buy bottles for us. Or the store owners would just sell it to us.
In high school I drank at parties and at friends’ houses. My parents found out and grounded me. But I would find a way to drink secretly in my room.
When I was 18, they told me I had to either leave home or go to rehab. They paid for a rehabilitation center in Florida. I had one relapse, but stayed sober for over four years.
I was an annoying person
Then, in the mid-1990s, one of my friends died of a heart attack. He was in his twenties. I went to his funeral and met my old friends who I used to drink with. I couldn’t resist the temptation and fell back into bad habits.
I married my wife Suzanna in 2002. She meant everything to me. But during our honeymoon in Jamaica I became completely confused. I had to be carried to my room. She was ashamed.
I caused many scenes. We went to parties where I got drunk, flirted with other women, and said inappropriate things. I was an obnoxious, horrible husband who yelled at Suzanna and then blacked out. The next morning I couldn’t remember anything.
It kept getting worse. I started drinking during my work day. The pandemic had me working from home, which made things more difficult. I brewed my own beer in the basement, where I hung out by myself.
At the beginning of 2021, our marriage was so rocky that we decided to divorce. We spent $10,000 each on lawyers, but somehow Suzanna, now 51, forgave me. We worked hard on our marriage and called off the divorce.
Jeff Horton is living life to the fullest after overcoming alcohol addiction. Thanks to Jeff Horton.
That summer I blacked out again. It scared me so much that I knew I had to control myself. I was about to lose my job or die. I am 6 feet tall and weighed 260 pounds. I would be drenched in sweat doing simple tasks like picking leaves. My blood pressure and cholesterol levels were dangerously high.
I spoke to HR and the CEO of my company. I worked there for thirty years and they care about me. I asked if I could take a month off to go to rehab. They told me to get better and come back when I was ready.
So I detoxed during a 30-day residential program at Mount Sinai Wellness Center in Dahlonega, Georgia. I have had group sessions and individual guidance. I picked up the tools to stay sober.
I no longer crave alcohol
Still, I knew I needed continued support. In August 2021, the doctors prescribed me Vivitrol, a drug that helps reduce alcohol dependence. They explained how it affects the opioid pathways to the brain so you don’t get that ‘buzz’ from drinking.
It made me not want to drink at all. It lost its appeal because it didn’t have the same effect on me. I told Suzanna to throw away my distilling equipment in the basement.
I have monthly intramuscular injections at a local pharmacy. They inject the extended-release drug between my buttocks and hips.
The benefits have changed my life. I don’t feel like drinkingAnd the calories I saved helped me lose 70 pounds. It turned my metabolism around. I had a 44 inch waist and now I’m 34. I went from XXL to large. I have more energy for my favorite sport, fishing.
Suzanna and Joel, 32, are proud of me. Joel’s wife, Harley, gave birth to our beautiful grandchild, Nora, two years ago. Thank God she’s never seen me drunk – and she never will. People say I’m a great, hands-on grandpa. I am very happy to play for hours with Nora.
I feel like I’m making up for the time I didn’t spend with Joel when he was young. I cherish every moment.
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