{"id":134,"date":"2015-07-25T11:27:37","date_gmt":"2015-07-25T16:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/?p=134"},"modified":"2024-03-30T14:48:42","modified_gmt":"2024-03-30T19:48:42","slug":"my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/","title":{"rendered":"My Name is Scott \u2014 I’m an Alcoholic"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"2014_mihi-scott_07\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I took my first drink on a late evening in May, 2002.\u00a0\u00a0I was 17 years old.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t think so much about how it\u2019s going to taste, but think about how good it will make you feel,\u201d was the instruction I was given while walking along a set of abandoned train tracks, my cargo shorts stuffed with beer cans.<\/p>\n

As of the day this is published, I took my last drink on October 9, 2011.\u00a0\u00a0I was 26 years old.\u00a0\u00a0I didn\u2019t care what it tasted like, I just knew that it would help me not feel the way I was constantly feeling.<\/span><\/p>\n

I am an alcoholic.\u00a0\u00a0I am also a drug addict.\u00a0\u00a0God has blessed me with the opportunity to know Him in a truly personal way through my recovery from alcoholism and addiction, a relationship that I\u2019m not sure I would have if it wasn\u2019t for the dark hole that drugs and alcohol sucked me into and the suffering I put myself through as a result.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I drank or used drugs every day, and my life, in every way possible, was falling apart.\u00a0\u00a0As the pieces have come together, God has revealed Himself to me in some very blatant and very subtle ways.\u00a0\u00a0He had not given up on me like I had.<\/span><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t tell you how it all happened because it still remains a miracle that I don\u2019t understand, but I can scratch the surface on telling you what my life was like, what happened, and what it is like now.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is my story:<\/span><\/h3>\n

Not long after my first drink I began to find that alcohol (and later, drugs) could do for me what I could not do for myself.\u00a0\u00a0It offered me courage, apparent charm, and most importantly, a retreat from my worries and problems.\u00a0\u00a0Although I had a thriving social life, I was isolated in all of my fears and angst.\u00a0Thus, when I found a solution to these helpless feelings I wanted nothing more but to return to the promised relief of these substances.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, I began to find that I was compromising the things that were once important to me.\u00a0\u00a0My close friends were seeing less of me as I spent time with those who preferred a more carefree lifestyle.\u00a0Relationships with my parents and siblings began to slide as I withdrew from my family and those closest to me, oftentimes lying to them and deceiving them about what was really going on.\u00a0\u00a0These tools of manipulation were ones that I used even before I became an alcoholic as a means to evade short-term consequences, but became more prominent and damaging as I began protecting my poor choices.<\/span><\/p>\n

While I did not grow up with a devout sense of religious obligation, I did have a moral compass that I credit as a gift from God and very loving parents.\u00a0\u00a0However, the code that I did my best to live by started deteriorating as I built a muffler to the Voice that was convicting me of doing wrong.\u00a0\u00a0Integrity was something of the past, and my selfish and self-centered behavior started affecting more than just myself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

College brought me to New York City where I was given a full-tuition debate scholarship.\u00a0\u00a0I was restarting my social life from scratch.\u00a0\u00a0Partly because I was a people pleaser and partly because I didn\u2019t really know what I wanted out of life, I began doing all I could to fit in with those around me and to stand out in some way.\u00a0\u00a0Alcohol had a great way of making me feel like I was successful in those endeavors, and it also comforted me when reality set in and the truth about where my life was heading was too much to bear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My grades\u00a0slipped<\/del><\/span>\u00a0tanked.\u00a0 Within a year I was hardly ever showing up to class and my devotion to the debate team, my friends and family back home, and anything else that got in the way of me \u201chaving a good time\u201d took a back seat to my craving for more alcohol and drugs.\u00a0 The list of extremes I went to in order to secure this lifestyle can not be exhausted in this writing, but included doing some things I swore I would never do and would have never imagined.\u00a0 I was selling drugs out of my dorm room, which found me in some incredibly compromised situations on both ends of those transactions.\u00a0 I was using harder drugs and for quite some time was practically homeless, had it not been for some friends that offered a bed to me.\u00a0 Yet, I was still convinced that I was living \u201cthe good life\u201d.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, after three semesters the university retracted the scholarship I spent all four years of high school ardently working towards.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHow did this all go so wrong, so quickly?\u201d was the question I was trying my best not to answer.\u00a0\u00a0For some insane reason I thought I was still in control of my life.\u00a0\u00a0A cycle of depression, drinking, and deception was one that I became very familiar with.\u00a0\u00a0By the age of 21 I had multiple police citations around alcohol, including two DUIs, and found myself in an inpatient treatment facility where I would prove to myself and everyone else that I was still in control.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was too young.\u00a0\u00a0The party can\u2019t be over yet.\u00a0\u00a0Everyone else around me is drinking the same way I am, yet they seem to be doing alright.\u00a0\u00a0How am I supposed to swear off alcohol for good?\u00a0\u00a0How will I be able to celebrate life?\u00a0\u00a0How will I get through life\u2019s difficulties?\u00a0\u00a0What about toasting with my future wife and everyone else at my wedding?\u00a0\u00a0Life will be meaningless and a bore without alcohol.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s too hard.\u00a0\u00a0I can\u2019t do it.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m not good enough.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Everyone who got close to me had reasons not to trust me.\u00a0\u00a0By all indications, I loved drugs and alcohol more than I loved anyone on this earth.\u00a0\u00a0I brought everyone who cared about me along on the ride to hell.\u00a0\u00a0The closer they were to me, the darker and more dreadful the experience surely was.\u00a0\u00a0Some relationships are still mending from the destruction that my fearful self-centeredness left behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

I made plenty of promises.\u00a0\u00a0I swore off drinking during the week.\u00a0\u00a0I tried limiting myself to just two drinks per night.\u00a0\u00a0I fell in love, hoping that someone else could change me.\u00a0\u00a0I moved across the country to San Diego, hoping that new scenery would offer a new lifestyle and better choices.\u00a0\u00a0I offered to take random drug tests to prove my innocence (and failed many).\u00a0\u00a0I became more generous.\u00a0\u00a0I bought lots of flowers.\u00a0\u00a0I wrote songs declaring my new-found faithfulness.\u00a0\u00a0I told everyone everything I thought they wanted to hear.\u00a0\u00a0I was a fraud.<\/span><\/p>\n

I lost everything, including hope.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The last thing I wanted, or even thought was possible, became my only option.\u00a0\u00a0I stood at the turning point.\u00a0\u00a0I recall thinking to myself \u201cI\u2019m 26 years old, recently single, living by the beach, surrounded by beautiful women, and now you\u2019re telling me that the party\u2019s over?!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The party had ended long before that.\u00a0\u00a0I had to stop drinking and doing drugs.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a moment of \u201cweakness\u201d (and after getting caught in another lie), I knew I needed to make a plea for help.\u00a0\u00a0I was alone and miserable as I took a bike ride down to a nearby San Diego bay. Pushing my bike tires through the heavy sand, I found a spot where I could collapse.\u00a0\u00a0I cried alone for quite some time before mustering the courage to call some very close friends, my mom, and my dad to tell them how bad things had gotten for me.\u00a0\u00a0The voices on the other end of each phone call were not shocked by the news as they had an idea of where my life had been going.\u00a0\u00a0I had no vision how positive change was going to wedge its way into my life, but I found that this moment of honesty wasn\u2019t as terrible as I thought it might be.\u00a0\u00a0I was told that I was loved and that there were people in my life who were still willing to do whatever they could to help me.\u00a0\u00a0They told me that they would help me stay accountable.<\/span><\/p>\n

In many failed previous attempts at quitting drinking and drugging I had come across a few people who claimed to actually have some long-term sobriety, and they seemed genuinely happy.\u00a0\u00a0Begrudgingly and full of shame, I reached out to someone.\u00a0\u00a0He introduced me to a fellowship of others who were recovering from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body.\u00a0\u00a0Because everything else that I tried failed, I would give this a shot.\u00a0\u00a0I was told that recovery was not possible on my own and that I would need the help of others and the grace of God to overcome my disease.\u00a0\u00a0One man, whom I was not expecting to encounter warmth from, said he would give me as much of his time as was necessary for me to not drink that day.\u00a0He continued to do so, day after day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou and I are going to be a taking a journey together, Scott, and neither one of us is coming back,\u201d were the Providential words shared by this man.\u00a0\u00a0He was right.\u00a0\u00a0I have not had a drink since.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know how I got through those first few days without a drink.\u00a0\u00a0It was truly a miracle.\u00a0\u00a0I was conditioned to drink, and now I was asked to uncover the honest and painful truth about myself without the only comfort that I knew.\u00a0\u00a0Whatever was left of me was abandoned to God.\u00a0\u00a0This was done not of my strength, but on the guidance of a Higher Power and the strength of others who were supposedly staying sober by helping other alcoholics achieve sobriety.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My day-to-day life did not become easier, but slowly I was handed tools to handle life on life\u2019s terms.\u00a0\u00a0The first was the shortened Serenity Prayer:<\/span><\/p>\n

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,<\/em><\/p>\n

The courage to change the things I can,<\/em><\/p>\n

And the Wisdom to know the difference.<\/em><\/p>\n

I said this prayer hundreds of times per day as I limped through the first couple days and weeks of sobriety.\u00a0\u00a0For about the first ninety days my friends and parents were subjected to daily phone calls to let them know that I didn\u2019t drink yet that day and that I didn\u2019t drink the night before.\u00a0\u00a0One day it dawned on me that the craving for alcohol and the mental obsession that accompanied it had ceased.\u00a0\u00a0God was doing for me what I could not do for myself, and life began taking on a new meaning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"scott<\/a><\/p>\n

Upon starting this new life of sobriety I also found a community of young adults at the local Catholic church that I stumbled upon several months prior while fulfilling a half-hearted promise.\u00a0\u00a0One man in particular, armed with a stern handshake and an embracing passion for what he was doing, led the group and showed a friendly interest in my well-being.\u00a0\u00a0With mixed intentions, I got involved in a weekly bible study and other spiritual and social opportunities around the church.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With my friend as a Christian mentor to guide me, challenge me, and encourage me through this new way of life I began opening up with him and others about what I was going through.\u00a0\u00a0I was terrified to share my story at first, fearful of the judgement that would be placed on me and the resulting rejection.\u00a0Continuing to pray for courage, I started being more honest with myself, with others, and with God.\u00a0\u00a0And how exhilarating it was!\u00a0\u00a0Not only were my fears of dismissal proved wrong, but I found that honesty about what I was going through helped me get to know myself better, strengthened my relationship with God, and kept me sober one day at a time.<\/span><\/p>\n

A great deal of guidance was offered to me as I started taking an inventory of my resentments, fears, and other general misconducts.\u00a0\u00a0I began sharing what I found with those very close to me, and slowly I began to see where I was responsible for the way life was mistreating me.\u00a0\u00a0I prayed for willingness, and I asked God to remove those defects of character which kept me from being the man I knew I was capable of.\u00a0There were many challenges throughout this process, many of which I handled very imperfectly, but the one thing that I successfully did each day was not take a drink or do a drug.\u00a0\u00a0At the very least, that has made each day a success and continues to be the foundation of my life\u2019s meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Early in sobriety it was suggested to me that my healing must never be just \u201csomething on my plate\u201d, but rather\u00a0recovery must be the plate upon which everything in my life rests.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0I have a disease that wants me to believe that I don\u2019t have a disease, which means that I must make daily efforts to continue to do the things that got me sober.\u00a0\u00a0Literature vital to the twelve-step program describes, \u201cWhat we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.\u00a0\u00a0Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God\u2019s will into all of our activities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Constant interactions with other alcoholics seeking to turn their life around has been one way I\u2019ve maintained that spiritual condition.\u00a0\u00a0Prayer and various efforts to form a personal relationship with my Creator has been another.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I have found that the dark past that I was forever ashamed of and weighed down by has become my greatest asset.\u00a0\u00a0Understanding how my experience can benefit others has made some sense of the years of turmoil I had been through.\u00a0\u00a0Recalling the darkness and loneliness that existed in my life and comparing it to the opportunities that God makes available for me each day as a sober man reminds me of the glory He has planned, all along, for myself and all those who seek Him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I am not healed of my disease, nor will I ever be.\u00a0\u00a0By the grace of God I have been relieved of the obsession and craving to drink and do drugs, for today.\u00a0\u00a0I honestly thought that would never be possible.\u00a0I was a hopeless alcoholic.\u00a0\u00a0Somehow, God still found me lovable in all of my brokenness and at my lowest.\u00a0\u00a0His pursuit of me changed my life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Interested in learning more about Catholic saints related to addiction? Pray the CIR Novena with us, asking for the intercession of several patrons saints for those struggling with addiction, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments (including alcoholism, drug addiction, compulsive overeating, anorexia, bulimia, pornography\/sex addiction, codependency, adult children of alcoholics, and many others) as well as their loved ones. Receive emails over the next nine days with a short meditation on a recovery-related saint and a prayer by signing up for the CIR Novena today!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Photo Credit:\u00a0Elissa Anne Photography<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I took my first drink on a late evening in May, 2002.\u00a0\u00a0I was 17 years old.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t think so much about how it\u2019s going to taste, but think about how good it will make you feel,\u201d was the instruction I was given while walking along a set of abandoned train tracks, my cargo shorts stuffed with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":81,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[130,135,36],"tags":[140],"yoast_head":"\nMy Name is Scott \u2014 I'm an Alcoholic - Catholic in Recovery<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"My Name is Scott \u2014 I'm an Alcoholic - Catholic in Recovery\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I took my first drink on a late evening in May, 2002.\u00a0\u00a0I was 17 years old.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t think so much about how it\u2019s going to taste, but think about how good it will make you feel,\u201d was the instruction I was given while walking along a set of abandoned train tracks, my cargo shorts stuffed with […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic in Recovery\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/catholicinrecovery\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-07-25T16:27:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-03-30T19:48:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2014_mihi-scott_07-e1437848597327-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Scott Weeman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@catholic_IR\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@catholic_IR\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Scott Weeman\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#\/schema\/person\/66db98ed509100b88b5fde498910e7d7\"},\"headline\":\"My Name is Scott \u2014 I’m an Alcoholic\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-07-25T16:27:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-03-30T19:48:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/\"},\"wordCount\":2562,\"commentCount\":26,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2014_mihi-scott_07-e1437848597327-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Getting Sober\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Alcohol & Drug Addiction\",\"Personal Testimonies\",\"Personal Testimony\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/\",\"name\":\"My Name is Scott \u2014 I'm an Alcoholic - Catholic in Recovery\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2014_mihi-scott_07-e1437848597327-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-07-25T16:27:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-03-30T19:48:42+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2014_mihi-scott_07-e1437848597327-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2014_mihi-scott_07-e1437848597327-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"My Name is Scott \u2014 I’m an Alcoholic\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/\",\"name\":\"Catholic in Recovery\",\"description\":\"Sharing the Good News of God's Mercy\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Catholic in Recovery\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/logo_450.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/logo_450.png\",\"width\":450,\"height\":116,\"caption\":\"Catholic in Recovery\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/catholicinrecovery\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/catholic_IR\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/catholicinrecovery\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCbz2VDEMwf02HABBGh_a0lw\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#\/schema\/person\/66db98ed509100b88b5fde498910e7d7\",\"name\":\"Scott Weeman\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3eb190eb1c2ae5899f431e3ae33f7b7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3eb190eb1c2ae5899f431e3ae33f7b7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Scott Weeman\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/author\/scott-weemanhotmail-com\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"My Name is Scott \u2014 I'm an Alcoholic - Catholic in Recovery","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"My Name is Scott \u2014 I'm an Alcoholic - Catholic in Recovery","og_description":"I took my first drink on a late evening in May, 2002.\u00a0\u00a0I was 17 years old.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t think so much about how it\u2019s going to taste, but think about how good it will make you feel,\u201d was the instruction I was given while walking along a set of abandoned train tracks, my cargo shorts stuffed with […]","og_url":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/","og_site_name":"Catholic in Recovery","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/catholicinrecovery","article_published_time":"2015-07-25T16:27:37+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-03-30T19:48:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2014_mihi-scott_07-e1437848597327-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Scott Weeman","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@catholic_IR","twitter_site":"@catholic_IR","twitter_misc":{"Written by":false,"Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/"},"author":{"name":"Scott Weeman","@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#\/schema\/person\/66db98ed509100b88b5fde498910e7d7"},"headline":"My Name is Scott \u2014 I’m an Alcoholic","datePublished":"2015-07-25T16:27:37+00:00","dateModified":"2024-03-30T19:48:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/"},"wordCount":2562,"commentCount":26,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2014_mihi-scott_07-e1437848597327-scaled.jpg","keywords":["Getting Sober"],"articleSection":["Alcohol & Drug Addiction","Personal Testimonies","Personal Testimony"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/","url":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/","name":"My Name is Scott \u2014 I'm an Alcoholic - Catholic in Recovery","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2014_mihi-scott_07-e1437848597327-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2015-07-25T16:27:37+00:00","dateModified":"2024-03-30T19:48:42+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2014_mihi-scott_07-e1437848597327-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2014_mihi-scott_07-e1437848597327-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/my-name-is-scott-im-an-alcoholic-4\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"My Name is Scott \u2014 I’m an Alcoholic"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/","name":"Catholic in Recovery","description":"Sharing the Good News of God's Mercy","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#organization","name":"Catholic in Recovery","url":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/logo_450.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/logo_450.png","width":450,"height":116,"caption":"Catholic in Recovery"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/catholicinrecovery","https:\/\/x.com\/catholic_IR","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/catholicinrecovery\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCbz2VDEMwf02HABBGh_a0lw"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#\/schema\/person\/66db98ed509100b88b5fde498910e7d7","name":"Scott Weeman","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3eb190eb1c2ae5899f431e3ae33f7b7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3eb190eb1c2ae5899f431e3ae33f7b7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Scott Weeman"},"url":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/author\/scott-weemanhotmail-com\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2014_mihi-scott_07-e1437848597327-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}