Name: Christopher W Hoyt

Age: 85

Sober Since: 08 / 07 / 1983

Sober For: 41 Years & 205 Days

What it was like?

Because of drinking, by 1983 my life was totally unmanageable. I was divorced after a 24 year marriage in 1982; the rehab center I voluntarily entered in 1982 expelled me for violating their rules; my children wouldn't speak to me because my Ex had convinced them that everything was 100% my fault; I owed $400k in back taxes and $3600 per month in alimony but had no job, no assets and no other source of income. I was physically a wreck and my hands shook when I tried to eat or drink a cup of coffee; the only "friends" I had were "friends" as long as I bought them drinks but instantly disappeared when I could no longer afford to do that. Not one of these friends came to visit me in rehab and I was the only patient whose children did not visit on Family Visiting Day. Life was miserable!

What happened?

I knew I had a problem with alcohol as far back as 1969 - when I was 31 - because it was at that point that my drinking began to significantly affect my performance in my job and my relations with my family. So I stopped drinking cold turkey on July 4, 1969 thinking that I could do this on willpower alone. This lasted approximately 7 years when I started to drink again on a vacation in Italy in 1976. Because I had not touched a drink in 7 years - and knowing nothing about the progressive nature of alcoholism - I thought I was "cured" and could safely and responsibly drink again. However, after only a few days, the effects of my drinking again in 1976 were at least two or three times worse than in 1969 despite the fact that I hadn't had a drink in 7 years! Despite this, my denial overcame all cautions and I kept drinking for the next 7 years until several major incidents in 1982 and 1983 finally caused me to bottom out and seek help. By this time, I was 100% convinced that: A) if I wanted to continue to live, I had to stop drinking - there were no options left - and B) that I couldn't stop without help. The result is that on August 7, 1983, I went to my first AA meeting and 90 days later I knew on some level that if I followed the program, I would never drink again. I was so grateful and so relieved! I owe my life to AA and all of the wonderful people who took their time to help me in those first several years!

What it is like now?

By the grace of God and with the indispensable help of AA, I will have 40 years sobriety on August 7 2024. In the intervening years, I built two successful consulting businesses and sold these to larger companies who wanted our expertise and clients. I have wonderful relations with my children and their children -and, before she died - excellent relations with my ex-wife. Today, I am happily married to my business partner of 30 years and we live a stress free, substance free, debt free happy life. None of this would have happened if I had not stopped drinking nor would I have lived this long. In net, I am so grateful to be where I am in my life that I don't have the vocabulary to adequately express this. All I can say to those who are still drinking and want to stop is that YOU CAN DO IT!

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