I CHOSE TO LIVE

I am 72 years old and was born here in Faial, in the parish of Angústias.

There were four of us children; I was the oldest, being a twin. In my day, there were many difficulties…

I never learned to read, not even as a child… never! I regret that. I can write my name, but only slowly.

I started working at the whale factory when I was almost 14. When it closed, I went to work at the fish factory, which processed tuna. I worked from sunrise to sunset and gave all the money I earned, which wasn’t much, to my family.

I was called up for military service. First, I went to Terceira and then to Montijo, where I was in the Air Force. I really enjoyed that period, as I wasn’t so poor. I was mobilized to go overseas, but I didn’t go because the 25th of April revolution broke out. But that wasn’t a problem for me, because I wasn’t going to the bush to fight; I was going to the airport.

Apart from that time, I only went to the mainland because of my drinking, to get treatment…

I drank a lot, I was destroying myself and my family, but the treatment I underwent and my willpower saved me. I haven’t drunk for many years now.

At that time, I was already married, with four girls and a boy. My son was 2 years old. My wife would put food on the table and say to me. “If you want to eat, eat! If you don’t want to eat, don’t eat!”

One day, a doctor told me that if I wanted to live a few more years, I really had to get treatment. And I chose to live!

I went to Lisbon to the Alcoholism Center that operated at Júlio de Matos. I was there for a month and 15 days. Since then, I haven’t touched a drop, not even a drop. You just have to want it. Willpower is worth a lot.

Some people leave their homes and immediately start drinking again. They don’t know the harm they’re doing. These treatment centers don’t take people back, and they’re right. If they’re taking the place of others, they should leave for good.

Before I got treatment, I used to shake a lot. Drinking helped me relax and reduce my shaking. If I hadn’t stopped drinking, I would have been gone by now. So, I saved myself!

Despite the poverty I grew up in, I had good things in my life, and I’m happy with my life, even today. With my four grandchildren, even better!

MHB

in https://www.facebook.com/nosnosoutros