The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread! Part 2

Lurkio

Why not quote one of mine and edit, WB?

Its what I do for my updates :A

winebox

Lurkio wrote: »

Why not quote one of mine and edit, WB?

Its what I do for my updates :A

yep - that's my plan B!! Was trying to avoid copyright costs

Lurkio

winebox wrote: »

yep - that's my plan B!! Was trying to avoid copyright costs

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

My charges are extremely reasonable

jo1972

That's great WB, but you've made the page go all long!!!

I shall give you my thoughts for feb tomorrow

miamoo

Hi everyone, I am now on 25/28 and will not be drinking tonight, but will be having a glass of wine friday and saturday as its my weekend away for my MS meet up.
GC I can see where your coming from, but dont agree with you. I think in previous posts I've said "lovely glass of wine" which is not a recommendation to anyone else to drink, just how I felt at the time, when I did stick to one glass. Thats the point really for me anyway, wine can be lovely and pleasurable to us "cutter downers" IF we stick to a small amount of alcohol.
Obviously I would not intend on making things harder for anyone, but temptation is everywhere, we can not remove it all, that is the battle.
Wine box you have your work cut out next month with that score sheet lol!

GreyPilgrim

Hi Dan, welcome to the forum.

I joined this thread after a really nasty spate of panic attacks and pronlonged feelings of intense nervousness / dread / anxiety / paranoia etc etc etc. I never linked these episodes to alcohol, and genuinely assumed I was having some sort of mental problem. I've never been so scared of anything. it was horrible.

Then I made the link. I had a massive drinking binge, and the episodes happened over the following few days. Had a few days without a drink and then another drinking binge, and then they happened again.

I then had a few weeks away from beer completely (december 14th ish to january 12th ish), and then a big drink. Hey presto, the next couple of days where the worst ever and I physically had to get into a quiet, dark room and ride out the storm.

I KNOW THIS SOUNDS A BIT SELFISH...but it's reassuring to hear other people talk about the panic / anxiety / paranoia associated with alcohol abuse / withdrawal. It means I'm not going mad, and it means there IS a definite cause, which in turn means I can take absolute control of it and exorcise it from my life completely.

This thread has been a lifesaver to me. It's fantastic to have the support network there when you need it. I know this is early days yet but I feel like a different person right now. I'm not as moody or snappy, I'm sleeping loads better. I actually feel proud of myself that I've set my mind to something and I'm achieving it (I'm not going to fall into the trap of saying I'm never going to drink again...I'm going for the 'one day at a time' mantra). I have no 'intention' of drinking again, and I'm not missing it. I'm not finding social occasions or night out stressful with just a coke or a lime and soda.

I've dropped almost a stone since the start of the year, and I'm spending a lot less money than I ever have been..

Which is lucky as I had to spend £80 on the car this month.

Everyone needs to be proud of their achievements here.

I don't think the alcohol free challenge should be seen as a 'challenge' as such (ie don't beat yourself up too much if you fall off the wagon), but every single day that you spend on the wagon should be celebrated.

If you normally drink 7 days a week, plan to drink only 2 days a week, but you end up drinking for 4 days...look on the positives - you drank for 3 days less that you normally would have.

Anyhoo, my rant over.

I feel particularly positive and happy today and thought I would share the love a bit. I'm not getting the chance to post everyday as work is a bit busy at the moment, so rather than a few lines everyday, you're probably going to get a war and peace effort once every fortnight.

Keep up the good work everyone.

GP

GreyPilgrim

27/28 for my, by the way Lurkio!

winebox

jo1972 wrote: »

That's great WB, but you've made the page go all long!!!

Yeah I really panicked & then went all hot with embarrassment! I've edited That Post now & deleted it & it's all back to normal....

Imelda

morning all,

It's really interesting the discussion about the feelings of paranoia etc- although I cannot empathise completely I definitely understand the dark feelings after a heavy drinking session. Thank you for opening up, it has confirmed to me just how awful things could get if I were to continue along my current path and reaffirms what I need to do.

It's Thursday and my thoughts are turning to the weekend. Already emails are pinging around about our plans. In my diary I have lined up:

Thursday: The first day of the weekend in the City. Except for me. I have a fun night in planned, just me, the TV and my tax return!

Friday: night in with 2 friends and a takeaway. Usually I would get the train to see them, end up sinking 1.5+ bottles of wine and then getting a cab home. Not this time. I am going to drive, although it will take me longer it will save me at least £20 on booze and cab fare and the hangover tomorrow.

Saturday- Danger time. We are having friends over for dinner, so there will be wine and other drinks around. However, I am going into it with a plan. I am cooking, so no drinks until the meal is served and then I plan to give myself one of the smaller glasses (we have a mismatched assortment!) and stick to 2. Then I will switch to diet coke, pretending it is vodka if necessary (we're recently married so any hint of non drinking will result in pregnancy rumours!)

Sunday: not usually an issue, we may finish off any wine that is open but will be under 2 glasses/ half a bottle.

Will keep you updated if that's ok? don't want to completely hijack the thread.

Good luck everyone xx

Andraste

Morning all!

Well, by not drinking yesterday I've reached my target of 11/31. Wehey!!!! I feel great!