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

mollypolly

Well done Jon on starting to sort your life out:T
Take care
Love MPxx

fedupandskint

One drinking day out of the last 7 days on Friday, just about 3 glasses of wine. Last night sleep interrupted hugely. Don't know why. Woke up to find my bedside light on at 3.09am, but I switched it off at 11pm. Only me there - don't know why it was on. I was wide awake which is strange for me as usually if I wake up at night I turn over and go straight back to sleep.

Woke up again at 4.40am, then struggled to wake up at 6.45am. Sleep interrupted for some strange reason.

AF 3/4 days of the BH weekend and again today will be AF. Even tho' I have a couple of glasses of white wine left in the fridge they will go into a rissotto tonight or tomorrow and the alcohol will boil off.

Feel run down today with the start of a spring time cold - another one - can't have any more time off work as I am now on sickness monitoring after all the time I had off after the accidents.

Does anyone have any immune system boosting tips (non medication types)?

Hope everyone else is ok and feeling ok

eselt

Hi all- hope everyone is OK.

Jon- well done you, when your finances just don't add up no matter how hard you try its so easy to sink into a bottle, but you are doing something positive and taking those steps. TBH, I went to the alcohol counsellor and didn't get any more advice than I've found here, but they did do a home detox for me and got me meds to help with cravings and aversion.CBT was OK as long as I stayed sober, it was easy to forget all the strategies when I'd had a few, and the therapist never made the link between alcohol withdrawal and anxiety/depression/panic even though alcoholic must be written all over my medical records!

Fay- your shop sounds amazing, I'd love to do that- what happens if you've forgotten something?

Jo- hope dentist went well, and sitting here with my oil of cloves this afternoon so I really sympathise.

Welcome to new people- congratulations on making a positive decision to tackle your drinking- you won't regret it I promise.

Hello to everyone else- hope today goes well. BHB how are you today? Hope the main stress has now passed.

ad1jnl

Eselt,

I'm wondering how long it takes for the alcohol to truly leave my system. Couple of weeks back I had two weeks without and the anxiety and depression were still there at the end of the two weeks. The underlying feelings were still there even without the booze - it certainly doesn't help and causes its own problems but I honestly can't say its totally that. A lot with the booze with me is psychological - I feel that when certain situations happen, such as going out pubbing & clubbing I need booze as I'm too nervous or I use it when I feel down and think f**k it I'm going to get drunk anyway if I feel like this. I need to change the way I think - its just been ALL negativity for as long as I can remember. I'm thinking of change of job - even type of job - just feel totally stuck in a rut and tied down by all the debt.

Jon

graemecarter

ad1jnl wrote: »

Eselt,

I'm wondering how long it takes for the alcohol to truly leave my system. Couple of weeks back I had two weeks without and the anxiety and depression were still there at the end of the two weeks. The underlying feelings were still there even without the booze - it certainly doesn't help and causes its own problems but I honestly can't say its totally that. A lot with the booze with me is psychological - I feel that when certain situations happen, such as going out pubbing & clubbing I need booze as I'm too nervous or I use it when I feel down and think f**k it I'm going to get drunk anyway if I feel like this. I need to change the way I think - its just been ALL negativity for as long as I can remember. I'm thinking of change of job - even type of job - just feel totally stuck in a rut and tied down by all the debt.

Jon

Booze will leave your system after a few days. There could well be physical withdrawal symptoms for a while after. Generally with people like us, it is not alcohol that is the problem, but WE are the problem.
Alcohol just takes away the problem (i.e. getting away from ourselves) when we are drunk.
If you have a drunk, scared, frightened, dishonest, waster and then take away the booze, you are still left with a scared, frightenied, dishonest, waster. Just not a drunk one. The booze exacerbates the problems, without doubt, and you cannot change yourself while medicating with alcohol.
Not drinking is the first and most important step to take in turning your life around.
However, WE need to change. We have to, otherwise we will be craving booze all the time, to escape ourselves and our problems.
If you change yourself, then you will not have the compulsion to drink - your life becomes much more manageable.

Accept that you and alcohol have an unhealthy relationship, and you shouldn't drink.
Then just take it one day at a time, not picking up that first drink.
Good luck

barshamhillbilly

eselt wrote: »

BHB how are you today? Hope the main stress has now passed.

Pretty good today thanks, Eselt. Its Mrs BHB's birthday. We have been to the woods for a walk and had a picnic. Then we came home and jumped in the pool. Brrrrrr!!!!!!! Well the kids and I jumped in and had a bit of a fly round but Mrs BHB and eldest daughter got in as far as there knees and decided it was not warm enough. It is in the poly tunnel but has only been up a week or so and is only up to 20 deg C :eek::eek:.

We are still stuffing chocolate too

Ad1jnl - we have found there is more to life than money. I am now on 1/3 that of what I used to earn after changing from a 'good' job to becoming a caretaker in a school. I have found being a caretaker in the school is the 'good' job and that the one that paid £30K a year was the !!!!!! job! Great that you are on the way to sorting things out.

We have adjusted our lifestyle accordingly and are generally much happier for it - apart from the odd day as at the weekend

Having read that all back - I ought to add the the swimming pool cost £150- delivered . Didn't want you to think that I was saying I was low paid and had a huge heated swimming pool in the garden

Quote Fedupandskint " Does anyone have any immune system boosting tips (non medication types)?" ... Garlic mate - lotsa garlic - Immune system boosted and friends don't invade your space :rotfl:

Fay ..... :T:T:T:T:T:T

Molly :hello: ..... Day 9 for me? I think - Blimey I'm loosing count already. Gonna do it I think !!

Jo - Hope it went OK today - and you have stopped dribbling you tea down your chin :rotfl:

Best Wishes everyone else

Andy

winebox

HS pls put me down for 3 afds now, ta. I'm through the danger zone!
Hope everyone else OK tonight.....

dotstar24

evening all. work went fine today, though i had another heart flutter that made me feel weird (i'm on betablockers). was pretty tired all day....and i've never drunk so much water in my life. i've taken on 3 challenges. 1) stop biting my nails....they're minging. 2) no more caffiene, like ever! 3) to seriously.....SERIOUSLY cut down the booze. ie...actually having an alcohol free day. my my...how long has it been??

fluffyb

Not doing so well this month as still on holiday and out of my normal routine which clearly affects me and my ability to not have a drink!! :rolleyes:

Anyway, def going without tonight so please could you put me down for 3 AFDS HS

Must try harder! :rolleyes::o

Hope you are all ok xx

happee

The way things are going at the moment for me makes me want to have a drink! But hey got to think of every penny at the moment. Scary times out there..... Hmmm thinking about it I have been buying a bit too much wine in the last few weeks that I could give up!