The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread! Part 3

barshamhillbilly

jo1972 wrote: »

Morning all

Sorry I've been AWOL, thanks to those that asked after me :o

Chin up Jo ..... we will get there. Try and have a nice week next week (Its ok for these admin people :rolleyes:, just think of the poor caretakers )

BHB

jo1972

barshamhillbilly wrote: »

Chin up Jo ..... we will get there. Try and have a nice week next week (Its ok for these admin people :rolleyes:, just think of the poor caretakers )

BHB

Oh get back to your small holding and livestock :rolleyes:

Try and enjoy your week too

Wanna_Bee_Free

Hello cardboard chewer (is it rude of me to want to know why!?) and everyone,

I have had two drinking days. I have 6 days to be AF and only 10 days left this month.

Stroppy, sorry to hear you feel so awful. I think it still counts if you take a break from booze for whatever reason. It should help once you are up and about and feeling better too. And probably give you a quicker recovery time.

London Guy well done for taking the plunge on counselling, I hope it helps you through this temporary low patch. I have been reading a book from the library called 'Overcoming problem drinking' by Marcantionio spada which has quite a lot on the way alcohol smoothes out negative emotions and how to start addressing them as you stop drinking. I read it over the last few days and will start working through the exercises. It's based on CBT - cognitive behavioural therapy. Thanks for the AF lager lemonade idea, I might try that this weekend.

Paris Kate you made me smile about your articulate and reasonable 'few words' with DH - well done!! And no blubbing too - good result.

Sparky, and Annie_d hope your headaches doesn't last.

Well done Glasgow Girl!! I agree with you and Fluffy that a lower target is better.

Fed up and skint, this site had a free audio mediation course, http://www.project-meditation.org/ No idea if it's any good as I've never been patient enough to do more than look at the site! You could record one for yourself instead of buying one. I must try meditation too. I always meant to ask someone to record it for me as contrary to appearances I don't like the sound of my own voice. You could do also try progressive relaxation exercises instead, this site has detailed insturctions although I normally work feet up to my head on the blue moon occasions I do this: http://www.hypnos.co.uk/hypnomag/jacobson.htm

Today will be an AFD for me, fingers crossed for me anyway. I had some disappointing news on the job hunting front and I am feeling really tearful this morning.

glasgowgirl

Wanna_Bee_Free wrote: »

I had some disappointing news on the job hunting front and I am feeling really tearful this morning.

Awwww, sorry to hear that. Thinking of you xx

barshamhillbilly

jo1972 wrote: »

Oh get back to your small holding and livestock :rolleyes:

:eek: :p:p:p:p:p

Pippilongstocking

jo1972 wrote: »

Oh get back to your small holding and livestock :rolleyes:

Try and enjoy your week too

OK scurries off back to the chickens, the mud and the willows

Hugs dudette xx

cardboard_chewer

Wanna_Bee_Free wrote: »

Hello cardboard chewer (is it rude of me to want to know why!?) and everyone,
...
I have been reading a book from the library called 'Overcoming problem drinking' by Marcantionio spada

I don’t chew cardboard myself (honest ) but I took my name from my pets who enjoy chewing cardboard. Can you guess what type of animal they are?

I’ve also read 'Overcoming Problem Drinking' by Marcantionio Spada about 3 years ago and found it very helpful. The CBT nature of the book and the practical exercises really made me think about the wider issues and consequences of drinking which changed my attitudes to alcohol. There is a section on identifying trigger points that enabled me to anticipate problem times when I would be tempted to drink so I can prepare for them or avoid the trigger altogether. The book wasn’t a panacea for me but it was a big help in gradually changing myself and my mentality. The posts from people like graemecarter who advocate changing our mindset have been very supportive for me because they discourage me from returning to old bad ways of thinking and bad people.

Allen Carr's Easy Way to Control Alcohol has been mentioned a few times on this thread and I’m (slowly) reading it for the first time at the moment. So far so good

pariskate

Good morning.

Chin up Jo and WBF, keep on going.

Another AF day for me , though not sure were that takes me to - I'll count back later.
I'm realising that not drinking doesn't seem to be too much of a struggle any more and I am slowly loosing that 'thank goodness it's wine o'clock' feeling and the strong desire to crack open a bottle. However, if I have a glass, just one, then I really have to fight to say stop, cork the bottle and save some for tomorrow. So far so good this month though.

London_guy_3

Morning all.

Thanks Wanna Be Free and Cardboard Chewer for the book advice, may well look into that one. First therapy session tonight at 6 so looking forward to that. Have always wanted to talk to a therapist re my drinking anyway so really good to do it while I'm not drinking at all.

Good luck with the Allen Carr Cardboard Chewer, I didn't really like that one as I felt 'tricked' by it, you'll see what I mean as you read on. Hope you get something from it though.

Although there are some criticisms of him, I do quite like some of the techniques suggested by Paul McKenna's books. He dwells less on the why we do things and just gets you concentrated on changing your habits by visualising yourself.
For example you get yourself into a relaxed state then visualise a TV showing you looking really confident and happy (without a drink!). Then in your mind you blow this up to a cinema sized screen and observe the happy confident you before stepping into the screen and feeling how it feels to be that happy confident you.
Sounds a bit crazy I know but if you actually do this regularly it does help.

My problem is I do these self help things for a while and do notice improvement but then some weird self destruct thing kicks in and I'm back to the way I was - that's what I'm hoping to get to the bottom of with the therapist!

Hope everyone who has one is looking forward to a long weekend. Remember to 'surf' if being off work and the nice weather tempts you to pour a glass of wine! Pour yourself a glass of nice cordial in a wine glass first and sit in the sun with that and think 'I may have a wine later' - keep doing that and you'll have surfed to the beach before you know it! (apologies to those who missed the surfing talk and just think I'm bonkers!)

fluffyb

Sorry you are having a bit of a time of it Jo and we will miss you

Sorry to hear you have had bad news on the job front WBF - me too recently and it's a bummer but have managed not to cheer myself up with wine - hope you manage too