The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread! Part 5

shopaholictiedtheknot

I can't get my signature to show?!

Oh it's there now!

Marru

Hello,

Sorry haven't managed to catch up (as I should be working) but will do later this evening.

SL: Why don't you advertise your stuff in Freecycle. People will come and get it from you and then you don't need to drag it to the dump.

I normally don't have problems with sleeping but last night woke up just after 2 wide awake and couldn't get back to sleep until over 3 hours later. So late today logging on to work (really shouldn't be here now either). I will tell you tomorrow what is troubling me as I just might be very silly and worry over nothing.

Waffling over...back to work...

graemecarter

DecemberBaby wrote: »

All this talk of food is making me hungry. Sausage rolls are my favourites!

Confession cos I can't tell anyone else this - I had a major falling
off the wagon last night. After 2 days AF and feeling positive. DS was
18 yesterday and off to pub with mates, other one at home with mates
drinking beer then going out to birthday party. It was the sight of cans
of Stella that did it I think plus feeling very stressed. I ended up going
to the shop despite the horrible weather. I just had a desperation to get
a drink which I couldn't resist. I should have resisted I know!

All you folks who are doing so well - did you ever feel like that and does it
get easier? I hope so - I'd have walked over hot coals to get to a shop last night!

It only gets easier if you change yourself and get rid of the desire to drink. Just by not drinking I still had feelings of restlessness, irritability, and discontentedness. I needed to change how I thought and how I felt, and then the desire to drink was lifted from me.
Will power alone is not enough for many people on this thread - they are alcoholics and need to change themselves.
You are not alone - many people have fallen off the wagon already (in Week one) and some people cannot manage 24 hrs without a drink. That to me is alcoholism.
Alcoholism is not just about units drunk, but a uneasy feeling in which the easiest way to get rid of the feeling is to drink. Most people cope with feelings such as stress, boredom, elation, etc in different ways. Alcoholics seem to seek out drinks in these situations.
I guarantee that of the many people that try and give up drink for January or all of 2010, only a handful will accomplish their goals. This is an extremely nasty illness of which there is no cure. The only thing to do is not drink, and change yourself sufficiently (and stay changed) that you remove the desire to drink. Good luck, and thanks for your honesty.

graemecarter

shopaholictiedtheknot wrote: »

Thanks for all the welcomes, I feel among old friends (not really a good thing but YKWIM ) I feel so ill today I wonder why we do it to ourselves I hate feeling like this I am so cross with myself :mad:

Saorsie cheese and lime just don't go do they:rotfl:

Can I be added to the AFJ list please - don't know who is in charge of it now? I am going for 23 days (ie: rest of the month)

I did it to myself as I am alcoholic. I want to drink. That's what alcoholics do.

graemecarter

shopaholictiedtheknot wrote: »

Hello everyone, it has been ages since I posted on here but here I am hanging my head in shame Since I had my son 5 months ago I have been keeping mostly on the wagon, having the odd wine here and there but nothing major but last night after a boring day stuck in the house with the snow and a fractious baby I decided it would be a great idea to drink a bottle and a half and got completely sozzled :eek: I got my DH to agree to getting up with my son for his night feed half way through the evening so I could carry on I felt like death when the alarm went off at six and had to get DH to get up so I could sleep some more (luckily he works for his Dad so he rang and said he would be late in as I wasn't well - lied for me!!!)

Anyway the upshot is I feel like the worst Mummy in the world and I am NEVER drinking again, I realise that I still have a problem with alcohol, I just don't know when to stop and that scares me, I am going to need your support again my friends I hope you will help me....

I kept on saying I wouldn't drink again, and guess what? I drank again.
I had to admit to being alcoholic first and too reach out for help at the same time to stop drinking.
I may drink again (I cannot project too far into the future) - but I know that I will not drink today.

If you cannot stay stopped, do yourself a favour and get other help outside this thread. This thread is great, but for many people it is not enough. Try different methods, and then stick on the one that works

graemecarter

Steph998 wrote: »

Hello

I just wanted to come in and say I have been sober since I last posted...a few days before Christmas. I have been to four AA meetings. I don't know if I can quit alcohol completely, but so far so good and I know I WILL NEVER drink vodka or spirits again. I have had a couple of ports and lemonade, and (apart from the gout, lol) I am feeling good. I don't know if it is possible for me to 'control' alcohol....and be a 'normal drinker'. I think I probably am an all or nothing person...but, 2010 so far is better than I could ever have hoped. Sober at 11pm, and have been for over a week? I'm happy.

Happy New Year to you all.
x

I don't know if I can quit forever, and I don't really care. As long as I can get through today without a drink, then I can make the decision whether to drink or not tomorrow when tomorrow comes

If you want to stay stopped go to more AA meetings - if you don't you will drink again.

You are feeling good because you have't drunk in a week - keep it up and go for another 24 hrs.
If drinking makes you feel bad then don't drink
If you cannot stop drinking, then get to more meetings

Everyone can stop if they want it enough

graemecarter

jo1972 wrote: »

Shoppy, so lovely to hear from you (not about what you've posted obv, just lovely to speak to you again ). Hugs to you, stick around and get back on track



No I'm not

Crashed and burned last night, same old same old.

So as promised to GC a couple of weeks back, if it doesn't work I'll get help. Got a doc appt at 10.30am so better get me wellies on and get down there. Speak to you all when I get back :wave:

xx

Look at why you drank last night. What were the triggers?

There is no cure for alcoholism, and Doctors can do little or nothing for alcoholics. The only person that can change the status quo is yourself. Unfortunately there is no miracle cure, no magical pill, to relieve our alcoholism. It's your mind that picks up the drink, so you need to change it so you don't listen to it when it tells you to drink. You have other things to do instead like ringing people, etc

Lurkio

Best of luck, jo

jo1972

I'm back from Docs, waste of time really. He told me he couldn't do anything for my drinking addiction, I have to contact the drug and alcohol service. I've been there 3 times now, had 2 detoxes, one in 2006 and one in 2008. I went back there last year and they said they no longer offer counselling for addictions as they have no funding I was given four 10 minute 'chats', the last one was cancelled and she said she would ring me to do it over the phone but she never rang me :mad: Doc has prescribed me diazepam which when he prescribed it for me previously I didn't take as I don't want to take tablets but this time round I will take them to help with cravings.

Although I have got quite a few AFDs under my belt over the last year, particularly over the past 2 months, I've actually had more AFDs than drinking days but it's still there, eating away at me. I feel drained, exhausted and unmotivated and very down. I feel that the battle is beating me

This last 'quit' as been difficult, I'm not feeling it at all.

I'm still having problems with my mouth, doc looked at it and said it's very inflamed and I need to see a dentist. It's got nothing to do with my teeth but the bit between the teeth at the back, very sore and red and I can't press my back teeth together without biting it. I told doc that I was worried about getting mouth cancer due to my previous heavy smoking and my heavy drinking, that's why he said I need to get that checked out.

I was watching him typing away, something about heavy drinking and noticed how many times on the screen that had been written. I can't believe I've seen this bloke so many times about it and I'm still at square one.

Maudlin post over, I'm off to the hospital now, can't get the car out so will have to bus it, 3 buses there and 3 buses back :rolleyes: could be a while!

Speak to you all later xx

shaggydoo

graemecarter wrote: »

If you want to stay stopped go to more AA meetings - if you don't you will drink again.


If you cannot stop drinking, then get to more meetings

Everyone can stop if they want it enough

I agree with a lot of what you say, however, I have to disagree with you about AA. AA fails many people and there are a lot of researchers who say it doesn't work at all and is in fact very damaging to people's self esteem, as they are continually made to feel like a failure.

You often emphasize that posters should try different approaches and I agree with that. AA works for a small minority but since its inception in the 1930s has failed many. Maybe some posters should try AA but for the majority it won't be the solution.

Not that I know what the solution is of course but I feel it's only fair to point out the limitations of AA.

Anyone, interested in the AA should google "Does the AA work?" so they can go into it fully informed.

I'm not trying to pick an argument with you by the way.