The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread Part 8!

SimIsOnTheUp

Were you working today SSG?

graemecarter

skintscottishgirl wrote: »

Tonight i got a half bottle, but only 2 small bottles of diet coke, which limits me, so while not AF i will at least limit it....

Am a bit scunnered though and I can't help but notice the relation between drinking and feeling a bit depressed....

Hope you are good tonight...

I am a bit half cut but will be paying the price tomorrow, and I am confident I will be OK in the long run...

I used alcohol to push down feelings, so when feeling happy or sad, I was partial to a drink. Thus I drank at weddings AND funerals.

Good luck with sticking to the rule about not drinking without a plan (i.e. no drinking for the sake of it). I tried that but didn't succeed.
I could never stick with my rules - I always crossed the line, and then would re-draw it....and do that again.
That's how I know I am alcoholic - normal people change their alcohol habits and consumption to suit their goals. Alcoholics change their goals to suit their drinking.

I had many plans to change my life. None of them happened while they were in my head. I had to take action. The first and most important was to stop drinking, as that scuppered everything

Good luck

skintscottishgirl

SimIsOnTheUp wrote: »

Were you working today SSG?

Why??

xx

skintscottishgirl

graemecarter wrote: »

I used alcohol to push down feelings, so when feeling happy or sad, I was partial to a drink. Thus I drank at weddings AND funerals.

Good luck with sticking to the rule about not drinking without a plan (i.e. no drinking for the sake of it). I tried that but didn't succeed.
I could never stick with my rules - I always crossed the line, and then would re-draw it....and do that again.
That's how I know I am alcoholic - normal people change their alcohol habits and consumption to suit their goals. Alcoholics change their goals to suit their drinking.

I had many plans to change my life. None of them happened while they were in my head. I had to take action. The first and most important was to stop drinking, as that scuppered everything

Good luck

Ach Graeme your words of wisdom always hit the mark...

I am convinced there is a way other than total abstintence as you know and I will find it.

Tonight I am half cut but I will be OK

Hopefully that will continue....

Good luck to you too

XX

graemecarter

SimIsOnTheUp wrote: »

Hiya Graeme,

Great to hear from you.

How has your week been?

Those 'out of my own head sensations' have gone since Sunday thank God.

Sorry to hear that you had them too. Scary as hell aren't they?

If I'm honest, for years, I drank 'cos I was lonely as hell, and being drunk gave me the confidence (albeit false) to talk to Women. Not very manly to admit, but there you go.

The irony is that booze, in all its un - glory, ostracised me even more!

How do you stay sober when you socialise? Or do you just not bother with going to pubs etc?

I was visiting my children (who live abroad with their mother) so it was a great week. Exhausting, but hugely enjoyable.

One of the main reasons I drank was for dutch courage to talk to women. I still am far more awkward around women than men, but at least I am aware of this now.

I have no problem staying sober when socialising as I no longer want to drink alcohol. It holds no appeal to me (or if I fancy a drink, that desire goes after 15 seconds). That's only because I have a programme to follow, and got help with my drinking.
TBH I don't spend a lot of time in pubs any more. My life is very different and more varied than it used to be.

skintscottishgirl

graemecarter wrote: »

I was visiting my children (who live abroad with their mother) so it was a great week. Exhausting, but hugely enjoyable.

One of the main reasons I drank was for dutch courage to talk to women. I still am far more awkward around women than men, but at least I am aware of this now.

I have no problem staying sober when socialising as I no longer want to drink alcohol. It holds no appeal to me (or if I fancy a drink, that desire goes after 15 seconds). That's only because I have a programme to follow, and got help with my drinking.
TBH I don't spend a lot of time in pubs any more. My life is very different and more varied than it used to be.

RE the talking to women thing I feel that I am fine and dandy and confident if talking to a guy i don't "fancy" whether drunk or sober, but when I fancy them so to speak it all becomes ten times harder.

I don't think that;s going to change drunk or sober....

I meet lots of people at work and because i am sober and focus on doing the job it helps.....

Who knows what the future holds for any of us

I am half cut but not inclined to drink neat vodka so i should be ok if suffering a bit tomorrow....

Sim you appear to be sober...

Graeme Are you not together with the mother of your children any more I thought everything wa sorted.......

Poor you

But you have paid your price and I sincerely hope it works out for you, and if you keep doing what youa re doing I am sure it will

Good on you for your words of wisdom

We are all doing the best we can and that's the end of it but life is a b1tch sometimes...

SSG

XX

SimIsOnTheUp

skintscottishgirl wrote: »

Why??

xx

Was just wondering!

Hope you've had a good day x

SimIsOnTheUp

graemecarter wrote: »

I was visiting my children (who live abroad with their mother) so it was a great week. Exhausting, but hugely enjoyable.

One of the main reasons I drank was for dutch courage to talk to women. I still am far more awkward around women than men, but at least I am aware of this now.

I have no problem staying sober when socialising as I no longer want to drink alcohol. It holds no appeal to me (or if I fancy a drink, that desire goes after 15 seconds). That's only because I have a programme to follow, and got help with my drinking.
TBH I don't spend a lot of time in pubs any more. My life is very different and more varied than it used to be.

Great to hear you've had a great week Graeme!

I'm gonna have to get to bed.

Trying to stay in a routine now. Boring but necessary

All the best to you for the weekend.

G'night.

skintscottishgirl

graemecarter wrote: »

I was visiting my children (who live abroad with their mother) so it was a great week. Exhausting, but hugely enjoyable.

One of the main reasons I drank was for dutch courage to talk to women. I still am far more awkward around women than men, but at least I am aware of this now.

I have no problem staying sober when socialising as I no longer want to drink alcohol. It holds no appeal to me (or if I fancy a drink, that desire goes after 15 seconds). That's only because I have a programme to follow, and got help with my drinking.
TBH I don't spend a lot of time in pubs any more. My life is very different and more varied than it used to be.

What was your turning point Graeme?

I hope you don't mind me asking?

I just keep thinking of the likes of hollywood a list star such as anthony hopkins " i went for a drink and woke up 3 weeks later in a hotel room in hawaii with no idea how i got there " etc etc

Its almost glamorous but it's not really????

XX

Mind you hawaii would be somewhere nice to wake up:rotfl:

SimIsOnTheUp

Night night SSG and Graeme.

Sim