The Giving Up/Cutting Down Alcohol Support Thread - Numero 9!

phoenix_dragon

Miss_Piggy wrote: »

Afternoon all

Quite proud of myself this afternoon. Stepson arrived flashing around a brand new IPOD touch his mum had bought him (OH's CSA payments doubled this month so guess where she got that money from!). I felt very angry as we are pretty brassic (we just ummed and ahhed about buying a new coat for Piglet even though he really needs one) , and went for a walk to burn off steam. Walked to the shop and came back WITHOUT wine!!:T

This time, I didn't even stand staring at it! Thought to myself, why should I let anyone else spoil all my hard work with dieting and trying to be AF???

So, very pleased with myself and just wanted to share!:D:rotfl:

Miss P
xx

You've totally got the right attitude there. I only stay AF when the rewards are more than when I have a drink, IYKWIM? I'm trying to lose weight, get fit, sort-of trying for a baby, and alcohol doesn't make any of those things easier.

elantan

hey maggie ... i cant really offer any advice no one really can it is your choice to drink or not to drink ...

but you have recognised that you think you drink too much ... that is a huge step .. one that alot of people never admit to or recognise ... currently you have this friend that is there for you when you come home from work , this friend that is always there and wont let you down, yeah you will feel ill if you take too much but it is a friend that helps you relax , enjoy yourself etc etc so it is hard to see the damage that this friend can cause ...

let me ask you this ... what have your/ are you losing out of all your drinking? i dont want to give examples as i dont want to influence you in anyway but please have a long hard think about it ...

what other things can you gain by giving up drinking as much ( i am not suggesting you give up completley just to gain control)

what will happen if you continue to drink the way you are ?

what wont you be giving up if you choose to continue ?

from there you can have more of a look at your control ...

i havnt had a drink problem myself but i am married to a wonderful man that does, so i cant relate to what you are going through , but i can relate to some of the effects of what you are going through

i am not going to preach to you and say the A.A is the best thing since sliced bread ... i tried al anon it wasnt for me my husband knows he would get no benefit from the A.A that is not to say the A.A is useless it has it's place within society and it helps many many people .. but it isnt the only answer there ... there are other ways to do it ...

keep talking on here (ok that is a bit of advice sorry) the group here are wonderful supportive and non judgemental ... they can share your experiences your laughter your tears ... use this site give to this site ... and in your own way you will find what is best for you ... what you want


good luck with your journey

maggiesoop

Thanks Elantan. I really hope that I can get this thing under control and with your - and this site's - help, hopefully I will. I know that someone will push the right button if I keep looking and posting. Saturday night is perhaps not the best night... but tomorrow is another day.

elantan

is there ever a good night ? sorry not trying to make you feel uncomfortable ... just trying to get you to think.. i know sometimes i need people to question me ... especially if i could sort out my weight issue ... i want the hard questions so that i can sort it ..

graemecarter

maggiesoop wrote: »

Hi guys
At last found the right website to discuss what I think is my drinking problem. And can't believe the entries I've read - I am not alone!

I'm of an age where I prefer to stay in most nights. Done with partying & standing in pubs, been there, done that, got the tee-shirt etc. Now I'd rather drink at home, and am luckily comfortable enough off to buy what I like without it hurting my bank account, and I don't seem to put that much weight on. But I I live alone so no one knows how often & how much I drink. Up to a year ago I used to think that drinking half a bottle of wine a night was a bit of a problem .....but now it's probably double that, maybe even more some week! I'm sure I must be harming myself. Terrible memory.... headaches....etc. just generally feeling tired. I'm never off my work and it's not that I can't function (although I do feel pretty ropey for the first hour of the day)

I just don't know how to break the habit. I always feel I deserve my first drink of the day around 6.30pm - before eating. It's usually a large g & t, then with dinner a large glass of wine then it continues ..........more over the rest of the night watching TV.

Sometimes I even go to bed tipsy,it's madness!!! I don't have hobbies or there's nothing I'm burning to get out and do so I think boredom must be a part of it. As mentioned I don't sleep particularly well either, probably as a result of the booze, so I wake with aches and pains, give myself a hard time but by 6pm I'm feeling fine so it starts all over again.

It's a vicious cycle. I don't want to give up drinking, I just want to enjoy it like but I can't seem to break this daily habit. Can anyone give me advice please.

I tried many methods to stop/cut down on my drinking habits. They may have worked for a few days, but I'd be back to the booze again before long.
It was only when I realised that my 'habit' was actually an 'addiction' that I knew I needed to do something different and get help. It took me about 15 yrs to get to that point, but I got there as alcoholism is a progressive disease. I didn't used to drink too much, but over time it crept up. Most terminally ill alcoholics didn't start off by drinking multiple cans on Tenants Super, they progressed to that point.

I didn't like myself when drunk or hungover, but that's how I was fairly often. When 'sober' I felt something wasn't quite right, and a drink made things right. However, I was rubbish at stopping at one. It was impossible for me.
Not only did I have to stop drinking, I had to change myself so that I would feel ok without drink.

Good luck with everything.

phoenix_dragon

Hi maggiesoop. It's funny, I read your first post out to my DH because, not that long ago, I was you (though I didn't live alone). I, however, combined binge drinking with everyday drinking. I felt rough nearly every morning, and I sometimes made a total !!!! of myself when very drunk. I hated that feeling of waking up and remembering the horror that was the night before. I don't have any hobbies either, bar reading, which I could do when drunk.

Several things have prompted me to cut down. Now when I drink too much, my skin is awful, and I carry too much weight. I feel awful not just for the first hour of the day, but for several hours. When drunk, I'm much more likely to get moody and be nasty. Now, that may just be a basic part of my personality, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Ask yourself - why do you want to break out of the habit?

Different_Corner

Hi all not been on for ages, but have been a very good girl !
Stopped on school nights completely, because the sleep is oh so much more beneficial than the alcohol! So I have cut down to Friday or Saturdays nights but the sleep is even better when I don't drink on those days because I don't have to get up. Unbroken, restful 'real' sleep.

Maggie, I your post is very close to my habits. To me half a lager was a reward after a long day and while pottering about in the kitchen. Off loading the day to whoever, on phone/sons etc. Followed by TV slump, more lager..

This lot will have on the right road.

Miss_Piggy_2

maggiesoop wrote: »

I just don't know how to break the habit. I always feel I deserve my first drink of the day around 6.30pm - before eating. It's usually a large g & t, then with dinner a large glass of wine then it continues ..........more over the rest of the night watching TV.

.

Hello maggiesoop and welcome to the thread!

The bit above is the part of your post that stood out for me. HABIT. Breaking the habit is very hard (as with any habit) but you CAN do it!

How about firstly trying to get two or three AF days in a week. Just to break the cycle of every night drinking. Then maybe moving on to finding something else to occupy your mind and hands in your "danger time". I've now got several hobbies I find it impossible to do whilst drunk and I feel resentful slightly now if I spend an evening drinking and don't get to do any of my hobbies!

Anyway, stick around. Lots of lovely people here to help.:)

Miss P
xx

shaggydoo

Morning :hello:

A Saturday AFD for me :j making 13.



Shaggyx

shaggydoo

March :-

= 7 days AF

= 14 days AF

= 21 days AF

= 28 days AF

= 31 days AF

:j = target achieved

Bearacus 4/14
Beckseven 7/17
Chloris 13/23

Cleggie /31

Daisy /15

Darwin's Mum 4/TF
Far2812 8/31
Fed Up 17/TF
Forever Hopeful 8/14

Gien 5/21
Happyshopper 10/20

JanJan 4/14
Laurent 7/20
Lottie 7/10
Mackeroo 15/25
Maman 9/10
Miss P 10/TF
Phoenix D 12/15
Poohbear 11/24
Rachelww 10/14

Roougers 1/13

Scotdebs 4/12
Shaggy 13/17
SOS 14/25

Toomany 5/10
Trasij 17/31

Wanna Bee Free 1/16


PLEASE PUT YOUR TARGET AFDs IN A BOLD RED FONT and good luck!