The Giving up/ Cutting down Alcohol support thread- number 10

darwins_mum

1 more afd for me please Shaggy

Chloris

2 AFD in May and 1 for the school night challenge!

darwins_mum

I laughed but it really made me think of how others perceive me and how things need to change. The day to day drinking is not such a habit for me but like you said mackeroo when I do drink I go mad and do things i feel ashamed of and have terrible hangovers. The question is can I control my drinking myself or do I have to admit I have no control over my drinking and abstain-a real dilemma. I'm really struggling with myself at the moment-has anyone else felt like this?[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Having my DS1 new partner to stay for the weekend and being drunk for 90% of it brought me up short last month. The fact that there was more alcohol in the fridge than food was a horror (too squiffy to go food shopping). The hangover on the saturday when I had to take them to meet my Father, then going to another family members house and swallowing another bottle of wine (the rest of the family were a little worse for wear) all added to the shame and brought me up short! I stopped drinking a week later and haven't touched a drop since.
Have a great day
DM

rachelww1

2AF for May, and 1 for the challenge please Bearacus.

Right, off to work.......it's going to be a busy week

Miss_Piggy_2

Good morning all!

2 please Shaggy and 1 on the school night challenge please bearacus!

Been awake since 5.15 when OH got up to go to work. Will be like death warmed up later! You'd have thought I'd have got a lot done in that time too...but nope! House is a pit so must away and tidy up a bit before work.

Catch you all later

Miss P
xx

StressedOutSue

1 afd please, Shaggy - like you, happy to be back on the wagon

1 for the SNC, please, Bearacus, thanks

DD2 and DD3 back at school today, Mr SOS back at work tomorrow, electrician been and repaired the sockets which had all blown when the toaster blew on Friday - peace and calm in the SOS household.

graemecarter

beckseven wrote: »

2afds for me please shaggy and can I join the school night challenge please Bearacus? 1 for the school night challenge please-not sure if I have picked the right colour! I would really love to be alcohol free all month but am just taking one day at a time at the moment. On nights tonight so no temptation at all-just had a cup of coffee. Had a nice day today-we went for a pub lunch and I had a diet coke and we went to a friends for tea with 6 kids under 5 present (only two are mine!) which was a rowdy affair and the first thing my friend who doesn't drink said was 'Do you want any wine'? I think I have a reputation as a lush-(actually I don't think I know!)especially at the Royal wedding party my friend kept calling me 'Sue Ellen' as in from Dallas. I laughed but it really made me think of how others perceive me and how things need to change. The day to day drinking is not such a habit for me but like you said mackeroo when I do drink I go mad and do things i feel ashamed of and have terrible hangovers. The question is can I control my drinking myself or do I have to admit I have no control over my drinking and abstain-a real dilemma. I'm really struggling with myself at the moment-has anyone else felt like this?

Yes. I tried to control my drinking for years, and while it may have worked for a fortnight or so, I always ended up back where I started (out of control).
So at least when I know I am not going to drink today (I can only not drink for one day at a time), I don't have that internal dialogue of "Perhaps if I have a couple of glasses, that will be pleasant, but not enough to get me drunk", etc

My alcohol problem is physical and mental
Physical because when I have alcohol in my body, I want more. I never had the feeling that one drink was enough for me. I sometimes stopped at 2-3 drinks, but never wanted to stop.

Mental because even after a period of being AF and my life being much better, I still would put that first drink in my body, and thus start the whole physical problem.

So what I had to do was make sure I never have that first drink. It's that first one that gets me drunk, as it starts off the craving for more.
To ensure I don't have that first drink, I needed to change myself, and stay changed.
That's not easy, but it is possible. If I can do it, anyone can as I am ill-disciplined and lazy, and hate change. What I needed to do is get proper help, and get in contact with people who haven't drunk alcohol for a long time, and learn what they know. I need to continually be in contact with people with the solution to my alcoholism, as left to my own devices, I drink.

If I pick up a drink now, my past becomes my future, and I don't want that to happen. All I need to do is not drink today, and I think I can do that.

Good luck for whatever you decide.

maman

eca00opc wrote: »

Everyday I still have those thoughts about having a drink, but fortunately they occur many hours before I would actually drink (I think this is because when I was drinking heavily I would be planning when and where to buy today's bottle of wine/beer etc at some point before I got home).

I so understand where you're coming from eca00opc. This doesn't happen to me so much any more but I'm convinced I miss the 'something to look forward to' aspect more than the drinking itself.

beckseven wrote: »

the first thing my friend who doesn't drink said was 'Do you want any wine'? I think I have a reputation as a lush-(actually I don't think I know!)especially at the Royal wedding party my friend kept calling me 'Sue Ellen' as in from Dallas. I laughed but it really made me think of how others perceive me and how things need to change. The day to day drinking is not such a habit for me but like you said mackeroo when I do drink I go mad and do things i feel ashamed of and have terrible hangovers. The question is can I control my drinking myself or do I have to admit I have no control over my drinking and abstain-a real dilemma. I'm really struggling with myself at the moment-has anyone else felt like this?

I have a very similar reputation amongst my friends and family too beckseven. Ironically I think they still think that despite my cutting down. That's because I've chosen to tell very few people in RL and they still see me drinking on social occasions. I have had a few raised eyebrows when I've chosen to drive but that's all they've noticed. Drinking at home every night was a problem for me and that's the bit I've cut out. As for the drinking out of control: I was determined I wasn't going to play catch-up on my drinking days (cutting calories) and also my tolerance levels dropped with AF days. Plus, having got used to the feeling of AF mornings, I got to hate being dehydrated/hungover. It's all taken time and I probably still drink more than a doctor would recommend but it does get better with time. At least it did for me.... Many on here have decided abstinence is the only way. Some are hugely successful, others feel dreadful when they lapse. I suppose we all have to decide for ourselves and then the thread will support you in your given choice.

shaggydoo wrote: »

I enjoy a drink but I enjoy getting back on the wagon too

My sentiments exactly Shaggy!

Unfortunately, I won't be jumping back on until tomorrow at the earliest. I'm meeting friends later and probably going to Toby Carvery or somewhere for a meal. One of my friends has a particularly difficult meeting today so I'll either be celebrating or commiserating with him.

bearacus

:ASchool Night Challenge:A

Bearacus
Beckseven
Chloris
Mackeroo
Miss p
Rachelww1
Sos
Sumsup

:A3 nights:A

Shaggy
Toomany

:A2 nights:A

May2013

TooMany4Legs

Hello All,
Hope everyone had a good bank holiday, and that you did better than me on the AF front!

I'm back at work today and need to get my AF mojo back, so Shaggy I'm hoping I'm not too late to set myself a target of 15 AFD for May?

Bearacus - I know my track record is appalling :cool:, but could you please count me in for the school night challenge? Is it Tues - Thurs this week? If last night counted please could I try for 3 out of 4 rather than the whole lot?

Too Many xx