The Giving Up/ Cutting Down alcohol support thread - number 13

Honey_Bear

You're going great guns, Alex!

piggles1 wrote: »

Sadly I wasn't in the land of nod, and still laying awake at 1am It might not be the no alcohol thing and just that I've gone to bed at 1am for years and years. Now trying to force 10/11pm on myself.

I had exactly the same problem Piggles when I stopped drinking. A combination of things helped me. Going to bed earlier didn't, in itself, help but going to bed a bit earlier and reading did. I made myself switch the light out slightly earlier, say no later than 12.30 for about few weeks until it felt normal, then midnight for about three weeks until that felt normal, and now 11.30pm and I'm happy with that because I wake up naturally most mornings before 7.00 am. Once the light goes out I put an earpiece in and listen to talk radio which helps me nod off but other people prefer music.

I'd also recommend a hot drink before bedtime (cocoa rather than tea) and OH after 20 years of struggling to sleep through the night now swears by a bit of help from lavendar - either a spray for his pillow or a lavendar sachet under the pillow.

Lying in bed and fretting about not being able to sleep doesn't help. It's better to get up after, say, 45 minutes, make yourself a hot drink and go into another room to read for about 30 minutes or so before going back to bed.

I hope something I've said helps. It's all hard earned knowledge, not just theory, having had insomnia for 40 years. Not any more, thank goodness, but only because I tried absolutely everything except pill-popping. (Valerian worked for a while for me but now doesn't help me sleep, although it does make me fret less about not being able to sleep if I get a rare night when the wake&worry kicks in again.) Good luck with it.

Doshwaster wrote: »

I used to kid myself that walking 10 mins to the pub was "exercise".

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

12/30 please, Shaggy.

maman

Thanks for the tips for getting off to sleep HB. I've got into the (bad) of answering emails and spending time on here late at night. I've always been a bit of a night owl but I think I could try and move bed time forward an hour or so. Plus I enjoy reading but have never got into the habit of reading during the day unless I'm on holiday so that would be good for me. I hope I don't just end up reading until the early hours. Anyone recommend boring books?;):rotfl:


Definitely not drinking tonight so I can claim a full SNC and my first smiley!:D


7 AFDs please Shaggy.

debjay

10/22 for tonight please. I'm already thinking about Dry Jan 2016 as that was my 💡 moment in Jan 2014. My son bet me that I couldn't go a month without alcohol and I wasn't sure but I did it :T
I'm hoping next year to be AF from Jan 1st until my birthday in March which will be 68 days I think.

piggles1

I got in a right pickle with the multiquote so I give up!

Wanna Be Free I think my sleep is sounder when I am actually asleep as well. But yes waking all sorts of times.Well done on the sparkling pub water

Dizzy Imp Your body really does tell you when you've had even a small amount doesn't it. I thought it would hardly affect me but I did sweat it out in the night like I'd had loads!

Maman I think my friend is trying to be the same as me when we're in a completely different position so it all gets twisted about. I'm trying to ignore it and do my own thing but it does annoy me.

Graeme Mine's been in my head as well. I have a 'jumpy' brain that gets obsessed and angry with things. But I've noticed I'm a bit calmer lately, if still my old self. Maybe when there's drink invloved the brain can't file things properly or sort them out behind the scenes.

Honey Bear Thanks for the tips. I have to take the OCD and scaredness into account so hot drinks in the evening are out and the light (and radio) never goes off. I do have lavender in the garden but it's stopped flowering I can't even have a bath before bed because I'd be checking the taps half the night.

I'm really tired. Got to bed last night at 10pm ish, but was still awake after 12.45am. If I got out of bed I'd check all the rooms again so I just stay put and keep my eyes closed. It'll work eventually.

But another AFD yesterday. I've found myself getting fed up with keep not drinking. I want the beer in the cupboard. It won't do me any good but I'm all over the place today. This little post took me two hours with more typos than actual words and lots of tempers. Without the booze I'm just left with myself, which is just as bad as when I was drinking. I'll press on with it but three days AF seems to be my limit at the moment. Or I'm making excuses.

8/15 AFD please shaggy

PriceySOS

9 please, Shaggy, ta

Dizzy_Imp

debjay wrote: »

10/22 for tonight please. I'm already thinking about Dry Jan 2016 as that was my �� moment in Jan 2014. My son bet me that I couldn't go a month without alcohol and I wasn't sure but I did it :T
I'm hoping next year to be AF from Jan 1st until my birthday in March which will be 68 days I think.

I'll be cheering you on debjay - that would be a fantastic achievement!

piggles1 wrote: »

Without the booze I'm just left with myself, which is just as bad as when I was drinking. I'll press on with it but three days AF seems to be my limit at the moment. Or I'm making excuses.

Well I like you just fine, OCD, warts and all

Alex - you're going great guns too - keep it up x

Won't be AF tonight as watching Tom Jones and Bob Brydon do their Children in Need music thang...wine in glass/hand

satchmo1

10/20 AFDs tonight after a bit of a discussion about whether to have wine with dinner - the consensus was not to :-)

graemecarter

piggles1 wrote: »

But another AFD yesterday. I've found myself getting fed up with keep not drinking. I want the beer in the cupboard. It won't do me any good but I'm all over the place today. This little post took me two hours with more typos than actual words and lots of tempers. Without the booze I'm just left with myself, which is just as bad as when I was drinking. I'll press on with it but three days AF seems to be my limit at the moment. Or I'm making excuses.

This x 1000

Stopping drinking for me meant the necessity to change myself. Old me without drink means a scared, angry, resentful man. That's no fun for me nor others.
I couldn't sleep too well either, and would wake up with a tight, knotted stomach ache (fear)

I had to change my actions, which meant a change of my thinking.
I couldn't out-think my bad thinking, so needed to change my actions.

Good luck and keep going.

Chardonnay

5/17 please Shaggy.

Piggles, really sympathise with you about your OCD - not surprised you're tired, it sounds so debilitating!

I have OCD too, to a lesser extent and realised recently that I'd been using alcohol to relax. I thought it was the only thing that could just quieten my mind, stop the obsessing and give me a break! I've recently had a couple of complete breaks from alcohol and it was really hard at first to really feel my anxiety and not be able to numb it with drink. I'm now taking a low dose of AD and also have started CBT which I am finding so helpful. There's no easy solution as I'm sure you know, but I do feel that I am making progress now. I am back to drinking now, but mostly only at weekends and drink a lot less than I used to.

I think I might have read that you've tried these methods, and am so sorry if they didn't work for you. OCD is such a horrible condition - people make jokes about it but the reality of it isn't funny at all for the sufferer. It's blighted my daughter's life too, although thankfully she is a lot better at the moment.

Just wanted to empathise really - it's such a hard thing to deal with but keep at it as you're doing brilliantly with the cutting down! :T

shaggydoo

Morning :hello:

1 more ALD for yesterday.



Shaggyx