New Alcohol self help

aah

Oh brodev do please stay. I am staying despite my little fit of pique earlier - all emotions going to the dogs due to this cutting down / giving up CRRR...

Especially as you are from the Isle of Cumbrae - my mum lived in Largs - spent many a happy holiday in Millport all those years ago..

Today - I GOT the appointment. What happened was I phoned the "counselling service" yep, they didn't ring me back again - and tbh they didn't know why I had called. When I mentioned that I had cut down, and was trying to stick to one a night max, and heading for my second alcohol free day even though there is gin and brandy in the house they thought I was daft. Turns out they are the rehab service for those poor people whose every waking moment is occupied by the next drink.

Not that drink didn't determine some decisions I have taken - but not all day.

So, sorry I am rambling (I do that regardless of quantity of pop consumed, sorry) so eventually she says, what you need is NECA, the COUNSELLING SERVICE! Yessss, at last.. She gives me the right number.

And I get an appointment - due to my stupid job (I work away from home and have a flat in Leicester - 200 miles away) I have to wait until 7th December, but bring it on!

So I went back to GP. Different one. He calculated my units at MUCH higher - too ashamed to say - than the first one. You can work it out if you care to - bottle a day of red wine at 13% alc.
(Of course part of the problem is they don't believe the quantities you tell them) And he checked my blood results. I do have minor liver damage - on one count - the other one is normal - and I had no blood ethanol (at 9.00 am)
So there we go. How's everyone else's day been. Shaz you are doing FANTASTIC.

A. xxx
(and its really nice of you all to want me to stay, sorry for spitting out the dummy)

brodev

aah wrote: »

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Especially as you are from the Isle of Cumbrae - my mum lived in Largs - spent many a happy holiday in Millport all those years ago..

I can see why you call yourself AAH.
All those years of sitting in Kames Bay looking at the water and saying "AAAAAHHHHH"

aah

I loved it - still do. Its where I first rode horses (my current passion), rode a bike, played tennis all morning, clumbed up through Ivy creepers to the hills behind the road that encircled the gorgeous Kames Bay - that lovely sand. Clear water and jellyfish. Those halcyon days. Kames Bay, and the Ritz cafe ice cream. Climbing on the crocodile rock and cycling round to Fintry, or all the way round. My brother and I used to cycle from home (in Port Glasgow) to Wemyss Bay and get the boat over, the car was so full. In those days the ferries came into the pier in the middle of town. We used to take a house on Bute Terrace for a month - Dad would come for 2 weeks and go to work in Glasgow for the rest of the month.

No alc in those days tho' - not sure if I've even been in a Millport pub! What're they like these days - or should I not ask?

Hope everyone else is doing well - just finished booze-free night no 2. Its the weekend tomorrow - I'm allowing myself a glass of red at 9pm! Woo hoo.

A.

belfastgirl23

Hi guys, wondered where this thread had gone. Just popped in to see how you're all doing - Aah congrats on the alcohol free nights, really well done :)And Shazbro glad to hear it's all going well and that you've managed to find some support, it'll be all upwards from here.

Good luck over the weekend

brodev

aah wrote: »

- not sure if I've even been in a Millport pub! What're they like these days - or should I not ask?A.

You can ask anything you like. I might not want to answer though
The pubs in Millport are like pubs all over the place. They sell stuff that poisons me. So do chemists and hardware shops. I just make sure that I don't take the poison. The trouble with pubs is that the poison they sell seems to be good for lots of other people and for a while even managed to convince me that it was good for me. Fortunately for me I found out before it was too late.

habibi_2

Nice to see some new faces on here. It's great how you're all supporting each other and doing so well.

If anyone needs to talk, The Samaritans are always at the end of the phone. There is also the AA helpline - for support, there is no commitment to go to AA - and alcohol support chatrooms. I know people on this site have used them and found them helpful.

Good luck

shazrobo

hi all, just to let you know this is my 7th alcohol free day :j feel really proud of myself, as i've never got to day 7 before, hope i manage to quit for good this time.
good luck to everyone else cutting down, or giving up drinking
shaz x

aah

Hi Shazrobo, you are doing really well, you must feel great. Have you got the meds? Do you think they are useful? I still get loads of cravings, and I had a glass last night - well it ended up as a bottle, after 2 good days.

Just thinking about whether I should get some meds - gp didnt offer them - they just keep going on and on about my b***** driving licence.

A.

shazrobo

hi aah, you doing well cutting down, i had many slip ups to start with too. i got the meds, but they were not prescribed by my gp. they were prescribed by a doctor who works with the alcohol team, my alcohol counsillor made the appointment with her
shaz x

suki1964

aah wrote: »

Hi Shazrobo, you are doing really well, you must feel great. Have you got the meds? Do you think they are useful? I still get loads of cravings, and I had a glass last night - well it ended up as a bottle, after 2 good days.

Just thinking about whether I should get some meds - gp didnt offer them - they just keep going on and on about my b***** driving licence.

A.

aah, you can control the cravings, you need to find some coping methods. make sure you are stocked up on soft drinks, you get a craving, pour a coke or whatever it is you prefer, try some of those designer juices that cost a fortune, you know the elderberry and stuff like that. And get some choccies or sweeties in, sod the weight for now. If the cravings dont pass or get stronger, pick up the phone, talk to someone. Dont have to be about alcohol, just talk to a good friend about how you are feeling, what you are doing.

Another thing is to make a note of whats happening to you when you get a craving. Wind back the past few minutes or hours cos we dont just think DRINK. We get there slowly, lots of stuff happening during the day that is filed away to be dealt with later. Try work out what your triggers are (usually more then one) You will eventually see a pattern and eventually you will learn how to deal with the triggers.

Well done for still keeping with it, a slip is a slip, you pick yourself up and start again, one day at a time