New Alcohol self help

shazrobo

i'm naughty as i been eating cherry brandy liquers, only get a box off my mum once a year at xmas, and i dont eat them all in one go. i do drink the non alcoholic wine sometimes, cos i do like the taste, and when i'm in the company of others that drink i feel left out

Taffyscot

Hi everyone, nice to see you all posting. Brod are you in Portugal til May? we stayed there for 13 weeks once and I was so glad to get home. Loved it there mind but did get bored.
You know what you lot I have just discovered that if I drink Harvey's sherry I want a great big glass and then another one and then I go bright red and feel very unwell. I think I am allergic to it and I love it. I think it is because it is so high in sugar and I am border line diabetic. Starting to understand a bit more about the booze having an allergic reaction that makes you want to drink more.
Taffy

brodev

Taffyscot wrote: »

Hi everyone, nice to see you all posting. Brod are you in Portugal til May? we stayed there for 13 weeks once and I was so glad to get home. Loved it there mind but did get bored.

I have a house here. Also my daughter, her husband and my grandson live here so I don't get time to be bored
:easter_os I like to be first

lewt

i see cream eggs in tesco on boxing day...........

Bogof_Babe

Saw hot cross buns in Sainsbury yesterday, and haven't they gone up in price? :eek:. Packs of two for 29p - heck you used to get six for about 65p last year .

I'm sure the supermarkets are milking (no pun intended) the price hikes we were warned about. A bottle of fabric condition that I bought a couple of weeks ago for 98p is now £1.21. And in Tesco, their vegetable soaps were 23p pre-Christmas, now they are 32p :rolleyes: . Absolutely everything seems to be at least 15-25% dearer.

Lucky we are saving money on booze really, isn't it? I did find a new "treat" though - Basics Apple Juice, 1 litre carton for 58p. Very nice, but probably full of sugar.

annapantscats

:wave: Hello Everyone

Ah yes, the dreaded alcohol in medicine thing..... I have had a disgusting cold/cough for nealy a month now and its a nightmare finding non-alcoholic cough medicine. I think its Benelyn that is 10% proof? Thats stronger than Special Brew!! And probably tastes about the same :rotfl:

My general rule is that I dont consume alcohol at all. So no sherry trifle or liquer choccies for me, and no medicine with alcohol in. I know that alcohol is cooked off in coq-au-vain etc but I dont eat that either, somehow it just doesnt feel right . And I dont have alcohol free wine/beer etc because I just dont see the point. I do drink Shloer and such like simply because I like the taste ....but I wont have it in a wine glass because that feels wrong too (too symbolic as Suki says???). I am okay with mouthwash that has alcohol in because I dont swallow it.
It really is down to the individual though. I know recovering alkies who are happy to have food cooked with alcohol, but I also know recovering alkies who wont use anything that has alcohol in it..... including some deodourants and make up.

As with most things in life its a case of 'each to their own'

jo1972

Well, I've been skirting around this thread long enough, read practically all of it though and feel that today's the day to introduce myself :wave:

I'm an alcoholic that is 'once again' nearing rock bottom (otherwise I wouldn't be reading this thread!) and don't know what to do, I just can't get that first day out of the way, !!!!!!, I even joined a challenge over on DFW to give up alcohol for the month of Jan and my personal challenge didn't even start, although the other thread members don't know this as I didn't mention the fact that I'd had a drink till about 5th Jan! Maybe some might click into my other posts and see this message but hey ho, I can't hide what I am any longer.

I've had a drink problem since 1993, starting with a couple of drinks after work in the pub, which in itself wasn't a problem but when the drinking crowd stopped going to the pub and I had to head straight home, I just bought some and drank at home instead and that's when it all started. I went into detox in 2006, was a dry drunk for 30 days then started again, then woke up one day and thought 'today's the day!' and didn't have a drink for 4 months, and absolutely loved every moment, once the serious craving stopped. It was Xmas eve (2006) and I thought, 'well it's xmas!' and that's it, I've not had a drink free day since, I drink anything between 70-110 units of alcohol a week and have done for years.

My body is deteriorating, my GP is not sympathetic and I am no longer on my local drug & alcohol services' books as when I quit last time they took me off. I can't afford to go private and as I've a new job can't really get the time to get to meetings through the council.

I want to go to AA to give it a try, my husband probably would be supportive of this although I feel embarrassed owning up to the fact that I've got a problem again as I've been through this a few times. I drink secretly and, yes I know, I should be honest with him, but I think most of you understand the feelings and reasons that I'm not.

Sorry, this was purely an introduction message and I turned it into an essay :rotfl:

So, I only drink afternoons/evenings and I've not had a drink yet, how do I stop myself going to the shop later and then spend the evening without panic attacks and heart palpitations?

Any advice gratefully received

Jo.x

feelinggood_2

Hi Jo, nice to meet you

You say that you want to give AA a try, so I'd bite the bullet and give them a call. The number is 0845 769 7555. Or, you can do what I did, and find a local meeting and just turn up. If you do this, make sure you tell someone that you are new - they'll look after you then. I put off going to AA for a long time, but I'm glad I finally did it. I found it comforting when they told me that they'd seen and heard everything before, and that it didn't matter that I was terrified etc.

If you feel that you'd benefit from support from a doctor, you can always see another GP at your practice. Some doctors don't understand, but there are a few gems who really can help. I'm sure you can ask for another referal to the local Drug & Alcohol Services. If you explain why you discharged yourself and how things have changed, I'm sure you'll be able to get more help from them.

I can't really answer the question of how to stop yourself drinking today. Distraction techniques can help, and I got by for 6 months or so by just clinging on and fighting the urges. I'm so much happier and at peace now that I'm dealing with demons, instead of hiding from them. I've suffered from panic attacks for a while, and tried allsorts to hide from them. I've found that the only way to get over them is to go through them. I still get them occasionally, but since I stopped letting them stop me doing things, they have started to get less and less frequent.

Looking forward to getting to know you on here

jo1972

Hi Feelinggood, thanks for the welcome

I think I'd rather turn up by myself to an AA meeting anyway, I can't tell you how many times I've nearly been, got to the door and turned back or sat in the car watching people go in! I'm not frightened of going in so much or admitting my problem to anyone (except my mum ), it's the commitment to meetings that I've got a problem with (this is such a lame excuse and I can hear you all now :rotfl:), but, I've got 3 kids and spending half the evening out a few times a week is not possible. Maybe I'm trying to convince myself that I don't have a problem Oh god, trust me, I know when I'm being lame and making excuses!

As far as the GP goes, it's a one man practice, but I do know that if I explained to him that I needed some help then he would probably do so. Although every time I see him he asks how much I drink and instead of offering advice on it just says 'WOW, I couldn't even drink half of that!' :undecided

Bogof_Babe

Welcome Jo. Just wanted to say hello and thank you for telling us your story. My only advice re. the cravings is to drink lots of water or weak squash - that way you fill your stomach up, and I find it does help remove the immediate desire for booze.

As you say you have posted on the DFW board, I assume you are having to watch the pennies a bit, so if you put in a jar the money you would have spent on alcohol, and look forward to treating yourself or the children every so often with the money saved, that might help to keep you focussed.

Good luck, we are all here for you. xxx