The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread!

SamanthaA

I went, didnt take car.
rang him to confirm it was still on & he came got me!

Got drunk, but not sure if that was alcohol or the fact I had had no tea!

I enjoyed it, to be honest - forgotten that we had friends in common from years ago & they were there! So the drink was a 2ndary to the social side, but still got drunk!

Dont feel too bad this am - good job, have work at 11am!

Plus side is that I dont have to do this again for the forseeable future!

So June here I come! 30 days? Lets do 25 again! So out of 30 days in June, I will [strike]try[/strike] WILL & have 25 dry days

winebox

Hi all, happy first of month. OH has just gone to pub & I am usually on my first glass now but thought I'd check in here instead. I wasn't too bad last night - not brilliant but finished the evening with a mug of tea & OH (who has never criticised my drinking, amazingly) expressed surprise that I had remained awake until 11.30 instead of drooling on his shoulder from about 9 onwards. Yesterday & today are an exercise in control, tomorrow I have the challenge of abstinence. I may have to review this in the future but for now my aim/wish is to only drink in company, & then not to go mad, so the next 5 nights....normally I would be feeling panicky at the thought but I think the combination of scaring myself Fri night plus have read a fair chunk of Allen Carr has had an effect. I know I said that when I got back off hols last Wed there was no booze in the house, that was true but I shot out & bought some. Don't feel that I will tomorrow but must not jump the gun tomorrow is another day. I am so determined to make June the month I get control over this.
Samantha I like your approach, tho 25 is a teensy bit high for me! I'm gonna try for a minimum of 20 dry days, that at least will be 19 more days than I managed in May (poss even 20).
I can relate to Allen Carr's "I never felt ill but I was always tired", can't recall the last time I had a spring in my step esp last 2/3 weeks.
Have a good rest of weekend everyone

Edit: it's taken me so long to write this I've "saved" 2 glasses now!

beachbeth

winebox wrote: »

I can relate to Allen Carr's "I never felt ill but I was always tired", can't recall the last time I had a spring in my step esp last 2/3 weeks.

This is how I feel. I rarely drink and get ill with it but I am tired all the time. I don't think you sleep very well when you've been drinking either, which makes you tired in the morning.

I shan't be having a drink today and may pop out later and get some diet pop or fruit juice instead.

ltm07

ltm07 wrote: »

Hi all! Well been a bit this week on the alcohol front to be honest. I have had a week's holiday but even so I know that I shouldn't be drinking as much as I am. So it's still 4 NNDs fo me but I WILL have at least 2 or 3 days off the ale before the end of the month. Next Saturday is the big test though, as it's my Cousin's stag day. I think the best way to deal with this is to not go in rounds with anyone so I can pace myself, although this will be difficult in itself as people are bound to buy each other drinks. It wouldn't be so bad if we were drinking in town, but we are going to another town 20 miles away,so no sneaking off when I've had enough:( .Just hope I'm in the right frame of mind to drink soft drinks when I've had enough. Really looking orward to the day out to be honest, but at the same time I hope I'm sensible enough to take it easy & not drink too much. ISOM sorry to hear about the circumstances surrounding your Dad & I can relate to you in that respect. My Dad is an alcoholic, although not with whisky but lager & has been told to cut down by the doctor so many times. He is from what I would call the 'sociable drinking' generation IYKWIM. He likes to go down to the local working mens club & sinks at least 5 or 6 pints every night. He did cut down big time & now stays in a couple of nights a week, but even then drinks 6 to 8 cans. We have all tried to help him in the past but being blunt, you can only help someone so much who won't help themselves. I am surprised that he has had no major illnesses (God forbid) but we know & he surely knows that he can't keep abusing his body like that forever. As for me I have to snap out of this constant drinking & get fit again. I have put so much weight on in the last 4 or 5 years that I need to cut down on the fatty foods & lager & then I shall maybe start feeling better about myself & life in general. Hope everyone else is ok & stay strong. All the best!!

Hi all, well went on Cousin's stag day & really enjoyed it, especially as I don't go out much now. Went to the town 20 miles away(don't like to say where as I don't want to be sussed out by anyone that I know that may check this forum out) & there were only 2 pubs within close proximaty, so we got a taxi to a town nearby & spent a couple of hours there, before getting the train back to our city & havinga few more drinks around the train station. I was battered by 730 & bought a kebab for DD & myself(OH didn't want one)!! Strangely for me I feel fine today but wouldn't like to get into that state week in week out. Saying that I don't think that I can face a beer today so after 4 NDDs in May, will hopefully start June with a NDD!! Good luck all & I will catch up with your posts shortly!!

winebox

beachbeth wrote: »

This is how I feel. I rarely drink and get ill with it but I am tired all the time. I don't think you sleep very well when you've been drinking either, which makes you tired in the morning.

I shan't be having a drink today and may pop out later and get some diet pop or fruit juice instead.

You're right beachbeth - I always go to sleep (alcohol induced coma?)immediately but then wake up at 4-ish (or worse!) feeling too rough to drop off again. It was never like that in my younger days - used to kip 8/9 hrs & wake up feeling grand.
OH & I heading for a row today, am on dangerous ground here so have come up to check in here & try & calm down. Is nothing to do with drinking, YET, but you know how it is......things will get worse if I start pouring chardonnay down my neck like Niagara which was my immed.reaction. Caaaalm.;)

winebox

ltm07 wrote: »

Hi all, well went on Cousin's stag day & really enjoyed it, especially as I don't go out much now. Strangely for me I feel fine today but wouldn't like to get into that state week in week out.

That's cool - :T - is where i would love to be glad you enjoyed it with no fallout & no carry-over

In_Search_Of_Me

wow...sound like pepys are having a tough w/e I think its all a learning curve and you jut have to keep getting back on track when you go off track...whats the alternative after all?
Pleased to see the g'ment are doing an alch awareness video of a young guy who subsiquently died of liver failure & is proof that you're not too young...apparently the youngest is now 15 which takes some doing...very sad and confirms to me, once again, that its just NOT worth it.
Hope you sort the row out winebox and great that youre on the way to healing. The memory loss is, unless I am mistaken, the fact that you are killing brain cells with alch and they dont come back...means that as you get older you are also more likely to get dementia or related illness. Scary eh!
Hugs jo..hope the cutting down goes well. I'm sure it will be tough as you learn why you drink and how to live life without that crutch...post away as I'm sure you will be helping others who are too scared to post. As for the friend on the night out...proof again that alch is NOT your friend! How embarassing!
Hugs all...

elantan

well thanks to a very kind person (i dont want to say who as i havnt asked their permission if i can) i have been almost superglued to the allen carr book ....it is resonating so much with me...i have a long way to go before i am finished but so far i am very impressed ...went to work last night and had to phone the police due to behaviour of some people outside the building all drunk and getting violent i watched it and thought that couldve been me so easily im so glad it isnt(not trying to sound smug it just really hit me that it couldve been me) ...then spoke to a neighbour of the person i support and he was telling me what has been going on with his family(not going to go into details it is personal) i was actually crying thinking about what is going to happen to the kids and the effect it is going to have on their family for the rest of their lives and all of it was due to alcohol ...this has been a bit of a wake up call for me i can tell you

barshamhillbilly

Oh poo
Off we go again.......
A couple of glasses of wine last night and I've got one in my hand, but am sticking to no more than two glasses .

I have my first counseling session tomorrow - unless they cancel the 6th one on the trot. I'm going to bike in tommorrow to save a few quid - 12 miles each way .... But I have a battery assisted bike . Otherwise it would be nearly a gallon of petrol and parking fees. I think if they cancel it again then I guess I will just have to find my own way.

Jo - Good luck with the reduction stuff - keep with us though! Hope it works for you.

Back to work tommorrow - busy time for me at the school as I have the swimming pool to look after as well as my normal caretaking duties. Its nice though - I love it.
I actually went in our little pool yesterday with the kids. The little one seemed to enjoy trying to drown me

Anyway - hope you are all having a nice weekend and keeping things under some sort of control. I seem to be slipping a bit - but tommorrow is a new day. I wish I could just stick with a couple of glasses or a couple of cans as I do enjoy the first couple, especially on the weekend. Will see what happens tommorrow.

Best Wishes
BHB

nearly-there_4

winebox wrote: »

The first thing I realised this morning was that I could not remember going to bed, most unusual unlike a lot of drunks I never suffer memory loss (often wish I did!).....................I did my usual "atonement" thing - it's not a conscious thought but after a bender I feel I have to do mega housework strip the beds wash all the towels maybe even clean the windows I spose to prove I can run a house?

Winebox Thank you so much for this honest post. You're not alone. I was a home-alone drinker. I would say that over the last 18 months I've been suffering with memory loss after drinking................those empty crisp wrappers are such a give away!! I too would get up early and convince myself I was right as rain and set out to prove it by making myself busy and act lively........................guess it was a combination of guilt and the remnants of the alcohol in my body. It was then I started to wake up to the fact that I was addicted to alcohol. I then spent the last 12 months trying to give up, but found I couldn't. If I did abstain, then I found that I wanted a drink twice as badly..................couldn't wait til the evening and then asking myself if 6:30 was too early to crack open a bottle........................then numbness of the brain..........................sheer bliss !!
I found the Allen Carr book so helpful................gave up straightaway and find that I no longer crave a drink.....................can't believe it was so instantaneous. I wish you the very best with the Allen Carr book. Big hugs xx