The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread!

jo1972

Just a quickie from me cos I should'a woke up a good 2 hours earlier than I did today - got so much to do :eek:

Didn't go to the wedding reception last night, it's kind of ironic - if you remember I didn't want to go because it either means abstaining and being stuck in a party watching everyone get drunk and the only person I would know is OH or saying s0d it, drink like a fish, get drunk and not care that I know no-one else but OH. Well, OH went out on Friday night, got completely bladdered, didn't get home till 6am Sat morning and couldn't get out of bed till 4.30pm and said there is absolutely no way he could go to the party Oh it made my day - felt sorry for OH suffering from alcohol posioning, and he is very stupid considering he's only just found out he's got too much iron in his liver and binge drinking is very dangerous :eek:

So I'm going to spend the day doing my thought records and cutting down to 2 cans this evening, I'm making plans and doing a list of all the things I need to do this evening, got so much stuff to catch up on like housework and sorting out the kids bedrooms so that will help me take my mind off it.

BHB, good luck for today I'm going to go to Tesco and get some orange squash, they're doing the Robinsons ones 3 for £2 until Tuesday so I'll get 6 or 9 bottles which will keep me going for a while. I've got a big 3ltr squash bottle that I refill with orange and stick it in the cold fridge, I find that really helps when a craving kicks in cos it takes the taste for beer away (a bit....)

That reminds me, I forgot to type up that craving stuff that the counsellor gave me. Let me dig it out now and see if I've got time to post it, if not I'll stick it up later.

xx

jo1972

Where's everyone

mollypolly

I am here Jo.:hello: :hello:
How are you doing?

LOL about your OH.Hope he has recovered from Friday.What on earth do you say when he rolls in at that time of the morning.I woud be fuming.I think that would make me drink all night waiting up for him.

Are you just having the two tonight.
I am on eleven weeks today.Really can,t beleve it.I never thought I would get this far.I feel fab but it would be so easy to slide.I was thinking today maybe I could just have one glass of wine but I dont want to spoil this and I really think one just woudn't be enough.So its on with the Becks 0%.

Good luck to you and everyone else on here trying to give up/cut down.Hope you all wake up tomorrow 'un-hung-overed';)

Love Mollypolly:happylove xxxx

beachbeth

Im here but just about to go to bed. Had a lager shandy at lunchtime but thats it. Ive had a cup of tea this evening instead of alcohol. So I should wake up feeling fine tomorrow. Im still interested in what your counsellor had to say about cravings, Jo1972, when you get time.

Glad you didn't end up having to go to that wedding in the end. I hate these functions now (strange because I used to be a right party animal and couldn't go out enough!). Im happy being at home with my family and my dogs now and not some noisy place where everyone is getting steamed!

Night night everyone! :hello:

jo1972

MP, so glad you didn't have the glass of wine if it was total abstinance you were going for in the first place, it sure is a slippery slope once you start. I'm meant to be on the 2 this week, things are just going wrong for me this week, but a new week and a new start. I didn't say anything to OH when he came rolling (stumbling!) in cos I'd been in bed since 11pm the night before :rotfl: I'm not bothered when he comes home and don't wait up for him!

Beth, that's funny, I've actually logged on with the cravings sheet in my hand to type some of it!

Right here goes......

Cravings

Soon after you decide to stop taking your drug of choice, it is highly likely you will begin to experience cravings for it again.

For many people these cravings are very difficult to cope with, and it may appear at times that they come right out of the blue.

What you need to do is learn about your own cravings. Just like every persons drug/alcohol use is individual to them, so too are your cravings differnt to others and in order to regain control over your triggers it's cruicial to recognise them.

1. Recognise the craving

First and foremost recognise that you are craving. This may sound obvious, but the feeling may actually 'creep up' on you. It is of paramount importance that when you feel the urge to use that you stand back and observe yourself.

If you were not aware of your moods and feelings, then it is important that you begin to observe what space you are in at different times of the day.

A useful way to begin this process could be to set a watch with an alarm to go off several times a day. When you turn off the alarm, you could examine your thoughts and feelings at the time. After a few attempts of doing this you will soon begin to recognise what is going on for you, and therefore become more aware of your thoughts and feelings.

So whenever you find yourself experiencing a craving to use, you can placate yourself by saying to yourself 'I am having a craving'. Once you can say that to yourself, you are firstly accepting what you are experiencing, and you are in a position to do something about it.

I'll carry this on in another post in case I lose the lot!!!

jo1972

2. Get to know your 'triggers'

Look for any triggers you may recognise. It could be familiar sounds, smells, or maybe something visual in the environment around you. Often it will be seeing or meeting someone who is associated with your using, or it may just be a feeling. Whatever, the more you begin to practice focussing in on and examining yourself, the quicker you may become aware of what may be contributing to your craving.

If you can begin to recognise your personal triggers then you are in a good position to begin to teach yourself tecniques and skills to cope with them better.

Remember every time that you manage a craving successfully and do not give into the urge to use, the stronger you will be when faced with these feelings next time around.

Start writing a craving diary, you may find this a useful tool to help you to get to know thte cravings as intimately as you know the drug which has gained conrol over your life.

To grain the most from your craving diary it is important that you fill them in every time you experience a craving (stick them in your pocket/bag and carry it with you at all times).

If you feel as though you are always craving, fill in the diary at those time when the cravings get worse.

Log what day it is, time, what type of drink/drug you're craving, thoughts and feelings before taking, who you are with and why.

It is important to say on a scale of 1-10 how strong the craving is. When the craving is the strongest you can imagine, put down 10 and put 0 when there is no craving at all.

jo1972

Below is a list of useful techniques and tips you could employ whenever you feel a bit 'wobbly' or feel an urge to use.

Remember that 'craving' is a natural part of recovery and should never be taken for granted.

Think about the consequences of using e.g. Using will.........
- Prolong your addiction
- Make urges stronger and harder to deal with next time
- Bring on guilt, shame, sense of failure and often cuts you off from your friends and family as a result of thoses feelings
- Costs you a lot of money you could be using for more appropriate needs
- Increase your contact with other users/drinkers, making it harder to break away again
- Risk a full blown relapse, and set up the negative and demanding cycle all over aagin
- Who knows what else could happen????????




Right I'll type the rest up when I get to work, I'm running late!

xx

barshamhillbilly

Morning all,

Just a quick one .......

I managed to have a AFD yesterday :j

Fingers crossed for tonight too

Hope everyone is OK

BHB

mollypolly

barshamhillbilly wrote: »

Morning all,

Just a quick one .......

I managed to have a AFD yesterday :j

Fingers crossed for tonight too

Hope everyone is OK

BHB

Morning All.

Well Done BHB:T :T :T
Have a good day everyone.

Mollypollyxxxx

bintie22

Oh dear!!

Got taken out for a lovely meal last night as a birthday suprise.

We had decided to save our Saturday night drink for Sunday this week - and my one turned into 2 vodka and diet cokes and 3 large glasses of wine! Admittedly not half as much as we use to put away but my head feels fuzzy and my stomach all jippy and i want to go to bed :cool:

Unfortunately my 18 month old, doesn't seem to be in a playing quietly kind of mood!!!!

Oh silly me!!