The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread!

jo1972

I think I'll try the senokot stuff, the cramps are purely due to my digestive system not getting the alcohol going through it, I'm not worried about this, although I was the first time it happened. But I've experienced it so many times now that I'm expecting it, problem is, it is so painful that 9 times out of 10 I just say 'eff it, I know what'll get rid of the pain', then go to the offy :rolleyes:

I'm currently on 4-5 500ml cans a day at 5.2% which is not dire but not good :undecided

Bismarck

sorry Jo..thought you were on 2. What strikes me is that it seems almost medicinal - could it be that you're mentally calling it that which is making it harder to give it up?

eselt

Hi All

You guys are great you know-if AA meetings had been full of people like you and less judgmental and evangelical I might have stuck em out for longer!

Jo, I know what you mean about taking meds to withdraw, they are just a short term fix and I think if you are down to such a low level a day you should withdraw OK- if you were doing a dramatic cut off I'd say check with GP first, and if you feel sick, dizzy, anxiety that makes you pace and crawl the walls I'd go for a chat too. I know its a huge psychological hurdle to stop, but I get the feeling you really want to now- don't beat yourself up about relapse, its part of the process for most drinkers- things aren't as black and white as people think- very few people just suddenly stop, it can take quite a few attempts and every attempt gets easier as you know whats coming..............

Spamjam, Bismark, Molly, Winebox and everyone else- thank you so much, you don't know how motivating your support is-thanks guys.

Bismarck

evangelical is a great way to put people off...I blanked out the bits that I didn't agree with and took what I needed. I was lucky in that the people I met weren't judgemental - just inspirational - although some were annoying and repetitive - but overall they gave me hope and the keys to understanding what it was all about...it also gave me a real-life focus - not just what you read/ see on Tv...some of the tales were harrowing and precautionary...but...yes..the religious stuff got on my nerves...I had to mentally adjust some of the things to make a definition of a higher power that was something that is in no book I've ever heard of....as for the 12 steps...not for me thanks...that's why I don't go regularly....I still go back sometimes but it's more on a reunion basis...I'm not "fixed" as such but I'm not "broken" either...I'm just me.

mymatebob

Hello all - nice to see that the chat and support is still ongoing.
Just in from a break doing some weeding, my word you do get through a lot when you are not hung over!

Quick cup of tea and then back to it.

Sundays used to be a bad day for me as the OH would make the full roast dinner, couple of G & Ts to warm up then a bottle of wine (or two) and then me sneaking away to polish off a lot of spirits. Not really fussed what type, just used to "neck" it down - no mixers, no glass, no ice - see me - see posh!

By 10pm I would be literally cross eyed and have trouble focussing on the TV.
I would fall into bed in a drunken coma and then wake up early morning and pop some pain killers.
Then I would start to think about what had happened the day before and I couldn't recall a thing.

Anyway I am now in double digit AFDs and am not about to spoil it.

Looking forward to a nice dinner later and a pleasant time afterwards and I will be able to remember it all in the morning.

Keep focused one and all.

Bismarck

mymatebob wrote: »

my word you do get through a lot when you are not hung over!

Quick cup of tea and then back to it.

Sundays used to be a bad day for me as the OH would make the full roast dinner, couple of G & Ts to warm up then a bottle of wine (or two) and then me sneaking away to polish off a lot of spirits. Not really fussed what type, just used to "neck" it down - no mixers, no glass, no ice - see me - see posh!

By 10pm I would be literally cross eyed and have trouble focussing on the TV.
I would fall into bed in a drunken coma and then wake up early morning and pop some pain killers.
Then I would start to think about what had happened the day before and I couldn't recall a thing.

Anyway I am now in double digit AFDs and am not about to spoil it.

Looking forward to a nice dinner later and a pleasant time afterwards and I will be able to remember it all in the morning.

Keep focused one and all.

scary isn't it!

you're focusing all the energy that went into the liquid stuff into something positive...it's a bit of a revelation really...don't try and do too much weeding...that will make you go cross-eyed too!

spam.jam

jo1972 wrote: »

I think I'll try the senokot stuff, the cramps are purely due to my digestive system not getting the alcohol going through it, I'm not worried about this, although I was the first time it happened. But I've experienced it so many times now that I'm expecting it, problem is, it is so painful that 9 times out of 10 I just say 'eff it, I know what'll get rid of the pain', then go to the offy :rolleyes:

I'm currently on 4-5 500ml cans a day at 5.2% which is not dire but not good :undecided

hey jo, peppermint tea is the other one for taking the edge off tummy cramps, it really works. I love my hot water bottle too, I mean I lurrvve it, it is the only thing I will get out of bed for ie when it goes cold I get up and fill it from the upstairs bathroom tap. My tummy settled down after three days this time, I took codeine which I know is a cheat but hey it worked

Hello everyone else as well, did I mention you are all fab, groovy and cool :A

shopaholictiedtheknot

Hey all, only just managed to grab a laptop, DD and OH have been on them all day!! I watched shipwrecked then I have been cleaning and cooking sunday dinner and getting lunches and dinner (slow cooker beef) ready for tomorrow and doing a bit of gardening in between so have kept my mind off the drink, worked till just now but I have such a bad craving for the bottle of white I know is lurking in the fridge in the cellar :rolleyes: it is calling to me and I don't know if I can resist today

How is everyone else doing?

jo1972

How's it going Shoppy? Did you open it?

Bismarck, what you said is very interesting about the medicinal thing, I shall pose this to the Physco on Wednesday and see what she reckons. I think you might be right you know..

I'm fed up today, (sorry I'm like this all the time recently ) but it's the counselling and thinking about stuff more which depresses me. I normally just drink and don't think about it, when you have to think about it and come out of denial it all gets a bit too much sometimes. I'm becoming very aware of my 'faults' or things I do because of my drinking. OH & I were in Tesco yesterday afternoon and his work mate rang him and said that they were having another couple coming over for the evening, they'd bought all the food and drink but they had to cancel last minute and they wondered if we would like to go, as I've only met them once and we all got on and they thought we'd have a laugh. I automatically said no. My instant thoughts were......I want to drink by myself, don't want to do it with others, my routine is boogered up, can't do it. So he had to decline

I feel really bad today about that as I know we would have had a laugh and a free dinner to boot (we are very skint this week). Now do I want to drink in solitary because I'm ashamed of drinking in front of people in case they know I've got a problem or that I know I've got a problem and like to do it in secret or do I seriously like being being a hermit???

In fact I'm quite fooked off with myself this evening for ruining a really good night out, getting to know a lovely couple that we could potentially arrange to do stuff with in the future which will help my getting out of my routine in doors.

Plus I don't think OH is particularly pleased with me today, rightly so...


:mad: :mad: :mad:

mdeebee

One of my friends who is in a similar position to you had this "problem" recently.

She managed to take the female half of the couple to one side and apologise for being a little offhand and generally miserable (her words!) and explained (honestly) that there had been a few stressful family problems kicking off, and this had caused the snappy response.

All is now well, and they are going for a meal shortly. My friend will be driving, so she can control her intake.

Just thought this might help.