The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread!

Wol2

judi24 wrote: »

I have had really rough time over the last few months (split with OH in Dec) Hi judi....my sympathies...in similar situation since last October
but I do like to have a glass of wine or 3 ota home. Know the feeling...my problem is that I open a bottle and now tend to drink it all in one sitting.

BUT I have been off work sick for the last 2 weeks as I have gastritis. The GP says it is caused by stress and helicobactor bacteria but I know that alcohol does not help.

Sweetheart.....If you have a positive diganosis for Helicobacter, (I'm a microbiologist) you should have been given some medication for this. (If not, don't worry...nothing serious..... but please PM me) If you have been given metronidazole...please please be careful...you should not consume ANY alcohol while on this antibiotic....and when you have finished the course you will need to allow at least 48-72 hours for the antibiotic to leave your system
Alcohol + metro = might feel really really !!!!!! on just one glass!!

So I don't want to stop drinking totally (me neither) cos i do enjoy going out on the rare occasion for a few drinks but like others on the=is thread know it is not good for your health or pocket to drink often. (I agree..as for me I don't want to drink at home on my own....so much!!) I want to limit my drinking to going out which might happen twice a month as opposed to buing 3 bottles of wine for £10 in asda each week! At the end of the day thats £520 per year that could go towrads debt!!!! Good point!!

Problem - got 3 bottles of wine and half a bottle of sothern comfort in the house! do I drink it, bin it or save it? Def don;t drink it now...especially if you have gastritis and are on antibiotics. If you feel you want to, then bin it...but if you want to save it ..take it very slowly.... if you feel like you need support to resist......I'm sure we will be here!!!

I was originally prompted to post because of the helicobacter.

Then thought...well this is my own first week of cutting down and regaining control (personally I am not up to cold turkeying on this one ...)...and I really want to get back to being able to enoy my wine in moderation like before. So I thought that if I went public..(big step for me!!) ....it would give me the incentive to try harder to reduce
a) the amount per "sitting" and
b) the frequency

So...my starting point (:o) is a bottle of wine in one sitting at least 5 times per week. :eek:

This week after saturday: (Hi Sea...ditto to your situation last weekend...apart from the A & E visit but blanks included!!.....hence I'd like to join this thread!!):
Sunday: None :T
Monday: One bottle at home
Tuesday: None :T
Wednesday: Out to dinner at friends (one glass)...but two glasses when I got back home :mad:

If I can limit to one :rolleyes2 bottle spread over next three days...first week will be positive step forwards and cut by 50%!! :j

PS glass for me = 175ml not 250ml...so approx 4 glasses per bottle of 0.75l. I have taken to putting a dribble in and making it last longer...and also to alternating each glass of alcohol with a glass of Ame (orange and grape) diluted with soda water!!

So Judi...I'm with you...and the rest of the posters on this thread. Thanks ISOM (and Sea...so sorry to hear of your unfortunate events last weekend and hope you're feeling better) for starting this thread.

I wish all of you the very best in your endeavours..whatever approach you elect to take!! :T As for me..I'll be back..probably on saturday..with an end of week update. Fingers crossed!!!

Much love
Wol2
xxxx

Sue-UU

All the very best of luck to you ALL!!!

Addictions are a real pain, though I don't know about alcohol dependency as I've never drunk due to having to take pills all the time. Ciggies were my downfall for many years, but I did manage to give them up just over 9 years ago and I'm chuffed to bits that I made it. Yes, I put on some weight, but know the weight isn't so bad as the chest problems. Having succeeded myself I really do hope that ALL of you can succeed too!

If ever you're tempted with either - drink water and go for a walk and put some distance under your feet....and between you and the bottle/ciggies. Orange juice with it's vit C is good for freeing yourself of nicotine addiction and it's honestly true that although you still get cravings, they soon become fleeting and you very soon find yourself thinking of other things without even realising that...... "that awful craving went away...?!!!"

So very many best wishes to you all and I really hope you each get the success you're looking for in 2008.

Sue.

FrugalJo

ISOM
Thanks for this thread, I find it so easy to make excuses to just have one before dinner, like a little reward. Like most posters in this thread it's the at home thing that I recognise as going the wrong way.

I sleep so much better without alcohol. I don't get slaughtered every evening but have two or three halves of lager, 4 or 5 times aweek depending on the requirements of 'Mum's Taxi' and the kids social lives - that puts me up there at the top of the permitted units.

I'm abstaining from Monday (due to Mothers Day plans).

Sue-UU

Good for you Jo, wouldn't it be great if all those here seeking to give up the booze/fags could do so on the same day.....what strength you could all give each other daily.

I do hope the others see your post and might just go with you..............with your signature The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. - Chinese Proverb too!!!

All the VERY best, Sue

In_Search_Of_Me

Well I've failed miserably this week TBH...on smoking & drinking! Decided that I'll go with Wols approach and go for moderation rather than abstenance. Like many part of my problem is the drinking a glass bit - I always feel its somehow wrong to have a glass (learned behaviour in my case) so struggle with that. This week havent done too badly as 2 bottles of wine during the week. I'm on call this weekend so thats a good time to practice a glass! None tonight for me (I dont have any in the house) but plan to have max 2 glasses of red tomorrow....we'll see! I also sleep much better when I dont drink but never had a huge problem with sleep TBH!!

Seaxwyn

I came very close to buying a bottle of wine this evening, but did resist.

Like wol and others, I'm aiming for moderation rather than total abstinence. I have been wondering about buying those small bottles of wine to have the pleasure of a glass or two. If I have a whole bottle in the house, I can't stop myself polishing it off at one go.

Wol2

Hello guys and gals (mainly gals??)

For those of you who don;t want to cold turkey.and even for those of you who do....ISOM has hit the nail on the head about learned behaviour.
How we chose to tackle this is up to each ofus as individauls and what's best fr us. However...
......I have been having lots of throughts/discussion about this with various people this week since I "came out".

I don;t know how relevant this is to any of you...but here's where I'm at.

1) Does the fact that I was drinking 5 bottles a week make me an alcoholic ?(obviously big worries because withdrawal if you are alcohol-dependent = DT's and nasty stuff and shouldn't be done without medical supervision...take note if this affects you)
Answer (from medic and therapist)...If you are in a postion where you
a) feel guilty if you overindulge and
b) are not gagging for your next glass by 4pm

you are NOT alcohol-dependent. You instead have A HABIT!!! Good news...I feel better about myself already...as long as I don't rest on my laurels and refuse to do anything about then this is good.... BUT I need to get control of this habit...AND BREAK IT!!!..(byb whatever means..be it cold turkey or slow withdrawal) .... before it's too late. and make no mistake...it WILL have health consequences over time...especially on my liver. And I know that future health effects are already building up because I do feel !!!!!! sometimes in the morning when i wake up..and sometimes I do things that I wouldnt normally do under the influence (not drunk but different, uninhibited......but still not good)...which I wouldn't normally do and are out of character...so I am using this as an incentive to move forwards towards my goal.

2) So I need to recognise what situations prompt me to drink a full bottle in one sitting i.e. what has lead to the HABIT. (mainly at home on my own in front of the computer and start early...oh yes this has rung true with so many people I have spoken too!!... Also massive blow to self-esteem over the last two years...feeling isolated and lonely...need comfort..... more to follow as I start to understand this). Also applies to frequency because going through rough time at present when I am more vulnerable to day to day events. Have therefore started to identify and put into place some mitigation actions to reduce the amount and frequency. On amount: alternate one glass of wine then one glass of soft drink..pour less into the glass ...use a smaller glass.(i now have a 100ml glass which I fill alternately with wine and soda water) ...also don;t start before I've eaten in the evening...and rehydrate myself after getting in from work with soft drinks (not tea/coffee as also dehydrating) and before I have my first glass.And finally...not worked this out yet....a system when I am on the computer for a couple of hours or more in the evening of reducing the consumption...

On frequency: need to do more work on me and my self-esteem/loneliness/vulnerability to be able to reduce this

I think we can all help each other....even if we start a support rota because we can't all be on here at the same time? Whether we are cold turkey or cutting down....it seems to me that we're all fighting the same issues and require the same type of support??

3) Spoke to my sister tonight.....wow...she has similar issues/thoughts. Am emailing her this thread...don;t be surprised if she joins....she was absolutely relieved when I questioned her and then commented that on the basis of her answers, it would appear she wasn't alcohol-dependent but just had a habit. She is now as determined to do as I am intending to do.....



So how have I doing since the last post....???

Well....had 3 glasses (175ml) last night and (unfortunately) have had 3 glasses tonight as well.... more than intended..In retrospect...massive vulnerability issues this afternoon from nasty client may have contributed. If I have nothing tomorrow I am still on target for 2.5 bottles...but to be honest...I will have a half bottle already open that will be leftover from today..providing I stop NOW... and sat/sun are my worst days. However as long as I stick to that half bottle and no more tomorrow (and try and have a dry day sunday to start the new week) I will have finished this week on 3 bottles with only one sitting of a whole bottle... and I will feel really chuffed!! (3/5 = 40% reduction for days imbibing; one whole bottle but only once per week = 80% reduction)...will celebrate by any treat other than opening another bottle of wine!!!

So ISOM...I'm with you...let's keep going ..you haven't failed at all...you are doing fine ... as we all are....(and you have decided what's best for you)...whether step by step or total abstinence...and let's all of us sort out what pings us into the "Habit" or learned behaviour...and take our determined steps to prevent that in future....with the much-appreciated and much-loved support of our fellow posters.

Hugs to you all
Wol2
xxx
xxx

jo1972

Can I join this challenge? I tried out the Jan challenge but cracked completely by the .......erm.....2nd :undecided but am ready to start on this one on Sunday. Going out with the girls tomorrow night so shall be nursing a hangover on Sunday, what better start to my sobriety!!

Wol2

Seaxwyn wrote: »

I came very close to buying a bottle of wine this evening, but did resist.

Like wol and others, I'm aiming for moderation rather than total abstinence. I have been wondering about buying those small bottles of wine to have the pleasure of a glass or two. If I have a whole bottle in the house, I can't stop myself polishing it off at one go.

Hi Sea...if buying only a half bottle works for you then that's the way to go! Well done for resisting tonight.... :T :T :T

Much love
Wol2
xxxx

Sea78

hmm...would agree about the habit thing - if there is no wine in house, not bothered, won't drink it. Am in trouble really when I have gone past a certain point an dthen just want more and more!!! HEnce blanks!