The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread!

Wanna_Bee_Free

Aiming for AFD Today too. And also had a bottle and a half last night when I'd planned to stay off the booze. Glad I'm not the only one, Thanks Winebox. Tonight will be hard as I'm meeting a friend in the pub. I haven't managed a single AFD yet this week and my target is 3 so I need to get 3 out of the next Thurs Fri Sat Sun. Shame I left it to the toughest part of the week to get through.

Have a good evening everyone.

Bee

jo1972

Anyone see This Morning - this morning? I saw the link on yahoo earlier saying Kerry Katona was on this morning and supposedly worse for wear.

I feel so much for her seeing her like that but I don't know if she even realises what trouble she's in.

When I got in my OH asked if I'd seen it and got me to watch it on youtube...car crash telly! I think he was trying to make me think. I could see myself and me trying to justify that I've not had a drink even though I have.

eselt

Hi Fay- just a quick one on your question about the meds- they do help some people, but it all depends on the individual really- you need to talk it through with your GP first:
Librium- when you go cold turkey and you have mild/moderate withdrawal symptoms some GP's will give you 4-5 days worth of these to calm you down, help you sleep and stop the shakes etc. They won't give you too many of these as they are pretty addictive.
Antabuse- when you have detoxed and got all the alcohol out of your system you can take these to keep you on the straight and narrow- basically they act out of fear, as if you have any alcohol at all (even perfume, handwash etc) you get a pretty awful reaction and feel very ill indeed.
Campral- more subtle drug with very few side effects which claims to reduce cravings once you have given up.
Diazepam- GP might give you these when you are having a bit of a crisis as they calm you down and stop panic and anxiety attacks caused by withdrawal.

None of these are long term solutions though and your doctor probably won't prescribe you them for long- in the end its still up to you I'm afraid!!!

Hope this helps- hope everyone is OK, take care.

cornishinfens

Right, now i'm sorting my finances out - hopefully going to win in the short and long term, i can face my other demons... one of them being drink. Alcohol is too easy a trap to fall into with the short term "feel good" or drink to hide/forget... I have 8 Stella's left and a bottle of nice whisky (only tippled on very special occasions)

Once the last of the beer is gone - i'm going to try and go t-total.

So sqidge up guys make room for another!
Who's round of soda's is it?

Just gonna have to find a 'Going cold turkey' curry and oriental, thread -

mollypolly

Wow.Hello everybody.
Busy on here today and everyone seems in a bit of a pickle giving up/ cutting down.
Must be something in the water:rolleyes:
Hope you are all having a good evening (not getting toooooo drunk)
Plenty of room on the wagon for anyone who wants to join us.
Come on guys, Jump on up and give it a go.Its feels really good.
Love Mollypollyxxxx:happylove

Bismarck

mollypolly wrote: »

Plenty of room on the wagon for anyone who wants to join us.
Come on guys, Jump on up and give it a go.Its feels really good.

seconded!

break the chains and get on board - takes a bit of getting used to but it is worth it!

winebox

How did it go everyone?

Jo if you're still feeling really negative just remember I am STILL full of admiration for you (bet that makes you feel much better :rolleyes: ) - you have had far more AFDs than I have achieved over the last 2 - 3 months - you'll get back there, you know you can, in the meantime please try not to feel too bad about what's going on at the moment - shoppy had a good point re half-term - will that be better for you? If memory serves it was during the school summer hols that you did so well, is maybe your job an issue? I hope next week will be better.

I finally managed an AFD yesterday I am so relieved. £7 in the pot (actually it's a pint mug from a beer festival - that's me being ironic).

In the supermarket I tried to avoid the wine offers but they're at the end of EVERY aisle! No matter where I was - cheese, tea bags, bread, there was wine in front of me - but instead I spent £3 on a bunch of carnations - 40% extra free & guaranteed to last 14 days. That's 13 days 22.5 hours longer than one of those bottles - bargain!

Although I honestly didn't want / crave a drink yesterday, the fact of not drinking was in my mind all the time, not a pressure just an awareness, I suppose I was like that when I stopped smoking, can't remember.

Of course it's TGIF day......bet OH will be round later......I'm "allowed" a drink with him but must NOT carry on after (he'll stay less than an hour) & if he doesn't come I'll try & be AF again.

polaroid

hi everyone, lots of posts.
just watching The Wright Stuff-they are having a discussion about parents giving kids booze at home. my parents let me and my brother have wine with our dinner sometimes, we were treated exactly the same. he can take or leave i always wanted more. guess it just goes to show...!!!

best thing i ever did was to get rid of all booze in the house. my weekly shop has halfed in cost and i just couldnt let myself buy any now in the supermarket. now if only bars, restaurants, pubs etc etc didnt sell booze!!!!! i would be "cured"!!!!
have a good day everyone xxx

Pippilongstocking

Ok so going out probably not a very good idea but to be honest I wonder if I have lost perspective of how social drinking works, cos to be frank I just never do it, I always drink at home.

Anyway, not an alcohol free day for me as I arrived no one there i was very fidgety - and rather than take the opportunity to have a soft drink cos no one could challege me to have an alcholic one, I had a gin - just fancied one, and just one is what I had all night, switched to tonic later as I said thats what I was drinking. Oddly feel proud of self, but a bit disappoinnted at same time. One drink I guess thats bad, but then again last time it was 4 drinks then home to finish a bottle of wine.

There were alot of P**d folk at the new pub opening afterwards, its not very attractive is it to be that loud and that unco-ordinated.

Anyway todays wine money in my jar - I might nip out and buy myself something nice today like flowers or an orchid or something indulgent thats just for me (good idea winebox). And as I am working, kids ahve pals over later, its definately got to try and be an AFD. I spent £1.95 last night - the week before I think getting into rounds it was alot more than that.

So this week had 2 AFD's if I can make it to sunday without drinking it will mean I haven't drunk for half the week - that would be good. Wish me luck.

E - thanks for the info re meds, I have drunk wine everyday (almost) for the past ? um 12 years at least - giving up I guess will have some kinda withdrawl?? Am I very niave thinking I might manage, the need to actually drink scares me, its an overwhelming compulsion - I really don't underrstand it, never kicks in until t-time - and from then til the shops close I am in constant turmoil about buying a bottle. I know shopping at that time is fatal.

115K

I cut out alcohol completely at a few points in my life but I now let myself have one or two drinks if I feel like it. I don't ever want to get legless like I used to though.:o I used to get suicidally depressed as well as lots of alcohol messes up your brain chemistry I think.

It is weird when you see other people who are very drunk and think that is how I must have looked a lot. I have embarassed myself more times drunk than I would want to admit (if I could actually remember all I had done it would be mortifying I'm sure!) :eek:

I sometimes find it hard going out in a group and being completely sober especially if other ppl are very drunk. I think I will always have to be very careful around alcohol.

I think that MSE's saving the cash they would have spent on drink is a very good idea and then that can be put towards something special for yourself.