The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread!

GreyPilgrim

mollypolly wrote: »

Hello and welcome Greypilgrim,
Have a good read of the thread.We are a real friendly bunch on here.
Good luck with cutting down/giving up and whichever route you decide to travel we will be with you all the way.
Love Mollypollyxxxx

<pulls chair to front of circle>
"My name is GreyPilgrim, and I'm an alcoholic"


Well, maybe not yet. Not sure if I meet all the criteria yet but maybe on the way I think.

Drink always seemed to be part of our family culture, you know? It's what you did. Grew up and drank beer with the rest of the adults. An occasion isn't an occasion without getting trashed. To suggest you don't want a beer gets you sneered at a little bit. I don't know if this is just our family or if it's typical.

Always liked beer and friday evening is the starting line for a weekend of bingeing. A sign of a successful weekend is to get to work on monday morning feeling like something the cat coughed up.

What I've noticed over the past couple of years is that the 'weekend' (formerly know as friday and saturday evening) has sort of 'bled' outwards into the surrounding days...so that thursday night and sunday night become fair game for a beer ("ah well, it's almost the weekend"), then maybe wednesday, until it all blurs into one with the volumes increasing in parallel.

Some weeks the beer is concentrated around the 'weekend', other weeks it's smaller amounts spread out through the 'week' days. Some of the volumes I manage to shift are staggering. As a younger bloke I would have been proud of them, Now I look in the recycling bin and see the quantities of empties there and I feel embarassed, and don't really feel good looking my wife in the eye.

Now it's starting to have a bit of an emotional impact on me. I think I had a bit of a panic attack last month?

I always thought a panic attack was something very animated - like running down the street waving your arms shouting "AAAARRRRRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!!". I'd had a LOT on the sunday night - a few cans of lager, the best part of some liquer stuff, and then a large glass of brandy. Initially felt fine the next morning (bit groggy). got to work, and then started to feel really...weird. Mood swung really low and I started to feel...anxious...? nervous...? Hard to explain - as if I was in some sort of trouble..? If I have to give a presentation I get extremely stressed and nervous and this is exactly how I felt - as if there was something looming around the corner. Chest felt tight and my throat felt a little bit constricted. All those little problems that we have at the back of your mind that we take in our stride suddenly became huge, looming things, totally out of proportion and I felt like hiding under my desk.

It's a bizarre feeling and I couldn't shake it at all. I knew deep down that it was down to the alcohol - remember something similar from months ago when I felt the same (and that followed a binge), but not half as powerful.

It was a truly horrible feeling and I don't know if anyone else has experienced it. I've only spoken to one friend about it, and only then because he happened to talk about something VERY similar that he experienced the previous week. There was a moment of relief when I realised that I wasn't going mad. . I've been reading about panic attacks on t'internet and it sounds reassuringly familiar. I don't think I'm quite ready for the padded cell yet.

Anyway, my last beer was on Sunday December 14th, so this is my 15th day without alcohol. I feel great that I've decided to make this change in my life.

Thanks for listening. This has rambled on for a lot longer than I intended so I'll give someone else a chance now!

eselt

Hi all- welcome aboard greypilgrim and other newbies and oldies (of course!).

Mari, I've learnt that people put up with a lot when it comes to drinking, people that love you want you to enjoy yourself and if you are a drinker and it seems to make you happy they will accept it, but when they confront you with it its usually a sign that they are really worried about you and getting fed up with it...don't do what I did and ignore their concern, because you could end up losing everyone and if you only have alcohol left it gets pretty lonely. Take care.

GreyPilgrim

I quit the cigs over two years ago. I need to apply the same thought process to beer and see it for what it really is...nothing.

When I was a smoker I thought that life would be dull / pointless / without cigs. I thought that ciggies were the perfect finish to any occasion...a good meal isn't complete without a tab. A movie, a catch up with mates etc etc etc. If you couldn't round it off with a tab, then none of those occasions would be quite worth it or enjoyable.

As the days go by without a beer I'm realising that maybe it was a bit of a no-brainer. I'm not really missing it, and the exruciating pain of withdrawal that I'm gearing myself up for is, well, not really happening.

Can it really be this easy?

jo1972

Welcome to GP & Miamoo Good luck with your journeys!

GP, sounds as though you were heading down a dark and lonely path, but you've turned round and found another path now. I've been where you were and am still actually there. It gets to a point where everything in your life is marred by panic of some sort. I am so pleased for you that you've done 2 weeks without alcohol, please don't become complacent though cos it's easy to slip back in to old habits. Stick with us and let us know how you're feeling

ETA: It's also very impressive that you decided to quit the booze just before xmas!

jo1972

Hey Lurky, where are you??? We're all gearing up for your challenge and you've gone AWOL!!!!!

mollypolly

jo1972 wrote: »

Hey Lurky, where are you??? We're all gearing up for your challenge and you've gone AWOL!!!!!

Probably Lurking somewhere.....getting frightenend now:D

GreyPilgrim

jo1972 wrote: »

Welcome to GP & Miamoo Good luck with your journeys!

GP, sounds as though you were heading down a dark and lonely path, but you've turned round and found another path now. I've been where you were and am still actually there. It gets to a point where everything in your life is marred by panic of some sort. I am so pleased for you that you've done 2 weeks without alcohol, please don't become complacent though cos it's easy to slip back in to old habits. Stick with us and let us know how you're feeling

ETA: It's also very impressive that you decided to quit the booze just before xmas!

I know that being complacent is a BIG danger. So, I'm going to tie this in with a bit of lardloss, overall fitness, some other goals and stuff, and set myself some targets for the coming year. I'll use this forum as a sounding board (and maybe a confessional)

In terms of the timing....I suppose if I can quit alcohol over xmas and new year, then I can do ANYTHING. Love a challenge!

jo1972

GreyPilgrim wrote: »

In terms of the timing....I suppose if I can quit alcohol over xmas and new year, then I can do ANYTHING. Love a challenge!

It's this sort of talk we need on this thread, welcome aboard :T :T

GreyPilgrim

jo1972 wrote: »

It's this sort of talk we need on this thread, welcome aboard :T :T

Cheers you!

eselt

Hi all- you guys are so supportive you know, hugs to you all.

Greypilgrim- the panic attacks you had sound like alcohol withdrawal to me, I never had panic attacks till I was an alcoholic- the paradox is that the only thing that settles the rattles and anxiety is another drink so you get into a nightmare scenario of drink, sleep, waking up petrified and nervous, having a drink- waking up at 4ish is a classic as you start to withdraw 6-8 hours after your last drink.Please don't go down that road, dark dark times- reduce, have some alcohol free days, then stop- or get a supported detox- I can pretty much guarantee that 5 days into being alcohol free you won't feel panicky or anxious anymore- take that leap of faith, I did and it saved my life.