The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread!

jo1972

Well I'm sorry to say that I failed miserably last night, I'm not even gonna use my birthday as an excuse. Purely complacency being a killer, even though I've been here so many times, I hit a milestone (i.e. a week) and seem to think I don't have a problem anymore. I did this with smoking as well. So I'm really sorry if I've let anyone down, I feel let down myself but confident that it was a glitch. I hated the way I felt after a couple of drinks, I didn't eat any of the dinner I made, I had a row with OH, had a row with DD1, cried, went to bed before 10pm (on my birthday :eek:) and had the most awful sleep resulting in me getting up twice at 4am and 5am to get a drink of water cos I felt dehydrated

Anyway, onwards and upwards, back to day no. 1 we go :rolleyes:

ABs, Just because there are only 2 drinks you won't drink doesn't make you a problem drinker. I only drink Stella and if it wasn't in the house and all I had was a bottle of Baileys in the cupboard I wouldn't drain that even though I like it and that's all that's there. Instead, I'd drive to the shop to get the Stella in! Similarly just because you don't drink at breakfast time, this makes no difference. I only drink afternoon/evenings, I've occasionally been tempted to drink in the morning but have never sucumbed (sp?) cos I know that's another slippery slope. It's the same as binge drinkers, they might only drink once a month but they'll drink for a few days and then black out for a few days. We must dispell this sterotype of alcoholics drinking the moment they open their eyes and drinking every waking hour, or that it only happens to homeless/on park bench people. Probably most of them don't drink cos they can't afford it anyway! Hope you're well today ABs?

PK, good luck for when OH is away, keep us updated

Leigh, I'm so pleased your first day went well. I only started my new job in November and can appreciate how nerve-racking it is. Give it a few days and you'll fit in just nicely

Nearly-There, I'm so proud of you for realising your vulnerable time and distracting yourself from it. I should've put a few of the crispy cakes away that the kids made yesterday and sat down with them with a cup of coffee last night and distract myself from drinking

Andy, is your DS ok? Kids...they frighten the life out of ya don't they! Hope you're well, you are doing fantastic!

Well that's me, confession over :rolleyes: taking the kids out to my mums today and we're going to the shopping centre. Mum's gonna buy me summat for my birthday

I shall stop in Tesco on the way home and buy myself lots of choklit distractions for this evening and a couple of big bottles of Evian and orange squash to put in the freezer so it gets nice and cold.

Hope everyone has a good day

xx

barshamhillbilly

Hi Jo,
You haven't let anyone down!
Its a bit like counting sheep - just start from one again
Yes thank you - DS is OK - no damage to himself, He was just a bit annoyed - he had only just got the car out of the garage after a huge repair bill.
He had just driven home from a car show in essex and hit his next door neighbours car on the drive! How embarrassing ey? Never mind - at least he wasn't hurt.

Chocy is definitely the way to go .

Best Wishes
Andy

beckseven

Thanks for your kind comments Jo and don't feel too bad about falling off the wagon. Start afresh to day and keep posting. Thanks Leigh for making me feel a bit better about Friday-I did plan to drink that night and that was me being restrained! I can normally guzzle wine much faster than my husband and literally sit there itching for him to finish his glass so that I can have another! I just felt that I was drinking too much during the week and on my own so wanted to cut this out. i really identified with your comment about always seeing the worst in yourself and not seeing what others are seeing. I'm glad your new job is going well.

Lurkio

Darn groundhog........

Managed to NOT go to the pub with a mate yesterday, DIDN'T get any beers from the shop as I passed. Drank a couple of glasses of milk when thirsty........























then Mrs L suggested we opened a bottle of wine

only had a couple of glasses, which I guess is an improvement, so why do I feel like a weak-willed jessie

Ah well - Tesco tonight, so I have to drive, so I can't drink (until we get back anyroad)

Hope everyone's good today :wave:

jo1972

Don't worry Lurky, it's the pressure of saying you aren't gonna have any that's making you feel so bad. A couple of glasses isn't that bad, provided it's not every night (she says :rolleyes:)

xx

shopaholictiedtheknot

Morning (sorry afternoon now!) everyone!

Another alco-free day for me yesterday, that is one week and one day :T I am very pleased and very surprised I have managed to keep off it :rotfl:




Jo and Lurkio - chins up and willpower at the ready, today is a new day - you can do it!:beer:

ltm07

jo1972 wrote: »

Blimey, just took ages catching up with this thread and replying!

Suzukibabe, I totally get your situation. I was in serious debt and had a drink problem, they go hand in hand. Depressed about debt so drink to forget it, wake up from drinking and can't be bothered to deal with the debt. There is so much help on these boards you will never regret posting your SOA or reading others and getting tips. As I think it was ZTD said, ditch Chiltern and find the link at the top of the DFW board that mentions googling CCCS. CCCS are a charity and will do the same job for free. They are completely on your side and will take nothing from you, purely working for you to sort your stuff out. Good luck with the finance and the drinking, keep posting and let us know how you're going

Nearly-there, great list, it really helps to read other's perspectives on being sober. Funny how we are all so similar!

Leigh, you ask how you will find that confidence again... You had it before, but drinking has drowned it out, it's still there and I promise it won't take that long to find it again. You've just got to work at keeping it. When I say work, it's not that long once you've established sobriety, you've just got to look out for that one day when it bites you in the backside and you pick up....that's the worst thing anyone can do. You and your OH are doing so well, be honest with me now..do you actually feel you are missing out on anything? Cos I don't, but when I drink I seem to panic that I might miss something if I stop! It's just a matter of getting a few days out of the way and feel as though you're a few rungs up the ladder (or a few notches on the bedstead!), I don't want to ruin the days I mounted up and go back to number 1 again I totally agree with what Lewt said about the AA, back in 06 as I mentioned before I went 1:1 counselling through the council. They started up a group meeting which I said I'd go to, totally freaked me out at the time. I remember turning up looking at these people and I honestly thought before I walked in there that there would be a room full of 'homeless-looking' people or 'tramps' (if you know what I mean, and I in no way mean to offend). But they were normal, just like me :rolleyes: everything they came out with meant something to me. I've never connected with so many people in my life, I made so many friends. Don't push the idea away of group meetings, whether it be AA or elsewhere because a lot of stuff can be learnt from listening to other people.

ZTD :T to what you said!

ltm07, I so sympathise with you. It's really difficult when you are used to going out having a beer with mates, then when you decide that maybe you don't want to do it that night, but they do, you feel as though you should too. Let us know what you decide to do

Little Chicken, welcome to the thread :wave:

Hi again. Well I think I've made my mind up already about Saturday & going out for my mate's birthday. Have to pay over £500 for hols in June & get a bonus of £400 pre tax from work at the end of the month. Also got around £185 saved for this(would have had alot more saved up but for damn car:mad: )! So by the end of the month we will be able to pay for hols:j ! We were going to go to local Wetherspoons for a meal on Sunday but my Mum has offered to take us for a Chinese meal at a new restaurant,as we bought her a takeaway last week as she helped us to get £100 excess refunded from Norwich Union(long story)! If I go out on Saturday,then I most definately won't feel like eating on Sunday & will also have to dip into holiday money to buy drinks on Sunday,so I wouldn't enjoy meal & we would spend cash that we haven't really got. The bonus will be a Godsend but it just feels so nice to have managed to save the cash for holiday,without having to use CC. Also think I will enjoy just having a couple of pints Sunday rather than spending a fortune on Saturday & feeling like !!!!!! all day Sunday!!

barshamhillbilly

It was a bit of a struggle coming home from work tonight. SOOOO tempted to pop into Somerfields on the way home like I used to! :eek:

I didn't though. Home now and glad I didn't stop.

Funny thing is DW said she was struggling today also. Must be something in the air!

Good job its acupuncture day tommorrow!

Jo and Lurkio you will get there.!!!

Hope everyone is doing ok.

BHB

In_Search_Of_Me

Evening all...hugs to those struggling. Book group was good - lots of discussion. Had to glasses of wine & then went on to coke so happy with that as would usually have had one for the road! Hang in there and if you fall off just learn fro it & start again...it takes time to change such ingrained habits but I promise you will feel better, physically, financially & emotionally, for keeping trying! Hang in there...

nearly-there_4

Another late night posting from me....................not sleeping so good at the moment. Now it's after midnight I can officially call it day 9 for me. Eff. vit C is doing the job at taking away those pangs tonight, as is the chocolate. Went shopping with my sis tonight...............she bought 2 bottles of wine and I was so tempted......................had to put my hands behind my back on several occasions. My sis is a big drinker and as I'm living at her house at the moment, it was very hard tonight not to join in with her..............hence the chocolate binge instead.

Jo and Lurkio................big hugs..............and remember that you are nearly at day 2 :T
BHB, Shopaholic and ISOM..............keep up the good work...........you are doing so well. :T
Itm07 I just love you positive and practical approach to dealing with the money and booze. Hope you have a fab holiday.................more special perhaps because you'll be in credit. :T
Beckseven I guzzle wine too...........could easily polish off a bottle of wine in a little under an hour..................that's probably why I enjoyed drinking alone..............like you, it drove me mad waiting for someone to fill up my glass when in polite company..............it was torture !! Drinking for me is an antisocial sport...................and there I was, entering myself for the 750 mls sprint, too !! Well done for getting your priorities right and cutting out during the week. :T

To all the rest of the posters...................be careful out there............just one step at a time but enjoy the adventure