The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread!

jo1972

Morning all, just typed a long message and lost it GRRRR :mad:

Haven't got time at the moment to retype so I'll pop back later.

Hope you're all well today?

xx

lewt

Leigh73 wrote: »

Hi all,

Hope this finds you all well.

I fell off the wagon in spectacularly unspectacular fashion on Wednesday, after getting grief from some of the guys from my new job :mad:

I ended up drinking about 10 pints of Guinness, followed by God knows how many double vodka and tonics.

Thursday was my day off, and I carried on drinking from about 12.30 until around midnight.

Friday and Saturday I was meant to be back at work, but I stupidly didn't go in, as I felt so anxious about the cr*p I was getting from the work colleagues.

So..I sensibly carried on drinking all day Friday and Saturday, and this time, over 10 pints of Guinness again together with lagers and double vodka and tonics. Crazy

I also got through around £150 in 4 days, which I can ill afford :eek:

Having had phone calls from my boss and an email too, I've replied with an email, explaining just how rude (it was bordering on passive - aggressive subtle bullying..) the guys were on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week. I asked him if I could return to work on Tuesday after having a chat face-to-face Tues morning with all of us sorting it out, so I just have to keep my fingers crossed now.

I've felt so flippin' ill since last night, having spent pretty much most of the day in bed.

I'm now worried that I've lost my job / will have to deal with the third degree if / when I return, and all the while feeling anxious = craving a drink to relax..therein lies the problem.

Thanks for letting me offload a bit on here.

Take Care,

Leigh.

hi Leigh, it dont get no better when we pick up again. does it. the question is how long do we repeat the same behavoir expecting a different outcome before we decided enough id enough and become prepared to do pretty much anything to sort things out. i have been where you are now i know the impending sense of doom you were feeling at the time of writting. i hope you find a sloution. thanks for posting it take courage to put it out there in such a public way. i pray you find the same courage to fight the drinking.

winebox

Hi all, have just discovered this thread & think I need to join in asap. Sitting in work yawning having had a weekend of excess.....again. I keep saying I don't have a problem, time to admit I do (as in 2 bottles of wine per night for last 3? 4? years). The thing is I don't want to stop, just CUT DOWN. Funnily enough the problem has grown since I stopped smoking (3 yrs & 3 months ago) I think it's compensation for the cigs! Certainly I drink much faster than I used to. There have been times I could be excused - my husband died 2 1/2 years ago of cancer, only 2 years after my mum died, but I am quite settled now & don't know why I do it. I do - I love drinking!! I rarely get hangovers, never get headaches or sick just tired sometimes. I live alone with 8-year-old daughter, way out in the country, suspect boredom plays a part. Cos the dog is left all morning while I am at work I don't go out much later in the day. When I do have the (occasional) day off I don't get withdrawal symptoms! BUT not only can I not afford the money, I must be doing myself harm even if I feel OK.
I need help.....

winebox

Hi all, have just discovered this thread & think I need to join in asap. Sitting in work yawning having had a weekend of excess.....again. I keep saying I don't have a problem, time to admit I do (as in 2 bottles of wine per night for last 3? 4? years). The thing is I don't want to stop, just CUT DOWN. Funnily enough the problem has grown since I stopped smoking (3 yrs & 3 months ago) I think it's compensation for the cigs! Certainly I drink much faster than I used to. There have been times I could be excused - my husband died 2 1/2 years ago of cancer, only 2 years after my mum died, but I am quite settled now & don't know why I do it. I do - I love drinking!! I rarely get hangovers, never get headaches or sick just tired sometimes. I have always drunk a lot but it's really getting out of control now. I live alone with 8-year-old daughter, way out in the country, suspect boredom plays a part. Cos the dog is left all morning while I am at work I don't go out much later in the day. When I do have the (occasional) day off I don't get withdrawal symptoms! BUT not only can I not afford the money, I must be doing myself harm even if I feel OK. Liver test 2 years ago was 100% OK but....
I need help.....:beer:

jo1972

Hiya winebox, welcome to the thread

You say you don't get withdrawal symptoms, so why do you then drink that same evening? Not picking on you or anything but you remind me of me a couple of years ago when I had counselling and I thought I never thought of drinking, just did it on auto-pilot, god how wrong was I, I thought of drinking 24/7. I'm not going to go through it all here cos I've already bored the other posters senseless with it, but scroll back a week or so and read my post about thought records, I'll see if I can add it to this post....hold on.. :whistle:

jo1972

Blimey there's been a lot of posts in the last week! I've found the bit I was talking about......

jo1972 wrote: »

I went to see a counsellor first back in Jan 06 and was concerned cos I was drinking 4-6 cans of Stella daily and had been doing so for 13 years without hardly any abstinence apart from 2 pregnancies along the line. He asked me to do a thought record, told me to go away and write down every time I thought of drinking, what I was thinking, what the thoughts led to and how it made me feel etc etc. I was very frustrated the following week when I went back and said I don't actually think of drinking, I'm on auto-pilot, I actually just go and buy it and drink it, it's a habit. He then explained (and it's obvious really!), that I wouldn't actually drive to the shop, get out of the car, enter the shop, go to the beer fridge, take beer to the counter, pay for it and go back to the car if I hadn't thought about it! So I explained that I didn't actually sit in the car thinking about what I was going to do, I just got these physical feelings, like my chest being compressed, sweaty hands, dry mouth and throat and that was the beer bell. He then told me that I can only possibly get physical effects if I've had a mental thought or image but it could be a subconscious thought so I needed to go away and next time I felt I 'needed' a drink, stop what I'm doing and think about what it was that caused that physical feeling and write it down (had to carry a pen and paper everywhere!). It took a few days to figure out what I was actually thinking and why but I managed to control my thoughts. The following week I had written essays! He then made me go through my thought records and write down how each thought made me feel i.e. anxious, emotional, angry etc. So after doing this for a month or two I got very depressed as I didn't realise I actually thought about drinking 24/7!! My alcohol intake actually increased from 4-6 cans to 8 a night! Now 2 years on I have managed to get it back down to 4 cans and hopefully now I won't be drinking at all, I've got to take it a day at a time. I think maybe the AA might be a good idea for me as I like group meetings and knowing that I'm not on my own. Everyone's different I guess, I'd just say you've gotta try it once to see if it works.

winebox

I can see what you mean but I don't get a "wine bell" as in your beer bell! I don't think about drinking during the day usually, (obv I am now!!) meaning I don't sit here wishing the day away until I can get my hands on a corkscrew. Not sure how to describe it; I DON'T get withdrawal, I just simply really enjoy drinking wine & there's "something missing" if I don't. Had a bad attack of sinusitis 2 yrs ago & couldn't taste anything at all & didn't drink for 18 days, no point if can't taste it, so when I start I am doing it for pleasure not cos I'm aimimg on getting drunk, but after those first couple of glasses I am then unable to stop. I don't want to give up but I need to control it & any hints in that direction from anyone much appreciated.

Leigh73

Hiya guys,

Well, having emailed my boss yesterday, and followed that up by phoning him today, I've been told that "I'm not going to fit in, and that it just isn't going to work"

I feel so flippin' sad about all this.


Leigh x

basilcat7

Leigh73 wrote: »

Hiya guys,

Well, having emailed my boss yesterday, and followed that up by phoning him today, I've been told that "I'm not going to fit in, and that it just isn't going to work"

I feel so flippin' sad about all this.


Leigh x

Hi Leigh, hugs again.... Make sure you get a good payout from this- what are the grounds for you not fitting in? Is it dismissal- or 'best all round' ? If its the second, they have to pay you off. Go for as much as possible. Speak to someone in HR once he's laid it alll down for you.

I'm in the same boat- just been told I'm being made redundant ! !!!!!!

yellowmonkey

Surly that is not right. Would you not have grounds for unfair dissmissal(sp). I hate bullys in any shape or form and the Boss is no better. Not a legal eagle but the most important person in this is YOU. Do what you feel comfortable with but dont let it get you down.

My saga continues. Saturday 10 cans, yesterday 8 cans. Today I am going to finish what is in the fridge 10 cans and from tomorrow I am not going to buy ANY beer as I have sussed that I ,like smoking, can not just have one and be done. If I have no beer I cannot drink any. I can go 6 days with none so I need to apply my mentality that I used in Stopping smoking.

I have a lovely OH and kids and would like to have a day when I can go and enjoy the park/beach instead of thinking I cant go because I will not be able to have a drink. How fair is that on my Family:o

Been in and out but as of tomorrow I am not drinking. There all done and said now

Ta Ta

ym