Back again, gotta be done

Bit embarrassed to post this on here… tried stopping alcohol a couple of years ago and did ok with it (couple of bumps but nothing too major), then I fell off good and proper for over a year. It started small and seemed under control but over time it’s crept back up again, I’m not putting my family through that and my daughter is old enough now to notice things. Pretty much putting this on here to commit it to myself that I’m doing this. Thanks for reading, here we go again…

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Well it’s good your back here in a supportive place, you can do this.
You have all our support keep checking in and keep positive :slightly_smiling_face:

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Don’t be embarrassed, we are all here for the same reason. Welcome back. I am a newbie and have definitely been guilty of thinking I could control it.

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Hey man, I am kind of in the same situation. I had a massive seizure about 4 years ago. The docs basically told me that my heavy drinking was a big factor. And I completely stopped!
As with you, it started off with just a few beers with friends. Then it turned into beers and shots at the social club. Then evolved into stopping at the liquor store to bring some booze home.
I have been hitting the bottle pretty hard lately. Mostly because the stress of my business struggling (mostly because of material and shipping costs) , and just not knowing what the future holds.
My kids are grown and have their own children. I want to be around to watch them grow up! And they have made their opinions known. So has my wife. They want me around for years to come. I wish you the best of luck. We just need to keep grinding!!!

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Thanks everyone, welcoming supportive community as always :heart:

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What you going to do different this time mate?

Loads of suggestions on here of recovery programs. Why don’t you use this as your accountability thread?

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Hey “not Bob” (as I remember you). Welcome back.

YOU CAN DO THIS!

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Hello, lovely to hear from you. I totally understand how you got there, I’ve come back after a gradual slip that got worse over time, I had 10 years sobriety behind me. If I look at why it all went wrong it’s because I have a body that can’t handle alchol and a mind that thinks it can. However, there is nothing like a hangover from hell to help us remember that we are powerless over alchol. You’re in the right place, go slow and steady and no looking back or beating yourself up. The only way is up. Good luck. You got this.

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Welcome! I can relate! I have quite for 30 days, 5 days, 2 weeks about a million times. I always think I can control it and then it progressively worse. My son is old enough to call me out on it now and honestly, that’s what hitting me the most! I am finally trying everything I can, to not go back.

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Many have walked this same, familiar road. I walked it many times, before finally quitting for good. I’d be sober for a few days or weeks, and one time a few months, only to take that fateful first drink. It took almost losing my marriage and everything good in my life, before I embraced the concept of being sober forever.

It really is a matter of saying “no” to one drink. This is the decision point, the fork in the road. When we say “no”, we continue on the path of sobriety. We have the opportunity to get better at getting better. Alternatively, we can say “yes” to this one drink, choosing to walk down this path. There we encounter the next drink, and the next, and the next. Somewhere along the way there’s a pit so deep that we cannot climb out of it, or a cliff so high that the fall will end us.

Welcome back. I hope you will stay this time. Sobriety is a matter of saying “no” to the drink that matters…the first drink, over and over again.

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Hi! I’ve tried cutting down/restriction etc for years… doesn’t work for me. Like you it always creeps back up. I’ve found this chat room useful so far.

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Keeping myself accountable, that’s two days, gotta start somewhere…

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I’m on day 11…. Looking forward to a sober weekend! Although temptation is harder at the weekend I am very determined to have my second sober weekend.

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Glad you are back! Me, too. Going it alone doesn’t work so well for me and I appreciate the support of this community. Let’s get back on track!

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Welcome back!

On a similar journey here, as many posted above.

2.5 years of stopping for a month, on weekdays, for 2 weeks, for the first few days of the holiday, and thinking I could have a few drinks and not have it snowball has not worked for me. I have a young teenage son and I refuse to be the example of what NOT to be for him. 103 days AF and even though it’s not been easy, I am proud to be fully there for my boys and my hubby. :heart: Took them to a baseball game yesterday and though it was not a walk in the park (no pun intended), I felt great with my diet Pepsi (even though I really don’t like pepsi :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:)

Do spend the time to think about what you will do differently this time around.

What tools will you use when the little voice says “it’s just one drink”?

It’s been helpful to me to write a list of why I’m doing this. A list of what alcohol does for me that is positive (nothing) and negative (a long list). A list of what I can do when I’m craving a drink. I like lists, obviously :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

Finally, reaching out to this community has been a massive help. Even just reading helps.

Always here to support you :heart:

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You have got this!

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That’s 3 days… Still going

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Bob, it’s great to see you committed to checking in daily. Can you tell us what you’ve done that day to help keep you sober?

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Almost exactly what happened to me. Now it’s one day at a time and I keep the saying “not today” going through my mind when temptation creeps in. With that I’m feeling pretty good.

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Honestly, nothing much, just kept busy and said not today

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