Help! I can not stay sober. Lately I have relapsed a zillion of times, it’s hard for me to go more than 5 days without drinking. Last year I was sober for over 3 months so I know it’s possible, I just have been so down lately and my marriage is not good so I have been turning to alcohol. I just drank for 5 days in a row… drunk the whole 5 days from the time I woke up til the time I went to bed. I feel so hopeless and don’t know how to help myself or why u keep relapsing. Any advice please!
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Using alcohol or a drug because you’re so down is a sure sign of addiction Laura. And you can’t fight addiction alone. You need help. I stayed sober so far with help from my peers, my fellow addicts. I found them right here, and also in face to face contacts. In-person meetings like AA, NA, Smart, Dharma. I think you need to do that too.
And maybe you might need some professional help as well. No shame in that at all. Actually a sign of strength, realizing and accepting that we can’t do it alone is the first step towards a sober life. One day at a time. Wishing you all success. You’re not alone. I’m glad you’re here.
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As suggested get to a meeting might help wish you well
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Getting sober goes far past just “not drinking”. For me, I had to fix the reasons behind me always going to the bottle. Have you thought about this?
A lot of people can stay sober on their own. I was not one of them. I had to join a recovery group. Lots of different ones out there
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Here are a couple of threads about how to get and stay sober, from our nembers’ experiences.
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I’ve been on that roller coaster. I’m sort of on it right now. When you end up on day 1 write down all the feelings and emotions you are having so that you can look back and remember how bad things are when you drink. I find as I get some sober time in I tend to forget how bad it was and think I can moderate.
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From my own experience meetings and also seeking professional help was what i needed.
Getting and accepting the help is no way as bad as we imagine it to be.
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I sought a behavioral therapist, found an AA women’s group that I felt comfortable & felt loved. I call that my home group. I also found a coed group that I like. Finally, my sponsor and I basically found each other. All of this was accomplished in six months and now I’m on my way to staying sober. You can not succeed alone.
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Thanks everyone. Not doing well today emotionally and physically. I have been through withdrawals but it is worse this time around.
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Just take it an hour at a time…a minute at a time. Whatever it takes. All the suggestions here are good. My program is contingent on me taking the suggestions of those who have gone before me and stayed sober. We are hardheaded in nature. Giving up my powerlessness over alcohol was the first step.
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Is rehab an option? Maybe physically getting out of the situation could help.Many insurances cover it.
If not, is drinking part of the marital problem? Have you talked about this?
Can you get a new job or go away for a vacation?
You can do it. There are a lot of different resources and every situation is different.
Hey Laura,
This short 10 min podcast provides a really sound explanation, at least to me, about how much anxiety drinking causes us (our body is trying to protect us from this poison!), and how we keep drinking to drink the anxiety/sadness away. Vicious yucky circle that we have both experienced countless times, hey?
Honestly? The first few days are the hardest! You know this. And so do I. You can do this - you have before. And so can I, as I have too. Alas, we both went back out, and here we are today. Now, I’ve got over a few weeks of recovery behind me, and it’s already better.
Stay here and with us. One day at a time. One moment at a time. 
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It’s not a good choice for me, I have four kids and work full time plus I don’t have insurance that will cover it.
Thank you for the info. I just hate how I am feeling right now, physically I am not doing good and I juat feel so alone like know one gets what I am going through.
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Definitly go to an AA meeting. It will help you feel less alone. Saved my life. I dont go anymore, but in the beginning it was amazing for me. I was in a sad and dark place and other women treated me with respect and kindness when I had none for myself.
Read all the quit lit you can and listen to sobriety podcasts.
So many out there.
Recovery Elevator is great to listen to. I like to listen to Audible on headphones while driving, cooking and cleaning.
Search book recomendations on here and you will,find a bunch.
I wish you well.
What happened to me is the urge to drink was mysteriously removed. Maybe you should ask that that happen to you
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Hi Ted, nice to meet you. Welcome to the group. I found it about a week ago and I’m so glad I did. I like what you said about asking for the desire to be removed. 
If it can happen to me it can happen to you. I think most people don’t have the urge removed so suddenly, it gradually goes away. I still have times where I miss the feeling of alcohol, but I don’t have the urge.