I have been an on again off again drinker and stress and anxiety have been through the roof recently!
This led to a night of 5 drinks and a lot of regret! I want to stop drinking to be a better father but have found it almost impossible to stop and settle any advice and positive thoughts would help
Maybe try a meeting might help wish you well
We all without exception have stresses in our life…you gotta find a way to not use your addiction to cope with those things…find alternative ways to deal with life instead…sounds easy for me to say but its not…ive been to hell and back to carve out a sober life but things are so much better…you can have that too
I agree with @Ray_M_C_Laren
Hit a meeting, online, in person. The drinking doesnt help with the anxiety at all. Which you probably already know. Also head over to the daily check in thread
This app has been great for my recovery, and so many others. Great support for so many things! You got this.
Welcome to the forum! Glad u found us!
Stress and intense emotion was a HUGE trigger for me to use. What i had to realize tho is that alcohol actually make things worse. I had to stop seeing the false “benefits” of alcohol. Alcohol truly does not serve any good purpose in our life. So playing the tape to the end was/is so important. Remembering the regret and how it makes u feel after the fact is helpful when u have a craving to drink.
Meetings are great! Online and in person. Maybe try a meeting when the craving hits. I also carried a picture of my son everywhere i went with my written reasons of why Im quitting. Anytime i had the urge to pick up, id look at the picture of my son if I was out and about (my biggest reason for quitting), or get a big hug from him if I was home and Id read my list and it really helped.
Hope this helps 
Here you´re founding triggers for alcohol cravings. Better to know yours very well.
They are varied and act in subtle ways. It is important to recognize them in order to have the strength to say NO!
To better understand them, here is a detailed classification:
Emotional
Emotions, whether positive or negative, are frequent triggers for alcohol cravings. They can include:
Stress and anxiety: Using alcohol to calm nerves or reduce tension.
Depression or sadness: The desire to drink to ease feelings of emptiness, loss, or melancholy.
Anger or frustration: Attempting to manage or defuse intense emotions.
Joy or excitement: Drinking to celebrate or reinforce a moment of pleasure or happiness.
Boredom: Alcohol is seen as a way to pass the time or combat monotony.
Loneliness: Seeking to fill a feeling of loneliness or social disconnection.
Perceptual (via the senses)
Sensory stimuli can trigger powerful cravings, often linked to memories or ingrained associations:
Smell of alcohol: Smelling an alcoholic beverage, whether wine, beer, or other spirits, can trigger a craving.
Taste or memory of taste: Just thinking about the taste of alcohol can trigger cravings, especially for favorite drinks.
Sight of alcohol: Seeing bottles of alcohol, advertisements for alcohol, or people drinking can trigger cravings.
Auditory cues: Noises or sounds associated with drinking environments, such as the clinking of glasses or music in a bar.
Textures and gestures: The gesture of raising a glass to your lips, the texture of a glass in your hand, or the sensation of liquid on your tongue can also play a role.
Emotional (through history and memory)
Emotional memories and past experiences often influence the desire to drink:
Habits and rituals: Regular drinking occasions in the past (after-work drinks, dinner with friends) can create automatic associations.
Significant events: Past experiences (positive or negative) related to alcohol, such as parties or family dramas, can act as triggers.
Social relationships: Memories of friends or loved ones with whom drinking was frequent can rekindle the desire.
Place of consumption: Memories of certain places (bars, restaurants, vacation homes) where alcohol was present can be a trigger.
Feelings of nostalgia: Regret or nostalgia for periods when drinking was perceived as “pleasant” or “liberating.”
Environmental (public, social, intimate)
The context in which one finds oneself can influence cravings for alcohol, depending on whether it is public, social, or intimate:
Public:
Bars, restaurants, and terraces: Places where consumption is socially accepted or encouraged.
Public events: Concerts, festivals, or cultural events where alcohol is available and consumed.
Social:
Peer pressure: Being surrounded by people who drink or encourage drinking.
Special occasions: Parties, birthdays, celebrations where drinking is ritualized.
Social conviviality: The desire to fit in or not feel excluded in a social context.
Intimate:
Home and private space: Habits developed at home, such as drinking while cooking or watching television.
Moments of solitude: Being alone at home, especially at times when alcohol was usually consumed.
Close relationships: Arguments, tensions, or moments of intimacy with a partner or loved ones can trigger cravings.
Cognitive (thoughts and beliefs)
This category encompasses cognitive factors related to thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes toward alcohol:
Automatic thoughts: Ideas that arise spontaneously, such as “I need a drink to relax” or “I can’t party without drinking.”
Mental justifications: Excuses or rationalizations for drinking, such as “just one drink, it’s no big deal” or “I deserve it after this hard day.”
Illusions of control: Beliefs that one can stop drinking at any time or that one is not really addicted.
Cognitive distortions: Irrational thoughts related to alcohol, such as believing that alcohol always improves your mood or that it is necessary to feel normal.
Mental imagery: Imaginary scenarios of pleasant moments associated with alcohol (e.g., having a drink on a sunny terrace), which trigger cravings.
With these categories, we have been able to identify most of the triggers for alcohol cravings.
Identifying your own triggers means arming yourself to say NO to them!
I know how u fell been thinking about the bottle all day I’ve quit and will stay strong tho.
Welcome back Jon! How are you doing today?
Good trying not to think about booze as , this last hope.
Im early recovery, i found distractions to be helpful as well as “playing the tape to the end”. Remembering what comes with drinking. The guilt and shame, regret, loss of health and money, hangovers etc. Alcohol doesnt do any good. U can get thru the thoughts